
Eric Cook
Eric C. Cook, MBA
After graduating from college, Eric began his professional career in the banking industry where he started as a teller, eventually moving into marketing, human resources a "little bit" of lending and various roles in technology and operations. Most recently he was Chief Operating Officer and Regional President for a publicly-traded, Michigan-based community bank. Over his 15-year career, he discovered a love for the Internet, building the bank's first website in 1995 and starting a business in 1999 to take care of small business web development needs.
Following his passion for the Internet, in August of 2007 Eric stepped away from his banking responsibilities and started his own Internet Consulting Practice, focused on helping organizations better understand and leverage the power of the Internet. As part of the global franchise, WSI (which stands for We Simplify the Internet), Eric combines his years of banking and real-world business experience with industry-leading Internet knowledge to help not only his banking clients, but other businesses and non-profits to compete more effectively online.
While in banking, Eric served his industry through a variety of committee positions with the Michigan Bankers Association, most notably as chair of the Operations & Technology Committee for the three years prior to starting his own business. Eric holds a double-major BA in Business Administration and Psychology from Alma College, earned his MBA from Western Michigan University and is a 2003 graduate of the prestigious Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he currently serves as a faculty member and teaches Internet strategy and social networking.
One of only a handful of "award winning" consultants within WSI, Eric earned a Web Marketing Association WebAward in Financial Services Standard of Excellence in 2008 for his project with Wolverine Bank. He has also received several other awards for his efforts including being recognized as a "Rising Star" by WSI at their annual Excellence & Innovation Convention in 2011. He continues to use his banking expertise and in-depth understanding of the Internet and technology to help community banks benefit from their website beyond simply being a place to "log in" to online banking.
Eric is a sought-after speaker in the banking world, presenting for state bank associations across the country on the topics of social technology an innovation. He is also the co-founder of Free Webinar Wednesdays, a free weekly webinar series that hosts online sessions on a variety of technology-related topics to help educate small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Eric and his wife Alicia reside in Southwestern Michigan with their two golden retrievers. In addition to his love of technology, he is an avid cyclist and competes in endurance-distance mountain bike events and triathlons. In 2006 he founded Pedaling with a Purpose, a charitable effort designed to help fellow cyclists raise money for worthy causes while racing, and has personally raised over $25,000 to help fight childhood cancer.
Eric C. Cook, MBA
After graduating from college, Eric began his professional career in the banking industry where he started as a teller, eventually moving into marketing, human resources a "little bit" of lending and various roles in technology and operations. Most recently he was Chief Operating Officer and Regional President for a publicly-traded, Michigan-based community bank. Over his 15-year career, he discovered a love for the Internet, building the bank's first website in 1995 and starting a business in 1999 to take care of small business web development needs.
Following his passion for the Internet, in August of 2007 Eric stepped away from his banking responsibilities and started his own Internet Consulting Practice, focused on helping organizations better understand and leverage the power of the Internet. As part of the global franchise, WSI (which stands for We Simplify the Internet), Eric combines his years of banking and real-world business experience with industry-leading Internet knowledge to help not only his banking clients, but other businesses and non-profits to compete more effectively online.
While in banking, Eric served his industry through a variety of committee positions with the Michigan Bankers Association, most notably as chair of the Operations & Technology Committee for the three years prior to starting his own business. Eric holds a double-major BA in Business Administration and Psychology from Alma College, earned his MBA from Western Michigan University and is a 2003 graduate of the prestigious Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he currently serves as a faculty member and teaches Internet strategy and social networking.
One of only a handful of "award winning" consultants within WSI, Eric earned a Web Marketing Association WebAward in Financial Services Standard of Excellence in 2008 for his project with Wolverine Bank. He has also received several other awards for his efforts including being recognized as a "Rising Star" by WSI at their annual Excellence & Innovation Convention in 2011. He continues to use his banking expertise and in-depth understanding of the Internet and technology to help community banks benefit from their website beyond simply being a place to "log in" to online banking.
Eric is a sought-after speaker in the banking world, presenting for state bank associations across the country on the topics of social technology an innovation. He is also the co-founder of Free Webinar Wednesdays, a free weekly webinar series that hosts online sessions on a variety of technology-related topics to help educate small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Eric and his wife Alicia reside in Southwestern Michigan with their two golden retrievers. In addition to his love of technology, he is an avid cyclist and competes in endurance-distance mountain bike events and triathlons. In 2006 he founded Pedaling with a Purpose, a charitable effort designed to help fellow cyclists raise money for worthy causes while racing, and has personally raised over $25,000 to help fight childhood cancer.