As founder of the Napa Valley ad/pr agency, Barson/Armstrong, Fred helped put Crystal Geyser on the map, revived the Charles Krug and Weibel Vineyards wine brands, and supervised advertising and public relations for a number of community banks, retail services, and high tech pioneers. After twelve years, he struck out for the territory ahead, which was independent marketing and communications consulting for such enterprises as Novell, the University of California Berkeley Extension, 3Com, Intel, Sun Microsystems, and Mass Mutual Life Insurance.

Fred went client side during the dotcom years. He headed electronic and print communications for Financial Engines (named to Fortune’s 1999 top-twelve list of “cool” companies), initiating the company’s branding and creating its voice, messaging, and content for all media.  An opportunity to return to the agency business lured him from Silicon Valley to take over as C.O.O of the well known integrated marketing firm, Triad Communications.  At Triad, he supervised brand and marketing strategies for Imperial Bank, Tier, and GE Financial Assurance as well as launching the Canadian AgriPlace portal and Silicon Valley wireless provider, ArrayCom.

Fred founded Blue Bolt to provide high level brand and marketing insight to start up, small and mid size financial services and consumer product companies. He contributes time to Taproot Foundation, which provides brand and marketing grants to non profits nationwide. He also presides over the board of the Mission San Rafael Arcangel Preservation Foundation.

Fred Barson has a Ph. D. in American literature from the University of Massachusetts.  He is an award winning poet and actor.