About

Greg Hoy

Thirty-five years in design, marketing, and operations. One person. No agency overhead.

Download Résumé
35 Greg Hoy

The story

Thirty-five years of figuring out how businesses actually work. Including my own.

Ops Czar is the synthesis of a career that started in business analysis, moved through e-commerce, user experience and design for screens, and arrived at running a 45-person digital agency for twelve years. The through-line is simple: I've always been the person, often out of necessity, who figures out how things run — and fixes them when they don't.

I spent 12 years building and running Happy Cog, a 45-person digital agency, before selling it in 2018. I co-founded and sold Bureau of Digital, a community of digital professionals, alongside it. With every endeavor I've been a part of, I've left it better than I found it. That's not a philosophy. It's a track record.

Since then, I've performed an operational overhaul of a brand design studio in Austin, co-published a 128-year-old community newspaper through a full sale, and remotely run operations at a fast-moving creative agency helping gaming, toys, sports, and entertainment brands build generational fandom. I started Ops Czar because small and mid-sized businesses deserve that same level of operational expertise — without the overhead, long timelines, or red tape.

Working with me is direct, fast, and low-ceremony. I embed quickly, identify the real problems — not just the symptoms — and start moving within the first week. Most clients describe it as having a seasoned COO on call: someone who's seen enough to know what matters and what doesn't.

BA in Management, Gettysburg College, 1992. Based in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

Currently taking on 1–2 new clients

Career timeline

My chapters, in order.

1992–2006
Building a foundation
Business analyst, UX practitioner, e-commerce manager across Prentice Hall/Viacom, Eddie Bauer, Safeco Insurance, Full Tilt Solutions, Electronic Ink, and Pixelworthy — learning operations from the inside of companies that were figuring it out in real time.
2006–2018
Happy Cog
President and owner for twelve years. Grew a multi-disciplinary digital consultancy to 45 people and $32 million in total revenue over twelve years. Worked with 100+ clients including Harvard, MIT, Nintendo, Shopify, the Gates Foundation, and Rush (yes, that Rush). Sold in 2018.
2012–2016
Bureau of Digital
Co-founded a community for digital agency owners and practitioners — events, camps, and summits for groups of 40 to 500. Built to $1M+ revenue in year one. Acquired in 2016.
2019–present
Embedded operator
Completed a full operational overhaul of Helms Workshop, an award-winning brand design studio. Evolve and maintain operations for We The Collective, a Vancouver-based digital content and marketing studio. Co-owned and published The Swarthmorean, a 128-year-old community newspaper, through a full sale in January 2024.
2019–present
Ops Czar
Solo operations consultancy for small and mid-sized businesses. The synthesis of everything above — design thinking, business operations, and the hard-won knowledge of what breaks and why.

Select clients

Some of the organizations I've worked with.

I wasn't tangentially involved in these projects. I steered them.

Education
Delaware Valley CollegeFlockUGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University Law CenterGettysburg CollegeHarvard Business SchoolHarvard College Admissions & Financial AidHarvard Extension SchoolHarvard UniversityKaplanLandmark CollegeMaryland Institute College of Art (MICA)McGraw-Hill EducationMIT Sloan School of ManagementNew York Institute of TechnologyYale School of Management
Health, Wellness & Life Sciences
Albert Einstein Healthcare NetworkAmerican College of PhysiciansMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterMossRehabPennsylvania Patient Safety AuthoritySegyu Foundation
Nonprofits & Associations
American Astronomical Society (AAS)Annie E. Casey FoundationAssociation of Corporate Counsel (ACC)Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationCoalition for Teaching Quality (CTQ)Comhaltas Ceoltóirí ÉireannEnvironmental DefenseHousing WorksInstitute for New Economic ThinkingInternational Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)Lighthouse InternationalMinisters and Missionaries Benefit Board (MMBB)Park Avenue Community CenterPew Center for Arts & HeritagePosse FoundationPresbyterian Church (USA)Swarthmore Centennial FoundationTEDx PhiladelphiaThe Internet SocietyUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumWhite House Correspondents' Association
Media & Entertainment
AdJackAMC TheatresChannel 4 UKDaily KosEl Nuevo DíaGristHershey EntertainmentLamar Advertising Corp.MTV NetworksPhiladelphia Media Network (Philly.com)Philly Concert HubRushSwarthmorean Inc.
Technology & Software
AOL NetscapeBlack PixelCampus ExplorerCanon Business Process ServicesCirrus LogicFetch SoftworksFog CreekFonts.com by MonotypeGeosignIA SummitKintoneMozillaNintendo of AmericaPower Down SemiconductorRiot GamesShopifyTethysTideway SystemsW.L. Gore & Associates
Retail & Consumer
Appliance Parts ProsBen & Jerry'sBooks-A-MillionBubakikiBuild-a-Bear WorkshopCarlisle Wide Plank FloorsDavid's BridalfragrancexGrouponLagunitas Brewing CompanyMotivatePapa John'sPréventiv WaterSherwin-WilliamsSports Endeavors (soccer.com)Trek BikesZappos.com
Financial & Professional Services
ADPAmerican Productivity & Quality Center (APQC)AmeripriseBBVA Compass (PNC Financial Services)BKD CPAs & Advisors (Forvis Mazars, LLP)Hill HollidaySmartyPigThomson ReutersWeil, Gotshal & MangesWeltonZS Associates
Real Estate
ArchstoneColdwell Banker Previews InternationalNational Realty Trust (NRT)
Construction & Utilities
Black Hills CorporationBlacktop Maintenance Corp.DeKalb Pipeline Co.Progressive Waste Solutions
Destination Marketing / Hospitality
Garces Restaurant GroupHersha HospitalityLongwood GardensNational Constitution CenterPlanetEyeSwarthmore Town CenterVisit Philly

