Our Story

Bob was part of the team that acquired Capstone in 1990 and became its sole owner in 2019. Capstone rapidly expanded from is inaugural year of publishing 48 books to an industry leader, publishing over 700 titles in a variety of formats annually and successfully innovating into the digital space with products such as PebbleGo, a subscription database designed to be a K-2 student’s first research experience. Prior to his leadership at Capstone, Bob served in a variety of executive leadership positions in the manufacturing and publishing industries. Bob enjoys being involved in CEO peer to peer roundtables. He graduated from Gonzaga University, Spokane, with a B.A. in History.

Maerin is proficient in marketing with significant work experience in the publishing industry. Specialties include communications, social media marketing, and event planning. She is passionate about spreading the importance of literacy through community outreach and engaging with customers. Maerin graduated from Saint Thomas University, Saint Paul, with a B.A. in Communications and Journalism.

Doug is a business executive with over 40 years of experience in senior executive and CEO roles in financial service businesses in money center, super-regional, and large community banks. He has expert skills in building high performance teams and executing growth strategies in private companies. He has served as a director on over 35 private, public and cooperative boards in 10 states, with experience chairing boards and numerous committees, including Audit Chair for two large reporting entities. Hile is a graduate of Marquette University (BA, Economics) and the University of Chicago (MBA, Finance and Marketing).

Mary has over twenty-five years’ experience in mergers and acquisitions, private placements of debt and equity, strategic advisory services, and valuations for middle-market companies. She has worked for several investment banking firms, including a boutique investment bank she founded and subsequently sold to Manchester Companies. In her roles as investment banker and private equity investor, Mary has worked with family owned businesses, private, and public companies to achieve growth, liquidity, access to capital, and exit strategies. Merrill earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Business and an MBA in Finance and International Business from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She holds FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 licenses.

Jeff brings more than 30 years of experience in executive management, marketing, and business development within the technology, training, and publishing industries. He joined Inscape Publishing as President and CEO in 2001 to lead its transformation into an independent, growth company. In February 2012, Inscape was acquired by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. and Sugerman was named Executive Vice President of the Talent Solutions and Education Services Group. In August 2017, he left Wiley and now works independently as an Advisor and Director to technology-enabled, high-growth companies in the middle market. Sugerman received a Ph.D. in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a B.A. from Northwestern University.

Linda is currently the CEO & Managing Director of the Barkley Group, a Boutique Consulting firm focused on Digital Transformation of enterprise organizations. Prior to founding the Barkley Group, Zecher retired as President, CEO and Director of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), a global education and learning company where she led the company through a successful financial restructuring, hired a senior management team, embarked on an exciting web presence consumer initiative, reorganized the sales channel, forged strategic partnerships with companies such as Apple, Google, and Amazon, and completed several acquisitions including the Education Technology division of Scholastic. Under Zecher’s leadership the company completed a public offering and now trades on NASDAQ. Zecher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University and an Honorary Doctorate from Bentley University.

Tom joined Capstone and its parent company, Coughlan Companies, LLC, in 2007. He is responsible for the overall vision, strategy, and direction of the company. Prior to joining Coughlan Companies, Tom served as CEO of Swiftknowledge, Inc., a Minnesota Fastest 50 growth company and was Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for PLATO Learning, Inc. Tom earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from Northwestern University, Evanston.

Steve Robinson is the Chief Financial Officer for Coughlan Companies, LLC. He brings 11 years at Upsher-Smith, a pharmaceutical company here in Minnesota, serving as its CFO for the last seven years. Steve began his career in public accounting working several years for PriceWaterhouse as it was known then. After obtaining his MBA, he then moved to Minnesota to work for Honeywell. Steve was with Honeywell for 10 years serving in a variety of finance positions before moving over to Upsher-Smith.

Patricia joined Capstone as Publisher in 2017. She is responsible for the strategy and execution of Capstone’s publishing list. Prior to this, Patricia was Publisher for Cantata Learning, VP and Editor in Chief of Lerner Publishing Group, and part of Red Line Editorial’s business leadership. She has written more than seventy books for children and young adults, as well as poems, scholarly articles, and marketing pieces, garnering national and regional awards. She holds an M.A. in Literature from Minnesota State University, Mankato, a B.A. in English from South Dakota State University, and a mini-MBA in Marketing Management from the University of St. Thomas.

Darin joined Capstone in 2017, bringing over 15 years of edtech and publishing experience. He oversees the creation, deployment and maintenance of Capstone’s digital product portfolio. In his experience prior to Capstone, Darin has led strategy, marketing and business development functions at 808 Hats, Edmentum and Thomson Reuters. Darin earned an MBA from Chicago Booth Business School, a JD from Chicago-Kent, and a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois.

Gail joined Capstone in 1997 and currently serves as the Vice President of Customer Relations and Fulfilment. She oversees Customer Services, the Distribution Center, Community Giving, Bids and Contracts, and Purchasing. Gail came to Capstone from Coloplast Corp where she was the Customer Service/Purchasing Manager. She studied Business at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Amy started at Coughlan Companies in 2001 as a Human Resources Assistant, eventually becoming the Director of her department in 2015. Among other things, Amy oversees and manages training & development programs, recruiting, employee relations, and wellness programs for both Jordan Sands and Capstone. Prior to Coughlan Companies, she was a part of the HR team at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Amy has Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Minnesota State University, Mankato and a Professional Human Resources (PHR) Certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute.