Where do you go when you’ve already experienced an inflatable billboard and an erasable man; hospitals, MEDsquads, flowers, and funerals; the first chicken that tastes like chicken served with the first cottage cheese with fruit inside; from spray tans and car washes to dust control and hazmat protection; pasta sauce, barbecue, bread, chips, cheese, candy, ice cream, and leafy greens; steel and titanium, concrete and ceramic, hardwoods and glass, rubber and polymer; a land of dragons and genies; from banking local to flying around the world; PAWlidays and SARTAversaries; the team with more heart taking the simple way home; invisible heroes meeting football famers; tradition you can taste and the great American sandwich search; Norman Rockwell, Ansel Adams, Andrew Wyeth, and Andy Warhol; siding with foam insulation or grass without limits; pure water and green sanitizer; experts in money, energy, education, and health; food banks, fair housing, and charitable funds; Roofus and ruff accidents; Sōl, Solar Sandy, and Solaris; from smart stores to rational investors; and collaborations with Batman, The Bionic Woman, and Bell the Dog?
You go forward, forever forward — positioned for excellence. The Innis Maggiore way.
Honoring the past
Over the past five months, we’ve done a lot of reminiscing: the agency’s humble origin around a kitchen table in the 70s; our positioning epiphany in the 80s; our capability and personnel expansion in the 90s; our industry recognition in the 00s; and the expertise we brandished in the 10s.
There’s a common denominator in every milestone, every award, and every accomplishment.
A year of celebration
Preparations for the agency’s 50th birthday began in August 2023 with a committee convening to decide how best to mark such a momentous occasion.
With President Mark Vandegrift’s blessing, the group decided that the year’s festivities would focus on celebrating the people who effortlessly make magic happen every day.
Everything’s coming up golden
From our semi-formal Golden Gala in January to our monthly Golden Wednesdays, associates were treated to swag, sweets, and activities like spirit days, potlucks, scavenger hunts, birthday cake decorating, and more.
The agency sponsored the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Balloon Classic in July, where family and friends gathered and a handful of lucky associates flew in the IM-branded balloon.
The culminating event occurred on August 14, Innis Maggiore’s proper birthday, with an outdoor carnival that featured food trucks, games, music, a dunk tank, and more.
Though the official birthday has passed, the agency’s celebrations will continue through December 2024.
By the people, for the people
Hundreds have crossed the agency’s path over five decades, but more than half of our current roster has worked at least 10 years together. Each one has uniquely contributed to our remarkable history as we’ve gone from strength to strength. In our humble opinion, it’s the best conglomerate of creative minds in the nation, and we honor them today.
Mark & Kim Vandegrift with Kathi & Dick Maggiore at the Balloon Classic.
Administrative
Headed by founders Dick and Kathi Maggiore along with Mark Vandegrift, our operationally exceptional admins are rounded out by Stacie Alex and Karen Brackney. Expertly steering the agency behind the scenes, this devoted group’s least senior member has been here for 22 years!
Special mention goes to founding Positionist® Lorraine Kessler, pioneer of our proprietary Appreciative Discovery® — a strategy-first process for finding a brand’s unique difference.
Client Services
Led by Tony Bell, our account executives, planners, and new business developers hit the proverbial pavement to scout and secure our opportunities to shine. Thanks to agency vets Jeff Monter, Jeff McMahan, Jim Cyphert, and Devon Miller, along with new talents Denver Wittmer and Carson Brown, for always taking skillful care of our clients.
Creative Services
With Scott Edwards at the helm, our stellar creative team does the impossible every day. Award-winners Lee-Ann DeMeo, Cheryl Henderson, Justin Allen, Emily Mays, and Alicia Jordan generate visual miracles as their talents make positioning strategy tangible, beautiful, and most importantly — effectual.
Media & Digital Marketing
Alyssa Laubacher and Lauren Moses, with support from Karen Brackney, Stacie Alex, and Patrick Snyder, deftly navigate the ever-changing digital world to create a powerhouse of delivery, measurement, efficiency, and optimization. How they tame the dynamic nuances of each online platform, we will never know.
Emily Mays (L) and Ashley Johnson (R), who have planned all of our 50th festivities, shared a moment with Dee Innis, wife of late founder Chuck Innis and mother of Dick Maggiore.
Project Management
Ashley Johnson, Patrick Snyder, and Zoe Zimcosky make herding cats seem easy. They move mountains as they move work through the agency — on time and on budget. We’d be completely lost without them.
Public Relations
From buzz marketing and events to crisis communications, brand-shapers Jim Cyphert and Mercedes Brown, with support from throughout the agency, make a big impact with their PR prowess — always finding new ways to spread the good word about our clients.
Web Services
Jeremy Smith and his team of Joe Chenevey, Richard Prince, Noah Whittington, Josh Skelley, and Anna Hjerpyn continuously amaze us with their complex wizardry and mastery of coding languages. Their long list of certifications is backed up by their ability to develop dynamic, sophisticated sites that load with ease.
Positioning the future
“The biggest thing I’ve learned in these 50 years is that it’s about the people,” says Chairman & CEO Dick Maggiore. “Nothing else matters because nothing is possible without the right people — and we have them — positioned for an exciting future.”
Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who has been part of the Innis Maggiore story. Here’s to the next 50 years!
If you need help positioning your company or brand, contact the experts at Innis Maggiore.