CHRIS RUBACHA
Consumer Brand & Growth Marketing Leader
Baltimore, MD | rubachachris@gmail.com | linkedin.com/in/chrisrubacha
Profile
Consumer marketing leader with nearly a decade building pet and lifestyle brands across DTC, multi-location hospitality, and live events. Led the growth engine behind ~40% YoY revenue growth at Wolfgang Man & Beast and launched three new markets for Bark Social. Pairs full-funnel performance and CRM discipline with brand content I produce myself.
Core Competencies
- Brand Strategy & Positioning
- Go-to-Market & Market Launches
- Full-Funnel Paid Media
- CRM, Email & SMS Lifecycle
- Subscription & Membership Programs
- Shopify & eCommerce CRO
- Attribution & Performance Reporting
- Multi-Location Marketing
- Content Production & Brand Film
- Earned Media & Local Partnerships
Professional Experience
Founder & Fractional CMO
2025 – PRESENTLeroy | Consumer Brand Marketing Consultancy
- Fractional CMO for early and growth-stage consumer and lifestyle brands, owning go-to-market strategy, channel mix, and budget allocation.
- Runs full-funnel acquisition across paid media, CRM, and organic.
- Director and Producer of Chonkfest, a multi-city live pet event series co-created with Maxine the Fluffy Corgi and Hammy & Olivia (20M+ combined audience).
- Launched Chonkfest in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and St. Louis, with market-by-market performance reviews after each event.
- Leads city-by-city launches: venue and vendor partnerships, pre-sale strategy, community and press outreach, on-site activation, and repeatable launch playbooks.
Director of Marketing
2023 – 2024Bark Social | Premium Dog Park, Bar & Restaurant, 5 Locations | Baltimore, MD
- Built the brand from scratch: full brand identity, brand guide, and a complete website rebuild designed for multi-location scale.
- Launched 3 new markets end to end, from pre-opening awareness and local partnerships through founding member acquisition, grand opening, and the shift to retention.
- Ran the subscription membership program across all 5 locations, monthly and annual, covering acquisition, onboarding, retention, renewal, and win-back.
- Grew the CRM from 66K to 170K+ contacts while holding a 57.8% email open rate and 18.7% click-through rate.
- Built localized activation playbooks for each market from Philadelphia, PA to Alexandria, VA.
- Partnered with the general manager at each of the 5 locations to adapt campaigns, events, and membership pushes to their local market while holding one brand standard.
- Directed and shot menu and brand content in-house.
- Earned national media: hosted the TODAY show on site, a People feature, and USA Today’s #2 dog bar in the US.
Director of Marketing
2020 – 2023Wolfgang Man & Beast | National DTC Pet Lifestyle Brand (acquired 2024)
- Delivered ~40% YoY revenue growth for a national DTC pet lifestyle brand.
- Led a full Shopify storefront rebuild across a 100+ SKU catalog, driving a ~40% conversion rate lift and a 17.5% AOV increase.
- Owned a seven-figure annual paid social budget and cross-channel reporting and attribution in Triple Whale.
- Scaled the SMS program past 75K subscribers.
- Produced and directed brand films, including The Pack Leader with NYT bestselling author Brianna Madia and the brand's first CTV commercial.
Marketing Operations Manager
2017 – 2020Borboleta Beauty | Salt Lake City, UT
- Ran email and CRM execution, campaign calendars, and promotional planning for a fast-growing beauty brand.
- Owned cross-channel reporting across campaigns and channels.
Selected Recognition
- TODAY show on-site segment at Bark Social
- People magazine feature on Bark Social
- USA Today: #2 dog bar in the US (Bark Social)
Education & Tools
Bachelor of Business Administration, Entrepreneurship Management | Boise State University
Marketing Stack: Klaviyo, HubSpot, Attentive, Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, Triple Whale, Shopify, Canva
Community: Former President, Boise Climbers Alliance (public lands conservation nonprofit)