Scott Daigger

Mr. Big Picture

I'd consider myself a passionate entrepreneur, a creative thinker, and an inquisitive mind, both by spirit and by trade. At Sandbox, I'm the guy who keeps an eye on the big picture. To me, Sandbox International represents possibilities. Not just for myself or our Sandbox team, but for everyone we touch with this organization. From the clients with whom we help drive growth, to the All-Stars who can enjoy a rewarding creative outlet, to the eventual customers who will benefit from the concepts we develop, we have the opportunity to make life better for numerous people in a variety of ways. That's what I find exciting, and that's why I'm thrilled to be part of Sandbox.

Before co-founding Sandbox, I worked at Strong Investments, where I served in management, operations, and human resources capacities. More recently, I've switched gears to more entrepreneurial ventures, including serving as Vice President of Operations for another idea-generation firm. On the side, I have a passion for leadership and personal development, and I've been facilitating groups and workshops for about ten years now. The experience has been incredible, and I've actually earned a few awards for different workshops I've created and presented at conferences across the United States.

If I had a sunny day off the job, I'd likely go for a drive out in the country, roll down the windows and enjoy the fresh air and good tunes on the radio... unless it's football or basketball season. Then, I would probably be watching the Badgers game. I love traveling, especially to places with mountains, and I stay active by running, hiking, biking, and playing racquetball.

Academically, I've earned a BBA in Management and Human Resources and an MBA in Entrepreneurial Management, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Todd Wendrick

Captain Details

I am a founding partner of Sandbox International, avid golfer and die hard entrepreneur. And I'm a firm believer that the details make us remarkable at Sandbox. Over the past ten years, I have adventured all over the world, from climbing in a Malaysian archipelago to riding camels in Dubai. Sandbox International leverages a broad recognition of global trends I’ve developed through my travels, as well as a strong professional foundation. One trend I’ve noticed is that the consumer society is growing at rapid rates, and it’s no secret that it wants to be heard. Bedouins and British hipsters alike, members of the global creative consumer mind are positioned to heavily influence corporate innovation.

One long-term goal we have at Sandbox is to capitalize on this global network. I have the opportunity to tap my recruiting knowledge that I developed at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, a Chicago-based restaurant icon, to build the strongest team of creative partners in the world. This fantastic partnership between Scott and myself has also positioned me to use my operations, training and employee relations experience that I developed within the hospitality industry to lead one of the largest global creative consumer networks on an innovation charge. It’s hard to imagine having a more exciting career!

Outside Sandbox, I never miss a chance to wear my plaids out on the links and walk nine holes at dusk. With a 12 handicap I don’t take myself that seriously on the golf course, but always love some competition.

I received a BA (Magna Cum Laude) in Business Administration from Hope College and an MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I studied entrepreneurial strategy and new business development.

Russ Whitacre

Play Maker

I know a guy that knows a guy. My role at Sandbox is to make connections between people searching for ways to innovate and our creative team of All-Stars and facilitators. The driving force in my life has been curiosity - in the sense of seeing how people in other countries and cultures live their daily lives and the process that makes us unique individuals. I am fascinated by travel to exotic locations and interacting with people as they go about their daily lives, seeing where they work, what they produce or grow and how they live rather than following the crowd and seeing the "top ten sights" in that region.

Prior to Sandbox most of my work has been involved with helping employees and clients as a Training and Development Manager for Oscar Mayer and other companies. Working to create and present training workshops that will assist employees to become more productive, happier and more valuable to their organization has been personally rewarding to me. Over the years I have facilitated hundreds of training programs on dozens of topics to thousands of employees as well as presented to outside industry and community organizations.

During my years at Oscar Mayer I relished the opportunity to manage all aspects of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile including developing new marketing programs, public relations, new vehicle design and construction as well as the responsibility for the hiring, training and management of over 400 staff personnel. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is considered to be the longest running mobile marketing campaign in the country and one of the largest and most successful with an overall awareness level of 97%.

In addition to the urge to travel as often as possible, my other interests include maintaining an extensive garden, cooking and spending time with my wife and our two Black Labrador Retrievers. My degree in Communications from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater has served me well and in recent years I have taken numerous courses in instructional design, presentation techniques and seminars in creativity through Disney and the Center for Creative Leadership.

Andrew Brown

Data In, Data Out

I've always had a passion for entrepreneurship. As a young child I would always dream of starting my own miniature golf course. I would draw up course designs, pick locations, and select inventory. Although this idea has not come to fruition (yet), it was the starting point for my entrepreneurial side. In college, realizing the internet was a place that anyone could try their hand at being an entrepreneur, I started teaching myself web design. This led to a variety of client projects, as well as meeting Scott and Todd and ultimately joining Sandbox. At the time, I had no idea how involved my role would become or how much the company would grow and evolve. Now I am the go-to-guy for all of Sandbox's IT needs.

If I'm not bent over the computer making the Sandbox website better, I'm watching Badger sports. I'm an avid follower of the Wisconsin Volleyball team, and love to watch basketball games. My biggest passion in life, though, is soccer. I play year round and watch English Premier League soccer every week.

I am currently completing my BS in Genetics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, with a business minor.

Sandbox All-Stars

Hyper-Creative Compadres

We are talented and creative. Plain and simple. We are media artists and martial artists, entrepreneurs and educators, architects and art majors, writers, dads, housewives, marketing gurus, retailers, and photographers. And we have been identified as the most creative consumers from all over the nation. We have diverse interests and backgrounds that are shaping the way our clients create new products and services. One thing we all have in common is that we love playing in the Sandbox! Sandbox International's ideation sessions give us the opportunity to get our creative juices flowing and generate groundbreaking products and services that will touch future consumers. If you want to learn more about who we are check us out in the All-Stars section.

Or, you can learn more about other careers at Sandbox International.