Ahmad’s interest in human behavior began at a very young age. His wide variety of interests and involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities put him in touch with people from many walks of life. These experiences enabled him to see the world from many different perspectives and through the eyes of many different cultures.
Ahmad grew up in Amman, Jordan. In 1993, before he knew anything about Salt Lake (ad agencies either), Ahmad volunteered as a summer intern at a computer store; he learned the ins and out of both software and hardware. Ahmad also learned Logo and Basic for Mac and continued to learn design software and technologies as they became available. In the summer of 1994, when he was 12, Ahmad and a few childhood friends made a deal with a video rental store owner. If they cleaned out the storage room, they could fill the space with their new business, a computer repair store. After getting set up, the kids marketed their computer store to nearby companies and started fixing computers for a flat fee, regardless of the problem. In 1995, Ahmad volunteered for the Meridian Hotel, creating a database system. They used this system to keep track of all the kitchen inventory.
Ahmad built his first website in 1996, which his school presented in California to represent the achievements of its student body. That same year, he discovered his love of basketball. He started playing for his high school team. Soon after, the Al Riyadi (formerly known as Al Jazeera) invited him to join their professional team representing the City of Amman. The Junior National Jordanian team also asked him to join their team. These competitive environments taught him the importance of teamwork as well as leadership.
In 1999, Ahmad moved to Utah to study management information systems at Brigham Young University and worked for the Center for Instructional Design developing BYU’s Online and Independent Study Courses. With the help and mentorship of a Communications and Advertising professor, he soon realized his true passion lay in marketing, specifically understanding the psychology of consumer behavior. In 2000, Ahmad changed his major, and BYU admitted him into the Advertising and Marketing program. He continued his work as a developer and project manager. Ahmad oversaw the building of courses while also adding graphic design, video, and programming to his responsibilities. He later received his MBA from Utah State University, a Web and Print Design certificate from the University of Utah, and a certificate in Adult Education at UC Berkeley. He later completed a Certificate in Marketing Management and received his Masters in Management at Harvard University.
Since graduation, Ahmad has stayed near Salt Lake. Ad Agencies make up part of his experience; he has also diversified his portfolio by working with highly regarded individuals and revolutionary thinkers for various companies. At Marriott and Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Ahmad learned to apply his foundational business acumen, the importance of customer satisfaction, and servant leadership. He was one of the first hires at RemedyMD and learned entrepreneurial skills and thought processes. His experience at Digi International taught him how to manage large-caliber accounts like Halliburton and NASA, as well as excessively long sales cycles. Most recently, he acted as the Director of International Sales and Marketing for Nutraceutical Corporation. He applied all his previous knowledge and learned how business conduct varies in different parts of the world.
Ahmad is involved with the day-to-day operations of Twistlab Marketing. He is the reason it has surpassed numerous other Salt Lake ad agencies. In addition to this, Ahmad teaches courses at Salt Lake Community College, Brigham Young University, Utah State University, and Westminster. He is a member of the AAF and is on the Forbes Agency Council. He also serves on the Lupus Foundation of America, Utah Chapter board.
Ahmad is teachable and straightforward, with a strong desire to provide a quality product for a fair price. Gary Kennedy, CEO of RemedyMD and former president of Oracle USA, wrote: “Ahmad has a unique combination of technical, sales, and marketing skills. Very few people are able to bring together their skills in a way that sees a problem from all three perspectives as Ahmad does.” Ahmad’s home is now Salt Lake. Ad Agencies and helping small businesses are his specialties.
Salt Lake ad agencies need a mix of business knowledge, entrepreneurial thinking, integrity, and quality to serve their customers best. Twistlab Marketing portrays these traits and separates itself from other Utah marketing agencies by putting the success of its customers first. Ahmad is a critical part of this strategy, and his vision was what founded Twistlab Marketing.
