About

Bud Di Maggio
President

As president of Step Ahead Inc., Bud Di Maggio oversees all operations and sets direction for the company. He is also the co-founder of Internet marketing firm, the SIMS Agency, which merged with Step Ahead, Inc. in 2010.

Prior to opening the SIMS Agency in 2004, Bud served as sales manager for five years for an Internet marketing firm based on Hilton Head Island. He’s also worked in the hospitality industry with the Hilton Hotel Corporation and Omni Hotels in roles that included hotel management, sales and marketing, and has held an active South Carolina Real Estate license for the past five years. His experience in both hospitality and real estate serves him well in working closing with many current Step Ahead Inc. clients, such as Myrtle Beach National, Charming Inns of Charleston, The Francis Marion Hotel, The Berkeley Hotel and The Cassina Group LLC.

Bud holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial management and marketing from Clemson University. Originally from upstate New York, he now lives West of the Ashley in Charleston with his wife and their two children. Bud is a member of The Rotary Club of Charleston, Blessed Sacrament Church, Shadowmoss Golf Club, and coaches baseball and soccer in the St. Andrews Parks & Playground system.

Lyn Mettler
Vice President of Social Media and Public Relations

Lyn has worked in public relations and journalism in a variety of capacities for the past 11 years with a special interest in using the Web to market and increase awareness of her clients.

She opened Mettler Public Relations in 2005, providing traditional public relations services to her myriad clients, including I’On Group, European tour company Breakaway Adventures, Wentworth Mansion, Cenegenics Carolinas, Charleston Parks Conservancy and more, securing coverage in media outlets such as USA Today, the New York Times, Delta’s Sky Magazine, Associated Press and Southern Living.

In 2009, she merged Mettler Public Relations with Step Ahead Inc, a company she created to help clients strategically engage and manage social media tools, to combine the best of traditional public relations with the power of online technologies.

Past public relations roles include serving as account director for E. Boineau & Company, a marketing and public relations firm in Charleston, S.C., as well as media relations coordinator for Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where she secured coverage on CNN, the Weather Channel and in U.S. News & World Report, and community relations coordinator for Borders Books & Music in Indianapolis.

Lyn also has extensive experience as a journalist for both print and television media. Currently a freelance writer, she has written for both Charleston-area and national publications that include Charleston Home, the Charleston Regional Business Journal, Island Memories, Executive Traveler, Private Air, Pregnancy, Dance Teacher and many more. She was formerly an editor for iParenting Media, which produced the national magazine, Family Energy, and an award-winning Web site for parents, iParenting.com. Lyn also worked in television news as a writer for both the Cincinnati and Indianapolis Fox affiliates and as a member of the production crew at WCBD, the NBC affiliate in Charleston, S.C.

Lyn donates her time to assist with public relations for the annual Charleston Digital Corridor iFive:K run, the inaugural Charleston Marathon planned for 2010, as well as the MOMS Club of Mt Pleasant. She’s also served on the public relations committee for Dorchester Habitat for Humanity and provided public relations assistance to Pet Helpers, a local animal shelter. Lyn is active in the Public Relations Society of America, helped found Social Media Club Charleston and regularly speaks on the topic of social media and public relations to a variety of organizations throughout South Carolina. She was also named one of the Forty Under 40 top business leaders in Charleston in 2009 by the Charleston Regional Business Journal.

Lyn holds a bachelor’s degree in public and corporate communications from Butler University in Indianapolis and a certificate in Web design from Purdue University. She currently lives in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., with her husband and two sons.

Simon Ashton
Vice President of Internet Marketing

Simon Ashton oversees all search engine optimization, pay per click, email marketing and other similar projects for company clients. With more than nine years of experience in Internet marketing, Simon has worked with an extensive range of clients in a variety of industries from travel and recreation to e-commerce and industrial markets.

