Our Team

Steve Schulz

President

I coordinate the Line of Sight Group staff’s efforts to help ensure that we are taking care of our clients and delivering maximum value for them. I closely participate in each one of our client projects and programs, work to develop the resources and infrastructure we need, lead business development efforts and work to bring on the very best people to serve our clients.

I’m especially thrilled when I see our clients make a strategic move that we’ve supported with our research and insight.  Whether it is a launching a new product innovation or entry into a new market or simply an email from a sales representative who has leveraged our insight to land a new account, I enjoy seeing how our services provide a real impact.

Before founding Line of Sight Group, I led similar research and strategy efforts at Deluxe Corporation, then at Jostens Inc. and finally at Optum, a unit of UnitedHealth Group, where I was Director of Market Research and Intelligence.

I hold an MBA in Marketing and a B.S. in Finance. I was also an instructor at St. Catherine University in St. Paul teaching classes in Management and in Competitive Intelligence, and am currently a frequent guest lecturer for MBA classes in strategy at St. Thomas University.

I live on a small lake in the Saint Paul suburb of Shoreview with my wife and daughter.

In the winter, you can find me ice skating or sledding with my daughter or just watching a game and relaxing by the fire.  In the summer when I’m not teaching the Competitive Intelligence class at St. Catherine’s University, I’ll be on the golf course or swimming with my daughter.

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Sara Bartholomew

Senior Consultant

The majority of my work at Line of Sight Group consists of project management and analysis.  This means that I work with our clients from the start of a project, where we are defining their business need or problem, to the end, where we are synthesizing the many pieces of information we’ve gathered and presenting them in a way that creates actionable insight.

I love working with clients over time, and really getting to know them and their business.  It’s exciting to see how the work we do impacts the business decisions they make.

I live in Mahtomedi, Minnesota with my husband, and our three high school and college-aged children.

In the winter, you can find me knitting… and thinking of ways to get out of the cold!  In the summer, you can find me out walking, or attempting to evict the deer from my garden.

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Jennifer Loehr

Senior Consultant

Since joining Line of Sight Group in 2007, I have served in a variety of roles. These include: conducting research and analysis, supplying ongoing monitoring of clients’ competition and offering support with report writing.  I am currently responsible for executing a monthly competitive project, including planning, timelines and managing people and scope. 

It is rewarding when the competitive intelligence services provided help clients grow their businesses, through actionable information and insight.

I currently reside in my hometown of Carroll, Iowa, which is about 2 hours west of Des Moines.  In the not-too-distant future, I plan to relocate to Nixa, Missouri, a suburb of Springfield, in an effort to be closer to family and friends.

As someone who is always cold, I try to stay home, as much as possible, during the winter. You will more than likely find me watching sports, on television, in my free time.  From time to time, I am at the ice rink cheering on the Minnesota State Mavericks hockey team, while visiting family in Mankato, Minnesota.

Whether it’s encouraging my alma mater in Columbia or joining thousands of fans in a rendition of “Go Cubs Go” at Wrigley Field in Chicago, baseball fields, of all types, are a favorite hangout during the summer months.  When not watching the “Boys of Summer,” I am soaking up the sun at a family friend’s cabin on Table Rock Lake, near Branson, Missouri. I enjoy jet skiing and boat rides, as well as the shopping and good food available at Branson Landing.

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Jennifer Waffensmith

Senior Consultant

At Line of Sight Group, I gather and capture data to help organizations gain a clear insight into the world around them. What I enjoy most about working as a consultant is watching clients succeed while using our services to gain a competitive edge in their field.

I live in Lino Lakes, Minnesota with my significant other, four kids in college who rotate through our home often, and an active eight-year old.

In the winter you can usually find me indoors, avoiding the cold, although skiing and snowmobiling are always welcomed when the weather is cooperative.  In the summer you can find me spending my days outside as much as possible, riding bike, rollerblading, having a BBQ with friends and family, or spending a weekend at the cabin. I also have a passion for decorating, painting and refinishing furniture.

