who we are
CultureStoke is a culture consulting and leadership development group born from the notion that when people thrive, so does your business. After building two of the most robust company cultures in the country, Marty Imes and Wes Love teamed up to expand upon and share their innovative approach to building award-winning workplaces with the world.
Since 2016, CultureStoke has partnered with organizations across all industries and has observed a simple and powerful truth - better culture leads to happier people and better business results. To generate and sustain these results, CultureStoke offers interactive workshops, facilitated team retreats and experiences, customized culture consulting, and leadership coaching and mentorship for organizations and teams focused on igniting success through their people and culture.
Our Purpose
CultureStoke was ignited with one purpose: to positively transform the way people view and experience the work they do. Through cutting-edge culture and leadership development practices, CultureStoke helps our partners cultivate the business and culture they’ve always wanted.
Core values
-
We create workplaces where people thrive, proving that when you make humanity the bottom line, profit follows naturally.
-
Every interaction is an opportunity to uplift, inspire, and leave people better than we found them.
-
We break down big challenges into practical, actionable steps that anyone can follow with clarity and confidence
-
We are constantly evolving and prioritizing long-term growth over quick wins to create lasting impact.
-
We bring energy and joy to everything we do—because if we’re not doing cool sh*t and enjoying the ride, what’s the point?
What makes us unique in partnership?
We put people first in every interaction
We build intentional cultures connected to results.
We keep things simple and immediately actionable.
Our proven and repeatable process guides and shapes culture effectively.
We’re real people just like you - no stuffy PhDs required.
MEET your culture cultivators
Marty Imes
-
After graduating from college with a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing, Marty Imes embarked on an 11-year career at a family-run telephone answering service. After starting as an entry-level telephone operator, Marty climbed the ranks and became the company’s Director of Vision and Culture.
Under his guidance and leadership, the company experienced significant growth, doubling its revenue and earning recognition as the #12 Best Small Company to Work For in the United States by Fortune Magazine. Driven by the desire to help leaders and business owners prioritize workplace culture as a fundamental business practice, Marty founded CultureStoke in July 2016.
Marty’s passion is helping leaders positively (and fundamentally) transform how their people view and experience work, and he is dedicated to helping organizations around the world build workplaces people love. In his free time, you'll find him enjoying quality time with his family, enjoying the outdoors, riding waves, reading business books, and hosting epic parties.
Wes Love
-
Wes Love lived his life a bit unconventionally. He married at twenty, had his first child at twenty-two, and his second at twenty-four then found a career and went to school. He worked in many industries before joining an award-winning energy company, where he climbed the ranks from an entry-level position to a leading consultant.
While working full time and helping his wife raise their amazing daughters, Wes earned his BA in Organizational Leadership and Master of Science in Leadership and management studies. He learned firsthand that an organization can change its people’s lives and benefit the business’s bottom line. Wes' passion is helping leaders and their organizations build a great company culture to attract top talent and grow their people and profits.
Ligia Zavala
-
With over 30 years of experience in customer service, business management, communications, and people, Ligia comes to CultureStoke with one goal in mind: to be a part of something amazing and help CultureStoke change the world.
Ligia’s most recent role was as the chief operations officer for the South County Chambers of Commerce. The ten years she spent in Chamber service taught her the importance of relationships and community involvement. Ligia is passionate about leadership and graduated from Leadership South County Class IV.
Before Ligia’s Chamber service, she worked in corporate banking in San Luis Obispo. Ligia has also experienced business ownership and understands what it’s like to roll your sleeves up and get to work.
Customer service, integrity, and kindness are Ligia’s core values. In her spare time, She loves to travel with her husband, Lonnie, and spend quality time with family and friends.
Debbie Imes
-
Debbie may be the friendliest, most down-to-earth overachiever you'll ever meet. Debbie graduated with honors, earned two degrees from SFSU and enjoyed a successful career as a grant-writer. From here, Debbie went on to join a 24/7 reception service team at an entry level position. She quickly became a favorite among clients and her peers, spending several years in increasingly executive roles prior to taking the reins as the Director of Business Success, where she helped lead the team and company to double over a 3 year period.
Debbie believes that when people succeed, businesses succeed and this ripples out into our community. As a long time CultureStoke supporter and occasional CultureStoke project manager, Debbie is thrilled to become a regular part of the CultureStoke team.
Her deductive reasoning, eagle-eye attention to detail and desire to help businesses succeed, make her the perfect fit to oversee our finances.
Debbie loves the tight-knit quality of our community, spending time with family and friends, tending her garden and taking her dog Wednesday on adventures.
How we ignite success
How do our purpose and values stoke success within organizations and teams? Explore our workshop, consulting, mentorship, and leadership development services to view how we effectively ignite results!
