Chris Churchill has long been a pioneer, spotting new opportunities in the making and being among the first few to maximize them. In 2002, anticipating a rebounding online marketplace, he founded Fathom Online, one of the first search engine marketing (SEM) companies to bridge the gap between medium to large advertisers and to partner with prominent search engine companies like Google and Overture (now Yahoo!). Fathom developed its own proprietary software that expedites the process of designing and executing the most effective search marketing campaigns, and provides marketers with superior analytics and simplified reports.

Based in San Francisco, the company now has offices in New York City and Chicago, and its staff is working with 17 of the country's largest advertising agencies and more than 100 of the most recognized brand name advertisers.

Chris started developing his expertise in the search marketplace as one of the first media buyers for US Web, an early, highly regarded online advertising and web design shop. He subsequently joined cutting-edge online agency, Leftfield, where he continued his focus as a media planner and developed online campaigns for such blue chip clients as REI.com, Macy.com, Sun Microsystems, Amazon.com, Spring IPT and Microsoft.

From 2000 to 2002, he expanded his experience and insight into the rapidly growing world of search engine marketing at Ask Jeeves where he helped to build the company's Syndication department and participated in Product Management.

Chris's pioneering genes were evident long ago. In 1988, he and a partner, believing that snowboarding would soon become the next big winter sport, founded the Alternative Edge, one of the first all-snowboard retail companies in the country. In 1994, Chris began etailing with an online catalogue and was one of the first people to drive three-channel integration between a website, a catalog and the retail store. The Aspen, CO-based company grew to a staff of 30 people and received two prominent business awards in 1995: "Retailer of the Year" and "Small Business of the Year." He sold the Company in 1997 to Aspen Sports. The Alternative Edge is still thriving at the base of Aspen Mountain (which is finally allowing snowboarding!)

Chris and his wife, Marcella, are the proud parents of a young son, Ian. Chris sails competitively year-round on a J/120 in San Francisco and snowboards every chance he gets!