Writing

Essays & articles

Build your annex, not a ceiling.
2016
Manage or Be Managed The Pastry Box Project
Lead intentionally, or get led.
2014
The side conversation ate the real one.
2014
The Newest Vacation The Pastry Box Project
Three types of vacation. All completely different.
2014
High Fivery The Pastry Box Project
A little positivity goes a very long way.
2014
The Healing Words The Pastry Box Project
What to say when words feel impossible.
2014
On becoming the boss you always wanted.
2014
Reliability is the most underrated skill.
2014
Differentiate or Die? The Pastry Box Project
Standing out when the market gets brutal.
2014
Say "Hello." It's Free. The Pastry Box Project
The simplest thing. Always overlooked.
2014
Steal your operating model from craft beer.
2014
Doing It Our Way Cognition by Happy Cog
How Happy Cog trained itself.
2013
Hard work and trust. No shortcuts.
2013
What happens when the boss gets a grade.
2013
Work matters. Life is what it's for.
2013
Always Cognition by Happy Cog
Rules I keep, and rules I should.
2012
Flattery is Overrated Cognition by Happy Cog
Stop complaining about copycats. Protect your work.
2011
How to read an RFP — and when to run.
2011
The Devil is in the Invoice Cognition by Happy Cog
The billing details that make or break you.
2011
Happy Cog Talks Webby Win .net Magazine / Creative Bloq
On winning a Webby for Zappos.
2011
You're Always Replaceable Cognition by Happy Cog
The uncomfortable truth. Make peace with it.
2011
Bloodhounding Budgets Cognition by Happy Cog
Finding the number they won't tell you.
2010
Getting to No A List Apart
The deals worth closing aren't always the obvious ones.
2009

Appearances

Podcasts & press

2016
Profile — Greg Hoy
Offscreen Magazine
2016
2014
Running Shit is Hard
Let's Make Mistakes
2014
Interview with Greg Hoy
The Businessology Show
2013
A Slice of Time
Promo for Harvest time tracking
2013
2012

Recognition

Accolades

Rotary ClubGreg Hoy — Citizen of the Year
Rotary Club of Swarthmore
2022
Webby Award People's Voice WinnerAssociations Website
American Astronomical Society
with Happy Cog
2020
Webby Award HonoreeSustainability & Environment Website
Motivate Co. Bikeshare Design System
with Happy Cog
2017
Webby Award HonoreeSchool/University Mobile App
Harvard Extension School
with Happy Cog
2016
W³ Award SilverGeneral Website Categories-Transportation
Motivate International Inc., Motivate Extensible Design System
with Happy Cog
2016
W³ Award SilverWebsite Features-Structure & Navigation
New York Institute of Technology Redesign
with Happy Cog
2016
W³ Award SilverWebsite Features-Home Page
New York Institute of Technology Redesign
with Happy Cog
2016
Inc. 5000Inc.5000Fastest-Growing Private Companies
Happy Cog
2014
Webby Award HonoreeCelebrity/Fan Website
MTV O Music Awards
with Happy Cog
2014
Webby Award HonoreeSchool/University Website
Yale School of Management
with Happy Cog
2014
W³ Award Best in ShowReal Estate Website
Coldwell Banker, Previews Inside Out
with Happy Cog
2014
W³ Award GoldLifestyle Website
Coldwell Banker, Previews Inside Out
with Happy Cog
2014
W³ Award GoldRestaurant Website
Garces Group, Distrito
with Happy Cog
2014
W³ Award SilverNon-Profit Website
Annie E. Casey Foundation
with Happy Cog
2014
W³ Award SilverStructure & Navigation
Annie E. Casey Foundation
with Happy Cog
2014
Webby Award HonoreeCelebrity/Fan Website
MTV O Music Awards
with Happy Cog
2013
Webby Award HonoreeProfessional Services Website
Fonts.com
with Happy Cog
2013
Webby Award HonoreeSchool/University Website
Harvard University
with Happy Cog
2012
Webby Award NomineeRetail Website
Zappos.com
with Happy Cog
2011
.net Magazine Awardnet Agency of the Year
.NET Awards
with Happy Cog
2010

Work with Greg

Let's get things straightened out.

I'll be in touch within two business days.

Get in touch → Or view services →