In this episode of "Inside VNA," join Katrina Shallahamer, Co-Founder of OraPub and Operations & Field Marketing Lead for Viscosity, as she takes us on a captivating journey from her childhood dreams of marine biology to the waves of business success. Discover how Katrina and her husband Craig Shallahamer, Applied AI Scientist at Viscosity and Oracle ACE Director, turned a simple idea into a thriving tech training company, all while maintaining a solid relationship and indulging in a bit of Italian adventure. This is a story of dedication and innovation, with a touch of international flair!
As a Co-Founder of OraPub, when did the idea of creating OraPub come about? How did it start back then?
So, the idea for OraPub really started to come together in the late 90s. Craig had been at Oracle for about nine years, and he’d moved into their education department, realized he loved teaching and thought, "Why not make this a business?"
The name "OraPub" comes from a website Craig and Cary Millsap created to share their white papers with attendees after talks. Since the site and URL were already in place, it naturally became the platform for OraPub.
Initially, we started out as a training company, partnering with different organizations and running in-person classes all over the U.S. and even internationally. At one point, Oracle itself became a big client, and Craig was even flown out to Europe to conduct training sessions. Around 2014-2015, we shifted to online training due to the recession and reduced travel budgets. This move expanded our reach and appealed to Viscosity, who saw the value in offering flexible, accessible content to their customers and OraPub members alike.
Hmm, yeah, well, I’d say that from the start, it’s just been Craig and me running OraPub. We’ve always kept it small and manageable — never really wanted to scale up too much. We aimed for what you might call a lifestyle business, one that supports us financially but doesn’t become this huge, unwieldy operation we’d have to constantly manage.
The early days were a roller coaster, but things really picked up in the 2000s. Our biggest year came right before the recession, with Oracle as a key client, and Craig specializing in training their people on Oracle internals.
When the recession hit, we transitioned to online training, which took time but eventually became a success, especially with the growth of our membership program. Our membership program really took off, too. Despite the ups and downs, it's been a great ride—we've provided for ourselves, had fun, and kept our marriage strong.
No doubt. So, can you tell us more about OraPub's vision and how you communicate it? What are the key messages you focus on to convey the value of OraPub to potential customers and members?
I think originally, and I still believe it’s true, we really wanted OraPub to be personal. We aimed to give our customers individual attention and to really listen to their specific issues with Oracle products. That’s why we chose to keep the business small — we wanted to be the ones answering questions ourselves. Customers were often surprised, saying, "Wow, is this really Craig or Katrina?" The personal touch has always been a cornerstone for us. We wanted our clients to feel special and not like they were dealing with a faceless corporation.
Switching to online training was a bit daunting because we weren’t sure if we could maintain that same level of engagement without face-to-face interaction. But Craig really embraced the challenge and has made online training just as engaging. It’s been great to see how Viscosity’s speakers also bring that same energy and enthusiasm to their sessions.
So, those are the main things we’ve focused on—personal attention and high-quality, engaging education. And, yes, Craig’s passion and enthusiasm do make him come across like a kid in a candy store when it comes to tech! It’s infectious and definitely a big part of what makes our training special.
The partnership with Viscosity began when Craig wanted to dive deeper into machine learning and AI, but we found that our current customer base wasn’t quite there yet. Initially, it was just about doing some training with Viscosity, but after a few conversations with Monica, Charles, and Justin, it became clear that a full partnership was the way to go.
We combined our training expertise with Viscosity’s resources. OraPub provided a platform for their content, and in turn, we expanded our customer base and kept things thriving. Plus, the existing relationships made the transition smooth.
As for my role, I handled a lot of marketing, travel, and customer admin at OraPub, so moving into field marketing with Viscosity felt like a natural fit. I’ve always enjoyed the face-to-face side of things—especially at conferences—so it was a win-win to join their team and keep managing OraPub. I'm excited to keep doing what I love!
Absolutely, it sounds like you've really found your groove with field marketing and conferences! But looking back, was technology and marketing always on your radar, or was there a specific moment that drew you into this world?
When I was a kid growing up by the ocean in San Diego, I dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. I loved the idea of diving and being in the water. But after taking a high school biology class, I realized it wasn’t for me—too much science! So, I shifted gears toward a business degree.
At first, I wanted to help nonprofits with their marketing. For my senior project at Cal Poly, I worked on fundraising for a nonprofit. This was back in the days of direct mail and billboards—no Internet or email yet. While I didn’t end up in nonprofit marketing, the principles I learned have always stayed relevant, and I’ve had some great opportunities by taking the business route. No regrets!
You’ve already highlighted the importance of a personal approach to customers. Is there anything else you’d like to add about your approach to working with them?
Craig and I genuinely care about people’s success. We’ve mentored many individuals who attended our classes and have become friends. We love encouraging them to speak at conferences and achieve their goals, even if it’s something as daunting as public speaking.
Our focus isn’t just on gaining customers; it’s about helping them reach their personal and professional goals. We’re dedicated to supporting each individual in their success and helping them advance in their careers. That’s what drives our commitment to our customers.
Haha, well, we've learned how to manage working together effectively. For instance, we have a rule that we don't dive into work discussions first thing in the morning. Craig, being an early riser, often gets a head start, and I need my own morning time. So, we agreed on a specific time to start work conversations.
We also share an office, which means we've had to figure out how to avoid interrupting each other while we're deep in work. We’ve learned to ask permission before we interrupt, especially when one of us is in “the zone.” I’m probably more cautious about this, as Craig finds it hard to shift focus once he's concentrated.
Despite these challenges, our different strengths complement each other well. I handle the details and administrative tasks, while Craig takes care of the technical side. We've had our disagreements, of course, but overall, we’ve found that our strengths balance each other out and help us run the business successfully. It's not easy, but it works for us.
It definitely gets harder as we get older, but we still draw a lot of energy from engaging with people. We both have extroverted tendencies, though we also enjoy our quiet time. Craig, especially, gets a lot of energy and excitement from talking about what he loves, which really fuels us at conferences. Engaging with attendees and our colleagues, including those from Viscosity, is always a highlight for us.
If you could choose any conference destination purely for the food, where would you go?
Oh, definitely Italy. We had such a great time there! Craig spoke at a conference in Florence back in the '90s, and it was fabulous. He also did a class for Oracle in Milan, which was fantastic. I didn’t get to join him in Rome on that trip, but the people and the experience in Italy were just wonderful. If we could go back, we’d love it!
If you and Craig were superheroes, what would your combined superpower be?
Oh, we’d definitely love to have a transporter like in Star Trek! Being able to instantly move to different places—or even different time periods—would be amazing.
Katrina Shallahamer is the OraPub Operations and Field Marketing lead at Viscosity. With over 20 years of experience co-directing OraPub alongside her husband, Craig Shallahamer, she brings a strong background in marketing, sales, and creative direction.