Leadership
Thad Bench
The President of Benchworks, Thad Bench is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in marketing, brand positioning, and product launch management. Thad has managed hundreds of large scale marketing initiatives for Fortune 500 companies. He has also owned a number of closely held family businesses including manufacturing and distribution operations, as well as commercial real estate holdings.
Thad has held senior corporate marketing positions with St. Louis-based Huttig Building Products and at Jeld-Wen, Inc., one of the country's largest forest product companies. Thad Bench was also a senior managing partner in Number One Supply Corporation, a multi-state building materials distribution operation.
Thad lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with his wife Renée and their two children. He enjoys sailboat racing, running, and working on his farm in his spare time. Thad serves on numerous boards and is a trustee of the Kent School. He graduated from Elmira College in 1984. Email Thad Bench
William H. Morton, Jr.
Bill has more than 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, corporate management, and merchant banking activities, including executive management positions (President, CEO, COO and others) in multiple corporate ventures. Engagements have included aviation, manufactured housing, merchant banking, and advanced technology companies. Bill Morton is a partner in Benchworks, Inc.
Prior to joining Benchworks, Bill was Executive Vice President of OurPLANE, Inc. and a Managing Director of iQ Venture Partners, a private merchant bank originating and nurturing promising companies in partnership with entrepreneurs and management teams. Bill is a director of Benchworks, OurPLANE, Inc., and the Risor Corporation. Past directorships include Aircraft Sales Corporation, Alcort Sailboats, American Business Assistance, Aquasport, Coastal Aviation, Corporate Health Examiners, ExcelAire Service, EZ Petshop.com (now PetCareRx.com), HMS Marine, King Marine Electronics, and Morton/Russell Associates. He was a trustee of the Holderness School in Plymouth, NH, for 18 years and is a graduate of Middlebury College.
Bill is an active sailor and has raced in offshore events, including Trans-Atlantic and Bermuda. He is an aviation enthusiast and is instrument-rated for piloting multi-engine fixed wing aircraft. Bill and his wife Dawn have been married for 38 years and have four children. They reside in Annapolis, Maryland. Email Bill Morton
Bill MacIntosh
Brings to Benchworks a wealth of experience in marketing, finance, and operations from several facets of his previous executive positions at such global companies as Nestlé, S.A., PepsiCo International and PHH Corporation. Bill joined Benchworks in 2006 as Chief Operating Officer.
At Nestlé, S.A., Bill led financial and operational engagements in Switzerland, Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Sweden and later was appointed Vice President of Finance, managing Nestlé's global investment and loan portfolio as well as foreign exchange trading operations in the United States. At PepsiCo International, he directed international treasury activities, focusing on South America and Asia, including the funding of PepsiCo's first bottling operation in China. Bill was Vice President of Financial Services at PHH Corporation during its period of highest growth and global expansion. Most recently he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the U.S. Naval Institute in Annapolis, Maryland.
Bill is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School and served as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence officer. He served on the board of Ocean Race Chesapeake, the organization responsible for bringing the Volvo Ocean Race to Baltimore and Annapolis in 2002 and 2006. He also served for four years as President of Sail Baltimore, the non-profit organization bringing tall ships and other maritime events to Baltimore, including OpSail 2000, the world's largest tall ship event. Bill and his wife, Kay, along with their two sons, live in Chestertown, Maryland. Email Bill MacIntosh
Melissa M. Johnston
Is a Senior Vice President at Benchworks, Inc. She began her work here in early 2005 and quickly became a valued member of the company's management team. Today, Melissa's duties include implementing business procedures and controls, managing financial and balance sheet matters, helping to administer Benchworks' go-to-market plan, and managing Benchworks' project management staff.
Prior to joining Benchworks, Melissa was Executive Director for a company with an online database product analyzing initial public offerings of stock, and was responsible for overall project management, product development, data content, and maintenance. In 2004, she assisted in the sale of the company's IPO database to a global financial institution headquartered in New York. Following the sale, Melissa decided to remain in Kent County, MD, and explore additional business opportunities.
Melissa graduated magna cum laude from Washington College in 1998 with a B.A. in both Business and Economics. In 2004, she completed the University of Delaware's Project Management Certificate program. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys taking her two dogs for walks, boating activities on the Sassafras River, and watching Porsche Club races with her husband, Mark. Email Melissa Johnston
Andrea Terry
Andrea Terry is a Vice President at Benchworks. She has been with Benchworks since February of 2002 and has been instrumental in the company’s growth from a boutique advertising specialty company to the full-service marketing firm it is today. Andrea has over 17 years of marketing and account management experience. At Benchworks, Andrea’s primary responsibilities include managing the design and deployment of all of the online solutions implemented for our clients as well managing key client accounts.
Prior to joining Benchworks, Andrea served as Associate Marketing Director for a company that developed customized online learning platforms and content for corporate clients and associations. Prior to that position, she spent six years in marketing and product management roles at HCIA (now Solucient), a health care data company. In her last year at HCIA, she served as Product Manager for Web-based data products used to analyze drug and diagnosis data via an online application. This experience set the stage for her current concentration in the design and deployment of Web-based business solutions.
Andrea graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She resides just outside of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two young children. Email Andrea Terry
Greg Waddell
Greg joined Benchworks in early 2007 as Art Director and quickly lifted the capabilities of Benchworks to include full design services ranging from flat print design to dimensional packaging and multimedia design. Greg's ability to understand a project's scope and its role in an overall marketing effort leads to minimal design time, keeping client costs low. He directs a team of graphic specialists who create original design or work with established client design standards.
Preceding his position at Benchworks he acted as a Senior Marketing Coordinator at a world-class architecture firm in Atlanta, where he developed his acuity to quick turnarounds while maintaining a high level of design.
Greg graduated from Emory University in 1991 with a B.A. in Art History and completed graduate-level study at the Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans. When not running and scavenging antique stores for early modern furniture, he and his wife are currently restoring their residence, a pre-civil war dwelling in the village of Kennedyville, MD. Email Greg Waddell