About.

Influencing Corporate Value  One Voice at a Time

Listening as the Foundation
The most valuable customer feedback may be that which is not shared via normal sales channels. Our deliverables offer clients recommendations that can be integrated into business systems and decisions.  Our goal is to provide management and ultimately brand ambassadors at all reporting levels with clear direction toward the company's purpose in providing valuable products and services. 
We recognize that the customer is the most important stakeholder and formed LITERAL North out of our passion for advocating on behalf of customers outside of normal sales channels and into the board room. The team's experience in valuation, investment banking, and marketing consulting creates the nexus between the customer need and the financial success of an organization.

Our Team

Nicole Lev Ross
Managing Director

Nicole and her team provide a unique perspective to business that is based on years of strategic and analytical work on behalf of industrial, consumer products and transportation firms nationwide. Past clients include:
  • AllTranstek
  • The Andersons Rail Group
  • FreightCar America
  • Bridgestone Firestone
  • Underwriters Laboratories
  • Private equity
  • ​Confidential (consumer products)
  • Confidential (industrial adhesives)
  • Confidential (industrial machinery)

Nicole spent 12 years in the rail industry working in M&A and consulting capacities. She was vice president of consulting & strategy at AllTranstek, a transportation consulting firm, and broadened its consulting practice by providing niche market research and analytics across the rail car supply chain and  expanded the company organically. Nicole managed corporate development at FreightCar America (NASDAQ: RAIL) where she led and executed acquisition and joint venture opportunities. She sourced and delivered the company’s first and successful acquisition valued at over $23.0 million.
Other roles over her career included lower middle market investment banking, customer segmentation and sales strategy consulting engagements, five years as an owner/operator of a consumer products distributorship, and three years appraising privately held business.

​Nicole holds a BBA from The University of Iowa and an International MBA from The University of Chicago. She has worked in New York, London, São Paulo and México City. Nicole is fluent in Spanish and conversational in Portuguese.
The LITERAL North team includes experienced practitioners who enjoy speaking with customers and share the mission of offering the customer a platform to be heard while revealing areas of value for the subject company and its stakeholders.
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Anne Scarlett, Research Lead. Anne provides board-level leadership with specialty in the architecture, engineer and construction sectors. Anne delivers strategic marketing solutions,  workshops and custom seminars. Anne has published in: Modern Steel Construction; RainToday; A/E Marketing Journal, and CE News. Anne served as the Principal and Director of Marketing Consulting for ZweigWhite. Anne holds an M.S. in Communications from Northwestern University and a B.S. in Interior Design from Indiana University. 
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​Melissa Uhlig, Research Consultant. Melissa has conducted numerous interviews on behalf of LITERAL North. Her interest in learning about industrial sectors and the people that serve them is rooted in her past roles as medical sales executive and former high school educator. Ms. Uhlig also serves as the lead researcher for Mexico & Latin America. Melissa is fluent in Spanish holds an M.S. in Education from DePaul University and a B.B.A. in Marketing from The University of Iowa.
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​Philippa Djemal, Research Lead. Philippa conducts interviews, analyzes market data and compiles strategic reports.  She brings her client expertise having previously worked at IMD UK Ltd, a digital media distribution company based in London, UK, as director of operations where she led a large team devoted to exceeding customers’ expectations on a daily basis for over four years. Her previous roles include new accounts supervisor at Create Services and marketing associate for Close Wealth Management, both in London.  She volunteers for Families Helping Families Chicagoland as a Committee Head, a position she has held for over seven years.  Philippa holds a 2:1 B.A. (Hons) degree from Southbank University London.
Mr. Jim Keuck, Research Consultant. Jim was formerly sales manager of industrial products at BNSF has over 40 years in the rail industry. Jim has worked with Ms. Lev Ross over the past six years on consulting projects and leading market outreach efforts. Jim remains actively involved in the rail industry through his consulting work and volunteerism with the Traffic Club of Chicago. Jim holds a B.S. from The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and a P.M.D. from Harvard Business School.