An accountant by nurture and an entrepreneur by nature, President and CEO Eric Schneider navigated Totem from a tiny office of eager young journalists in 1998 to the powerhouse in North American custom media and communications that it is today. Over its first ten years of growth, the company then known as Redwood Custom Communications defined the purpose and potential of custom publishing and branded content. It has since evolved from pure print into the arenas of digital, multiplatform and fully integrated media and marketing communications. Eric’s skill in identifying talent and designing a working environment that is creative, respectful, inclusive and fun is a defining pillar of Totem’s success—and says a lot about his leadership. In 2003, Eric won Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award, and in 2004 Report on Business named him one of the Top 40 under 40.