Page 58 - BusinessWest April 27, 2026

Robyn Miller
Owner, MorningBird Media:
Age 37
Robyn Miller highly values being a mom — her
daughter, Addy, is 8 — and is grateful she was
able to launch a successful digital marketing and
media business that not only helps clients succeed, but
gives her the flexibility to raise her child.
“Everything is built around her — I’ve grown this
business since she was little,” Miller said. “It was a bit
tumultuous at the beginning, at the beginning of COVID;
all the daycares were shut, and it was a very difficult, very
isolating time, but we persevered.”
Today, she operates MorningBird Media in Springfield’s
downtown Marketplace row, offering strategic marketing,
media management, branding, website development, and
content production. She’s also in the process of building
out a podcast studio, a small product and headshot studio,
and other services for clients and the community.
“We want to be more than a standard marketing agency,” Miller
said, adding that she enjoys the work because every day is different
and she’s constantly learning new things to stay ahead of the industry
curve.
“The digital landscape evolves every day, so there’s an urgency to
evolve with it — or be antiquated,” she noted. “I enjoy that there’s always
something new to learn, and our product suite never stops evolving. What
worked today might not work tomorrow, so it’s up to us to make sure we’re
steering that ship properly.”
As part of that evolution, MorningBird has expanded into AI
Leanese Ramos
Owner, RCollaborative: Age 36
Leanese and Gio Ramos had a decision to make.
She was working in their church, in a marketing and
communications role, while he was working for a local
utility when he was suddenly laid off. Both people of faith,
they talked to their pastor about what to do.
“He said, ‘definitely look for another job — but in the
meantime, do you have any skills that are immediately
marketable that you can monetize?’” she recalled.
“And we did — we had all this knowledge for
marketing and content creation.”
So, in 2019, they launched RCollaborative,
a strategic marketing and content creation
agency. In the first year alone, while Leanese
was pregnant, they built a six-figure enterprise,
and have grown exponentially from there.
“The operational backbone, the discipline, and
the strategic structure … came from her,” Gio said
in nominating his wife for 40 Under Forty. “Her
strength is operational clarity. She brings structure
where others bring ideas. She creates frameworks
because she refuses to let businesses operate in
chaos.”
Both see the enterprise as an example of solid
teamwork.
“We own this business as a couple, and
everything we do is through the lens of our faith
to make decisions for our clients,” she said.
“And we’ve also built a business around our
A36 2026
education and marketing master classes, equipping business
owners with tools that prepare them for what’s next.
A connector outside of work as well, Miller has served
in multiple leadership roles with the Advertising Club
of Western Massachusetts, founded the Western
Massachusetts Women’s Business Network, organized
events such as the Creative Unconference at Holyoke
Community College, and worked with area colleges
to create internship and training opportunities for
students.
Some years ago, Miller and her husband
owned a ShopRite in Enfield, Conn., through
which they launched a nonprofit called
Rachel’s Challenge, partnering with area
middle schools to give ‘kindness awards.’ At
the program’s peak, they were awarding 84
students a year, in eight schools in four towns. When
they left Enfield, they passed off the program to the
North Central Connecticut Chamber of Commerce,
where it has continued, and Miller is looking to start a
similar endeavor in Western Mass.
“We were also making donations to the charity
of their choice,” she explained. “The award had
nothing to do with their grades or how good an
athlete they were — just simply, ‘you’re a good
person.’”
—Joseph Bednar
strengths as a couple. You have to identify your
strengths; you have to be able to create your own roles
and not step on each other’s toes, and that has helped
in our growth.”
In working for clients ranging from mom-and-pop
restaurants to a multiple-location gym, Ramos said she
most enjoys the personal connection with clients. “I get
the most joy from having conversations with somebody,
identifying with them, and figuring out what their issues
are.”
She’s also still very active in Restoration City Church in
Springfield — she directs its online campus, a program she
helped build from the ground up — as well as serving as
vice president of the Ad Club of Western Massachusetts and
on the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce’s membership
committee.
She also co-created Una Noche en Puerto Rico in
collaboration with MGM Springfield, Explore Western Mass,
the Latino Economic Development Council, and the Springfield
Puerto Rican Parade Committee.
Summing all this up, she said, “I want people to know I
am someone who deeply cares about the community we
call home, which is why we are so involved in these different
things outside of our business. And I live my life through the
lens of my faith, putting family first and building something
significant from that.”
—Joseph Bednar
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