Prior to starting Elevation and Damascus, Todd (Wurzbacher) Marallen was the President and owner of Novastar Group, LLC, a boutique lobbying and investment consulting firm founded in 2007 and located in Cincinnati, where he was born and raised. After graduating from Thomas More College in 1990, Todd's early career in the IT industry led him into the world of startups and venture capital for over 15 years.

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In 2005, Todd was elected to Mason City Council and engaged in the drama and intrigue of local party politics for several years. Once he came to his senses and stopped that nonsense, Todd decided to fulfill a life-long dream and enroll in Law School at the University of Cincinnati. He is on pace to graduate in the Class of 2019. He divides his time between Elevation/Damascus, long study sessions in the law library, civic involvement, and his five fantastic kids.

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Todd is highly involved in the arts community. He was elected to the Cincinnati Art Museum Board of Trustees in 2007 - the second youngest member ever chosen to serve. He was appointed Chairman of the Cincinnati Arts Allocation Committee by former Mayor Mark Mallory in 2012, and has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Contemporary Arts Center.

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An avid athlete, Todd loves to play sports while willfully ignoring the fact that his sons will soon be able to beat him in most of the sports he enjoys. Todd is a wine lover, a fan of fine Kentucky bourbon, and smokes the occasional cigar while working on his old Dodge pickup truck. He is a literary aficionado, and enjoys doing mission work abroad. He also believes Bigfoot is real.