Jeff Mason: Leading The Piston Foundation for Success

Jeff Mason is the president and COO of The Piston Foundation. He is an entrepreneur and business leader with more than twenty years of experience leading marketing and product development teams. Jeff grew up in Morristown, New Jersey and now lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

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A successful career in design and marketing

Like the students and apprentices in The Piston Foundation programs, Jeff began his career at a trade school and used the technical skills he learned there to build a successful career as a freelance graphic designer for Denver ad agencies including Integer, McClain-Finlon, Cactus, TDA, and Sterling-Rice. In 2005, Jeff launched Hero Design Studio, the marketing agency which he still leads today. In his career, Jeff has led projects for Adobe Systems, Procter & Gamble, SAP, and Booz Allen Hamilton. His work has been recognized by The Denver Ad Club and the Denver 50. Through his work at Hero, Jeff has been a trusted advisor to many clients and start-ups, and gained hands-on experience in building brands and growing businesses.

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Since 2015, Jeff has focused on digital marketing and product management for B2B services and SaaS software. For SCRAM Systems, Jeff led the design and development of two major website redesigns and was responsible for digital marketing strategies and campaigns. For BellesLink, Jeff has led project management for their data technology software and directed their product marketing and go-to-market strategy. “What my experience has taught me is how to align the business model, the brand, the product, and the marketing from the bottom up to create traction, momentum, and growth for the business.”

With The Piston Foundation since 2020

Jeff joined The Piston Foundation as a volunteer in July 2020. As a car-guy, vintage rally racer, and trade school grad, he felt an immediate connection with the Piston mission. In September 2020, Piston founder Robert MInnick hired Jeff as the Foundation’s chief operating officer with the mandate to build an operational foundation that would help the business grow and manage its virtual team of staff and volunteers. The business systems and processes Jeff implemented, along with refinements to the brand and marketing messaging, resulted in total fundraising revenues of $471,166 at the end of 2022. In January 2022, Jeff was made president of The Piston Foundation to focus his talent and experience on the financial growth of the company and the development of its scholarship and apprenticeship programs. 2023 is already the Foundation’s most successful year to date in both mission and fundraising.

Classic racing in a 1965 Volvo

When not working, Jeff races a 1965 Volvo Amazon rally car with his brother. Jeff has raced the seven-day Mexican rally, La Carrera Panamericana, three times to top finishes, including three stage podiums, a 3rd in class overall, and a 27th overall finish. Away from cars you’ll find Jeff cross-country skiing in the mountains of Colorado and trying to win his match in singles tennis.

As a designer, entrepreneur, and business owner for the past 20 years, Jeff has gained the skills and experience needed to lead The Piston Foundation. “My role at Piston lets me use my wide range of skills and my love of cars to serve the car enthusiast community. I can’t think of anything I would rather be doing.”

If you ask Jeff why he’s a car guy, he’ll give you two reasons. “I love engineering and design. Bicycles were my first love, but a funky ‘77 VW Dasher I bought in 1988 turned my love of machines into a love of cars.” His second reason is, “cars and car culture unify people and help us connect with each other, no matter where we come from or what we drive. That’s always been a precious thing and it’s even more valuable today.”

A business leader

Jeff’s love of design led him to found several businesses, including his marketing agency, Hero Design Studio. In his two decades running Hero, Jeff has helped his clients launch products, build businesses, and lead markets. “I build ideas into businesses that are driven by creativity and operational excellence,” is how Jeff would describe what he does.

As a designer, business owner, and entrepreneur for the past 20 years, Jeff gained the skills and experience in business leadership, creative direction, product management, and operations he needs to lead the Piston Foundation as its president and chief operating officer. “My role at the Piston Foundation lets me use my skills and my love of cars to serve the car enthusiast community and I can’t think of anything I would rather be doing.”

Giving back to the community

“I grew up when lots of kids had their own toolbox and tinkered around. Basically, most things were mechanical and we learned how to fix them. Cars and bicycles were what I loved most. Also, years later my brother and I reignited our love of cars and started racing vintage car rallies. A car friend introduced us to The Piston Foundation and we instantly loved the mission. We could see the kids Piston was helping were toolbox kids, just like us.”

“College didn’t work out for me the first time. When I knew what I wanted to do, I went back to school and got an associate degree in graphic design. Those two years of trade school gave me the skills to develop a craft and build a 25 year career in marketing. So, when I learned about Piston, I knew the power of a skilled trade education and I wanted to help today’s young people build the career success my education gave me.”

“A few years later, I’m now helping lead the organization and using my business experience to build something for the community. Combining my work and my love of cars makes it a dream job. The thing that drives me is the opportunity to help young people, who have the courage to take an uncommon path, learn a trade skill they can build a rewarding career on. It worked for me and I still believe in the power of craft.”