ePrairie: What is your area of expertise?
Joel Pekay: I’m a marketer who is good at selling the benefits of a technical product or service. I’m also very good at positioning companies that don’t have any meaningful competitive difference. In my last position as director of marketing for a competitive phone company, I increased their brand awareness by 376 percent in less than a year.

eP: How do you find the job market these days?
JP: There are a lot of people competing for the same opportunities. It has become a situation of “who you know” rather than what successes you have achieved. I think it’s important to be open to working for lesser-known companies. I hadn’t heard of my last company before a friend introduced me.

eP: What are you looking to do?
JP: The ideal position for me is heading up a marketing group in an organization committed to high values and the best-quality work. I want to architect successful marketing communications, product management and/or product development strategies.

eP: Have you learned anything from your time being unemployed?
JP: Besides how to feed and diaper my triplets? In fact, this time has reinforced my belief in the need to network in good times and bad. This time has been much easier because of the many good friends I have made over the years.

eP: What do you think of the Chicago technology community?
JP: It is underutilized. We have an overabundance of incredibly successful and intelligent people who have so much to offer – from engineers to programmers and marketing to salespeople – yet most businesses have claimed they have to be located in the East or West Coast. I don’t believe it. I think Chicago is a great place for technology.

eP: Why are you determined to stay in Chicago and find employment?
JP: It is a very diverse place to live, offering a variety of things to do. Not many places in the U.S. bring together so many different people and different cultures. You can experience it all in Chicago.

eP: Books or movies for you? What’s your favorite?
JP: I'm a big fan of movies. Although, with the triplets, I’ll probably have to wait until Star Wars is out on DVD before I see it. The book I’m recommending these days is Primary Target by Joe Weber.

eP: Three people you’d invite over to dinner?
JP: Simon Wiesenthal. I met him when I was a child and would love to sit down with him now that I’m an adult and discuss his dedication to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action.

Second, my grandfather, who passed away while I was in high school. He was a very astute business person and I believe I could learn a lot more from him. Finally, Luca di Montezemolo, president of Ferrari (the car company). I am a huge exotic car nut and auto racing fan. He turned around Ferrari and led the company to Formula One championships. I’d love to hear his personal insight as to how he has succeeded.