Simon also co-founded the SIMS Agency, which provided a variety of Internet marketing services to clients, such as Spiritline Cruises, Absolutely Charleston, the Vacation Company, Charleston New Homes Guide and many more, in 2004 with Bud Di Maggio. The SIMS Agency has since merged with Step Ahead, Inc.

Prior to founding the SIMS Agency in 2004, Simon worked at Open Vision, an Internet marketing firm in Hilton Head, as director of new technology. Additionally, Simon worked with Overture (previously GoTo), handling pay-per-click marketing and has developed campaigns for many pay-per-click providers, such as Kanoodle, ePilot and FindWhat.

A graduate of the University of Wolverhampton, England, Simon also holds an advanced certificate in search engine marketing from the Academy of Web Specialists. He currently resides in Hilton Head with his two children.

Holly Fisher
Account Executive

As account executive, Holly works directly with clients on traditional public relations projects and assists with public relations strategy, writing, media outreach and coordination. She also assists with social media projects and campaigns.

Holly has a particular interest in the environment and green living and writes the Green Office Blog and contributes to the 7Gen Blog for Seventh Generation, a company that makes environmentally friendly household and personal care products.

She worked more than a decade as a newspaper reporter and editor in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Texas and South Carolina. Most recently, she was the research editor for SC Biz News LLC, publisher of the Charleston Regional Business Journal and other business news publications in South Carolina. She had also served as special projects editor and electronic media editor for the company.

Fisher is a former Region 3 director and board member for the Society of Professional Journalists and a former board member of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. In fall 2009, she was appointed chairwoman of the SPJ Membership Committee. Fisher also has served as an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston. She is a member of the Center for Women in Charleston and the Charleston Young Professionals.

Holly has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University and a master’s of mass communication from the University of South Carolina. She lives in Mount Pleasant, S.C., with her husband, Clint; daughter, Katherine; and two Labrador retrievers.

Laura Angermeier
Project Manager/Trainer

Laura Angermeier handles much of the behind-the-scenes work of Step Ahead, Inc., including managing Facebook Pages, Twitter accounts, blogs, and various other tasks for clients.

Laura has worked in the marketing industry for more than six years. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2002 with a major in business administration and a minor in public relations. She started her career as a public relations assistant at the South Carolina Aquarium, and then moved to the Charleston IMAX, where she served as the sales and marketing manager. She also worked at D.R. Horton as the marketing/public relations coordinator.

Laura started the Charleston chapter of the American Marketing Association in early 2004; the chapter became official when it reached 75 members in early 2007.

Laura lives on Johns Island with her husband, Eric, and son, Andrew.

Melissa Di Maggio
Account Manager

As an account manager for Step Ahead, Melissa manages Web content, online marketing campaigns and social media accounts for clients.

Melissa brings an extensive background in traditional and online marketing in the hospitality and travel industries. Prior to joining Step Ahead, she was director of marketing for Charming Inns of Charleston for seven years. Before moving to Charleston, Melissa worked as an account manager for an Internet marketing company on Hilton Head Island, as well as served as account manager at Dewe Rogerson, an international public relations firm in New York City.

Melissa studied theatre, acting and screenwriting at Circle on the Square and New School University in New York. She lives West of the Ashley in Charleston with her husband and their two children.

Bailey Surrett
Administrative Manager

As administrative manager for Step Ahead, Bailey Surrett manages most of the behind-the-scene tasks that keep our company running optimally. She also writes our Social Media News of the Day blog post that points out interesting news each day.

Prior to joining Step Ahead, she served as a loaned executive for Trident United Way’s 2010 campaign season. There she worked to help Trident United Way reach their $10 million goal. Bailey earned a bachelor’s in communication media from North Carolina State University and is currently seeking her Masters of Public Administration through the University of South Carolina and the College of Charleston.

Bailey is involved with a number of non-profits in the area, including Louie’s Kids, Tricounty Youth Service Day, Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center and Kickoff to Kindness.

Bailey currently lives in Mount Pleasant with her child (cat), Chloe.