Digitizing the World
After some years in the military and part time jobs, Cunningham realized that technology could be used for much more than people had realized. He was able to put this theory into action when sought out a solution to the large amounts of data businesses needed to access on a daily basis. His first client, an architecture design firm, was looking for a better way to access and review product offerings quickly. His solution: digital archiving on 3.5 floppy diskettes. While this technology is now dated, it was the strategy that mattered. When Consumers’ Interest introduced digital archiving to businesses in the early 90’s, it was unknown to many. While many Internet strategist watch trends, we’ve been setting new standards since 1995.

On The Cutting Edge
Once you are identified as an innovator, word travels fast. That is why it is little surprise that within 5 years Consumer’s Interest was working with companies such as Perigee Design, Nordstrom’s and the Seattle Space Needle creating database management and publicity -based websites. However, it was a discussion with marketing strategist at Sunmakers Travel Group that shifted the company’s focus from purely data management to more Internet – based. A meeting with company execs, opened Cunningham’s eyes to the possibilities of the Internet. By the late 1990’s, Consumer’s Interest knew the Internet would be the next big thing.

For the next few years, Tod would emerge as a leader in the digital marketing space. Working with Google since they launched as a company, Tod was a pioneer in the Pay-Per-Click advertisement program, and was a leading Beta Tester for many of their programs. He additionally helped built the database solution behind FlightList Pro, currently the largest air charter database to be found online.

Built To Survive
The late 1990’s was a catastrophe for many Internet-based businesses and being an online based business as well, Consumer’s Interest almost didn’t survive. While Consumer’s Interest was able to continue providing services, the .com Bubble of the new millennium caused many of his client’s companies to fold. With these companies, innovations in digital corporate storytelling, online data hosting, and national rollouts – pioneered by Consumer’s Interest – never met their promise due to inadequate funding.
Frustrated, but determined to continue, Cunningham reconnected with his faith and left the rest in God’s hands.

A Personal Mission
In the 1990s, Consumer’s Interest became a business known for business process improvement through digital innovation, however, the early 2000s brought about a change in the economy that forced owner, Tod Cunningham to reevaluate his time investment. An active member of his church and devoted to his family, Tod chose to focus on his faith and his passion for volunteering instead. This led to a leadership role as a prevention specialist, as well as the opportunity to become a voice on the politics around faith-based recovery programs.
Together with We Care America, (a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to Christian recovery and created by Pres George W. Bush), Tod sought out ways to support those needing Christian based therapies. His success was both a blessing and a challenge; Tod was quickly emerging as a leader in the prevention industry but he longed for a slower-paced life for his family.

Social Entrepreneurship for the Recovery Industry
For a short while, Tod Cunningham balanced his volunteer commitment with his professional commitment to Consumer’s Interest, however it was a meeting with Jocelyn Whitfield, of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, that changed that. Upon meeting her, Tod’s involvement in the recovery industry would go from volunteer to professional. Within a few years of re-devoting his life to his faith, community and family, Tod became the vice president of client acquisition at Pacific Hills Treatment Center in San Diego California.
After a successful career in Washington and California, Tod Cunningham moved his family to San Diego to follow his passion for the recovery industry. While there, his wife managed Consumer’s Interest, making sure it continued to grow. While there, he transformed Pacific Hills from a struggling faith-based organization, to a thriving for-profit treatment center. In just 10 years, Tod fulfilled his mission of using business techniques to solve real world problems, and in 2013 resigned from Pacific Hills. He and his family now reside in Montana and devote all of their time to Consumer’s Interest and enjoying the great outdoors