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Erin Andersland

Senior Consultant

At Line of Sight Group, I specialize in gathering and filtering information. I love to connect our clients to the insights, research, trends and news about their competitors, consumers and landscape to help stay ahead of the competition.

I live on a farm in southern Minnesota with my husband, our creative and active eight-year-old son, plus cats, a dog, and a variety of wildlife.

In the winter, I like to snuggle under a blanket and read a good book. In the summer, I enjoy gardening and wandering around my gardens to see what is blooming. In all seasons these days, you are most likely to find me playing games or reading with our son and walking with our dog!

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Teresa Muckala

Senior Consultant

My role at Line of Sight Group highlights changes in the competitive landscape through market and competitive intelligence monitoring and analysis. This tactical program role helps our clients respond more quickly to competitive challenges and expand into market adjacencies with a clear understanding of competitors and the market. It is a great feeling when your work helps an organization move forward on its priorities and grow.

While I’ve spent my professional life in the metro area, I’m a country girl at heart who likes nothing better than being outdoors. My husband and I relocated to Lakes Country in outstate Minnesota, where we have rebuilt a turn of the (20th) century farmstead with good bones into a beautiful living space. Remote technology allows me to work globally and enjoy living in the country. 

Summer and winter, you will most likely find me working on projects to help my community thrive. Along with connecting with friends and family (my mother is nearly 100 years old!), I am involved in economic development projects and non-profit programs that focus on literacy, food security and healthcare.

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Keisha Wheeler

Consultant

I work on individual-focused projects, gathering different types of information which I compile and provide back to the customer. The customer uses the data to develop marketing initiatives to reach out to potential customers who will benefit from the services and products they are providing. I love supporting a customer with a product that helps them become a more successful organization. Additionally, gathering data about topics I normally wouldn’t think about gives me insight into areas of our world that I would never have known about. It might be work but the information I gather expands my knowledge and horizon and opens my eyes to the wonder all around us.  

I live in Lino Lakes, Minnesota with my husband and three children. The kids haven’t entirely made us empty nesters but we’re getting closer. I’ve been a flight attendant for more than 30 years and love the opportunity to experience the travel that the job provides. I’ve been all over the world and enjoy seeing something new and exciting on each trip. While at home, you might find me refinishing an antique piece of furniture or dabbling in a variety of crafts. I love trying new activities, especially during the long, cold winters in Minnesota. Family is important to me and many of them are still back in Kansas, so I enjoy the opportunity to visit whenever possible. I also really enjoy sneaking down to Florida to visit family who migrated there. I’m a big fan of the Mouse and enjoy visiting the many parks at Disney World as well as Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. It’s fun to act like a kid again, riding rides, watching shows, and enjoying the large variety of food throughout the parks.  It keeps me young at heart.

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Rachele Petrella

Consultant

At Line of Sight Group, I specialize in gathering and synthesizing market research, news, and competitive research to help our clients make informed business decisions. Too often, decisions are based on what we think we know, without leveraging research and analysis as a strategic asset. I strongly believe providing our clients “the so what” through analysis is our secret sauce! Prior to joining Line of Sight Group, I led market research and competitive intelligence with a focus on identifying business development opportunities, strategic business planning, and M&A identification and first-line due diligence. I hold a Master of Library Science (MLS), specializing in business research. I was part of a global technical corporate research library for eleven years. I hold certificates in Competitive Intelligence, which I leveraged in Market Research Analyst positions helping companies enter new markets through organic growth or competitor acquisition. I have been a guest lecturer at the University at Buffalo’s Master of Library Science program, speaking on alternative library science career paths and the value of being an embedded business librarian. I have also taught Business Library Resource instruction for the MBA program at Medialle College in Buffalo, NY.

I live in a suburb of Buffalo, NY (Go Bills!) and enjoy the four seasons of living in Western New York. My favorite season is the fall – sweaters, crisp air, baking, and everything pumpkin spice.  I like winter walks and the beauty of fresh snow. In the summer you can find me hiding from the heat inside an air-conditioned library, book store, or museum, or visiting friends throughout New York state.

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