Circle of Friends.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about a remarkable woman who brought great people together, creating a circle of unforgettable moments and lasting friendships.

I first met Christine Boyle in 1996 while working together in a small tech startup in northern Rhode Island. She was a brilliant marketer who quickly took on the role of general manager, elevating our company to new heights. We achieved remarkable things together! Working in our little startup was a lot of fun, filled with energy and creativity. Christine had a way of highlighting the strengths of others and making everyone around her better at what they do.

No matter where Christine’s career took her, she always reached out to me to keep in touch and to see if I could lend a hand. One of those calls came in 2000 while I was having lunch at the Piccadilly Pub in Foxboro. Christine told me that she had just taken on a significant role at a company called mGen and needed help with digital marketing. As it turned out, her office was literally next door to the restaurant where I was eating, so she came over. Working together with Christine again was like a little reunion.

A few years later, in 2006, she was the VP of marketing at Sentillion, a single sign-on solution for hospitals. Christine reached out to me to see if I could help with SEO, Google Ads, and consult on the company’s new blog. I remembered Karalee Sera from mGen and was introduced to Simon Robinson and Jennifer Haas. From this time forward, as she progressed in her career from Microsoft, Caradigm, and Get-to-Market Health, Christine always brought many of us along with her. It had become clear to me that Christine was a collector of great people, and I was very proud to be included in this club.

In 2018, Karalee reached out to see if I could recommend someone to help Christine with SEO at Oncology Analytics. I mentioned that I had recently left my corporate job and was doing freelance consulting and jumped at the chance to lend a hand. Soon after, I founded Wicked Good Results, and eventually, Jennifer called, asking for some help with LinkedIn advertising for her company. This kicked off yet another reunion, and we were all like peas and carrots again.

On Sunday morning, January 10, 2021, Karalee called to inform me that Christine had lost her battle with a rare form of cancer and passed away. It was devastating.

For all who were lucky enough to be members of her circle, we are grateful to Christine for bringing us along and keeping us together. It was a great ride, filled with unforgettable moments and lasting friendships. As we moved forward from where Christine left off, we have continued to bring one another along as she did, honoring her legacy wherever the road leads us. In this way, it will continue to be as today's fortune says, "Your friends will be your companions on a special journey."