Jon Paradise

About Jon Paradise

Jon Paradise is the Director of Sales and Strategic Solutions at 8th Light, a global consultancy helping enterprise and high-growth organizations \"bring life to their best ideas\" through AI, data, and custom software. With a consultative, business-first mindset, Jon partners with clients to translate complex technical challenges into scalable, human-centered solutions—bridging strategy, product, and engineering to drive measurable outcomes.He’s especially passionate about helping organizations adopt AI in ways that are pragmatic, ethical, and built to scale—always grounded in real business value. Jon brings a strong track record of revenue growth and sales process optimization, honed through executive sales leadership roles across the tech and marketing sectors. He has built and led high-performing teams, launched go-to-market strategies across industries, and developed effective sales enablement programs that enhance client success and customer satisfaction. Known for designing systems that align sales execution with business goals, Jon excels at improving customer experience throughout the entire sales cycle.Outside of work, Jon is an avid reader of history, science, and entrepreneurship, and enjoys playing ice hockey, golfing, gaming, and traveling.Let’s connect!

Experience

1. Referee-in-chief Tier 1 Aaa Hockey in Michigan On-ice Official and Mentor

   USA Hockey

   Jan 1998 — Present · US

   Decorated on-ice official/referee that has worked District and National Championship Tournaments and games throughout the United States for almost 3 decades - Achieved and earned the highest level of distinction - Level 4 - and held since 2008-USA Hockey provides the foundation for the sport of ice hockey in America; helps young people become leaders, even Olympic heroes; and connects the game at every level while promoting a lifelong love of the sport.Beyond serving those who play the game at the amateur level, USA Hockey has certification programs for coaches and officials, inclusive of industry-leading online education modules, to ensure standards are met that coincide with the level of play. Furthermore, a large focus is put on parent education with equipment needs, rules of the game and parental roles in youth sports among common topics.

Education

• University of Tennessee, Knoxville

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Organizational Communication, General

Skills

• Sports Management
• Recruiting
• Cold Calling
• Salesforce.com
• Interviews
• Athletic Training
• Advertising
• Executive Search
• Sales Operations
• Customer Service
• Program Management
• Public Speaking
• Coaching
• Sponsorship Sales
• Software as a Service (Saas)
• Business Development
• Social Networking
• Social Media Marketing
• Management
• Team Building
• Powerpoint
• Microsoft Excel
• Training
• Facebook
• Microsoft Word
• Sponsorship
• Human Resources
• Direct Sales
• Public Relations
• Media Relations
• Time Management
• Hockey
• Marketing
• Software Industry
• Talent Acquisition
• Social Media
• Sports Marketing
• Marketing Strategy
• Microsoft Office
• Sales