ShareBuilders Founder and COO Don Locke Dead at Age 65

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, February 15, 2019 | 4:16pm CT

ShareBuilders

Don Locke, founder of ShareBuilders, died Monday, February 11, 2019 after a hard-fought long illness. Prior to ShareBuilders, which he founded in 1999 to help sales managers with difficult decisions, Locke spent 24 years running radio and tv sales departments and stations. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Radio Sales and Management.

Locke thought of ShareBuilders as a way to help other sales managers and served as COO of the company and board member. He took a company of over 25 employees in Washington, IL, and in 2016 purchased media CRM company Efficio, adding 15 more employees working remotely across the U.S. ShareBuilders' clients include 77 radio stations and 244 TV outlets.

In a message to staff and clients earlier this week, his family shared, "It is our fondest wish to continue with his legacy for the industry that he so loved. To that end, please be assured that our business of supporting our treasured customers will go on as usual. Don stepped back from regular involvement with the company over two years ago, leaving in place a strong leadership team and a board headed by his wife and partner, Linda Locke."

"Don was my mentor, business coach and best of all, my dear friend.? I admire him greatly and will miss him even more. Our almost weekly conversations over a decade made me a better person, kinder as he was kind, smarter as he was so smart...or as he often said "brilliant", more gracious as he was so much that way," said client Tribune Broadcasting Chief Revenue Officer Angela Betasso.