tst ink works with clients to create community vision, businesses, and brands customers connect with, and experiences that matter.

We are driven by the belief that the way up is from the outside-in. The customer’s perspective and experience.

Everything we do comes from a passionate curiosity and deep understanding of the customer.

 

 

PEOPLE

 

Teri Slavik-Tsuyuki is the founder and principal of tst ink, llc., and has 20+ years’ experience building and bringing to life some of the most valued, recognizable and top-selling brands in community and resort development. A fast thinking, passionate senior marketing professional, she is a sought-after and engaging public speaker and facilitator.

“You delivered big time in your Housing Leadership Session. I loved your approach and especially appreciated you sharing what you learned as you grand opened Tehaleh and used a technical glitch as an opportunity to strengthen your brand with customers.” 
– John McManus, Editorial Director, The Residential Group, Hanley-Wood Media (BUILDER Magazine)

During 10 years as Chief Marketing Officer for Newland Real Estate Group Teri was the architect of the Newland brand, and its application in more than 40 communities in 14 states, leading Newland's community development planning and research, innovative customer experience, product innovation, and integrated marketing strategies. Prior to that she founded and operated a marketing and brand design agency in Canada, handling all of Intrawest’s vacation ownership resort development business, launching brands and new locations in three countries over more than ten years.

“Teri is extremely intelligent, with the ability to develop different visions for different communities located in multiple states. She is very intuitive as to the needs and wants of customers. Teri is the best CMO we have ever had and I believe her to be the best in the United States.”
– Robert B. McLeod, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Newland Real Estate Group

She will tell you that what matters most is how people relate, connect, explore new ideas, and share their lives. Teri is the Vice Chair of Urban Land Institute’s Residential Neighborhood Development Council, was named “one of the most influential women in homebuilding" by BUILDER Magazine in 2016, and is a 2015 inductee into the William S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence.

Teri is completing her Masters at Northwestern University in Integrated Marketing Communications (Honors), studied Journalism at Carleton University, and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and Sociology from Simon Fraser University.

 

PURPOSE

 

Great companies are fueled by brands built on purpose. They have meaning, beyond just being a manufacturer or a distribution system. How, what, why and in what markets you do what you do defines your brand’s purpose.

 

How Might We

tst ink applies a uniquely diverse mix of services to help businesses and brands create meaning and purpose:

Community and resort vision planning + Development | Brand development + Repositioning

Project, community + Brand audits  |  Customer experience design

Consumer research + Actionable insights  |  Ongoing thought-partnership engagements

 

CLIENTS

 

Brookfield Residential (Canada)  |  Charter Homes & Neighborhoods | Johnson Development Corporation

Melcor Development Corporation  |  Rancho Mission Viejo  |  Terra Verde Group

 

 

Follow us to share our observations and see how we think:

 

VISIT OUR BLOG

TST ARTICLES

 

CONNECTION

Life is lived swiping, scrolling, and staring at screens.

EXPERIENCE

Customers don't by brands

CONNECTION

Life is lived swiping, scrolling, and staring at screens.

The automated world of marketing technology creates a need for more human connection. People connect with and remember brands that get and engage with their needs.

Great places invite people to connect with each other and share their stories, to stay and discover a little more, and to return again.

We help brands create meaningful connections with their customers, and with the world at large. Customers are people first, before they are “prospects” or “traffic”. They make choices about where to spend their time and money based on what a brand stands for, and the meaning and connections it creates. We are experts at helping companies step back, assess and understand their customers’ motivations, needs, and wants. Driven by that unique and powerful understanding we create and design products and places that provide real connection.

 

†Photos taken by Teri, of some of the special places she helped create.

 

 

EXPERIENCE

Customers don't by brands

They buy the experiences and the sense of belonging a brand creates in their life.

A brief escape. Making a difference. Creating a community. What's your brand experience?

Handcrafted oceanfront villas in authentic Mexico by Club Intrawest. Every inspired detail built by hand to create an experience, then wrapped in an authentic narrative, impossible to replicate.

Products come and go. Experiences and the memories they create stay forever. A strong brand, with deeply embedded meaning is the platform for providing great experiences customers remember, look for, and share with others. Think about it. A guest at a new boutique hotel may not remember their room number or the nightly rate, but they will remember how it made them feel. The energy. The color. The way the brand ambassador described the sommelier’s choice of wine for the nightly complimentary happy hour. The art on the walls and the kind of music playing in the lobby. That’s experience, not just a product, designed, on purpose.

 

 

 

VOICES

 

“You know that voice inside your head that comes up with the really crazy ideas? The ones that are so crazy you're not sure you can even say them aloud. And then when you do some people look at you like you've lost your mind and you wonder if you should agree with them. 

When I hear that voice, I know there is one person who I can share those ideas with who will not only validate them but who will also volunteer to help me refine them, expand on them, dig deeper, and execute them.  Teri takes crazy ideas and turns them into realities. She makes me think bigger, she encourages me to not only trust that voice in my head but to tune into it so I can hear the faintest whisper.  

Teri's intelligence and experience are matched only by her passion and authenticity. She is a force for good and her energy is fueled by kindness and generosity.  

Meeting Teri changed my professional life. She made me dream bigger. She inspired me to lean in to my passion and grow beyond my comfort zone. She is a friend and she makes me want to change the world. She's who I want to call when the crazy ideas come.”
– Alaina Money,
Division President, Garman Homes

 “Teri is one of the few in the development business that can step into the middle of an often log jammed intersection of research, planning, design, marketing, and operations and quickly organize what needs to be done to move a project forward effectively, while at the same ensuring everyone involved digs in, thinks better, and enjoys the opportunity. She’s a rockstar.

And if you want more...you only know she’s from Canada when she says process.”
– Rob Bowman,
President, Charter Homes

 

“Teri is an exceptional master-planned community development and marketing team leader. She is clearly one of the top talents in the field that I have ever worked with. Her experience, enthusiasm, and creativity are complemented by her focus, her communications skills, and fresh approach and effective marketing strategies. It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with TST and her team as they helped us create a community vision and brand that will differentiate our master plan and help increase its value.”
– Craig Martin, 
Partner, Terra Verde Group

“Teri is undoubtedly one of the most respected marketing leaders in our industry. Her remarkable passion for understanding the demographics and psychographics that motivate consumers and their lifestyle needs combine with her ability to transform the information into unique and creative brands.”
– Nick Lehnert,
Executive Director KTGY Group Architecture & Planning

“Teri’s vision and creativity are rare gems in community marketing. She has a unique ability to conjure big ideas again and again. My team has been lucky to collaborate closely with her to introduce Avid Trails as the signature amenity in Bexley, and we know it will help set the community apart from all others in Tampa. TST is hands-down one of the smartest, most creative people I’ve ever worked with. As a bonus, she’s quick with a laugh and a joy to be around.”
– Jay Hoeschler,
Partner, Design Director, Avid Trails