It is not often I write about a competitor. But Bernie Colterman was different. Yes, Brenie passed away last month at the age of 70. He was a true luminary in the world of marketing and, particularly, sponsorship marketing. Bernie served as a Founder and the President of the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing. Bernie was one of our many competitors. But as I said, he was different. We truly collaborated, ideated, and saw the vision of a better sponsorship marketing world together.
The arena of the sponsorship marketing sector that Bernie and I “competed” in was in the “municipalities” sector. We both had a major focus of our business in helping and serving municipalities. Brenie was an innovator and leader. We “went up against” each other on many RFPs and projects. He won some and we won some. It was a very unique relationship. When I would win or he would win we would call to congratulate the other and learn what the other had done in their bid, the offer, the pricing, the approach etc. so we both could learn.
I remember on a few occasions getting a call from a municipality that Bernie had done work for. They wanted me to redo the work. I always laughed. I said the same thing every time. I told them I would be glad to redo the work, but it is probably a waste of money. I would tell them that Bernie does great work, and I will probably deliver the same numbers and report he had done. I would tell each of them that I am fine to review his work for free and if I think it is wrong, they can pay me to do the work over again. And if I believe that his deliverables are accurate, I will let them know and charge them nothing. Each and every time that happened, I could only say to the town or city “you are not going to get a variance of any significance in the valuations from us. Possibly some assets or naming might come in a little higher in value and some a little lower but not worth the investment to have us redo the numbers.” Bernie’s work was amazing, and he was always so helpful with is clients. Never did we redo his work… lol though we have probably had a couple of dozen times over the years where we redid work for other competitors! Bernie was a gold standard in the industry in Canada.
Bernie possessed a unique ability to forge meaningful connections between organizations and their target audiences, understanding that sponsorships were not merely transactions, but powerful vehicles for shared value and brand elevation. He was ethical, transparent and will be remembered not only for his strategic mind and deep industry knowledge but also for his ability to translate those complex marketing concepts into tangible results. He was a industry leader who understood the nuances of creating mutually beneficial relationships, a hallmark of effective sponsorship.
Thanks Bernie for always being there for me when I called or emailed. I will miss you.
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