COSE Update - November 2011

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Vic Geremia Bob Kaleal

Driving New Avenues of Business

Eugene Shatsman
Dominic Carbone
Health 360

Shaping Up Company Wellness Health 360 knows what it’s like to squeeze in time for exercise when you’re a small business owner. They understand how difficult it is to manage the stress of running a company in this economy—and the health toll entrepreneurs pay as they work 24/7 to achieve their business dreams.

In March, Linear Creative’s No. 1 client went out of business. Had the advertising and marketing agency not expanded its service menu to attract fresh business, the firm might have lost traction. “We knew there was trouble, so as a company, we started to change our mix and focus,” says Raymond Jasinski, founder and president of Linear Creative, which he launched in 2001 after working in large and small agency environments.

Several years ago, this client represented nearly 80 percent of the agency’s business. “We never thought they would close their doors,” Jasinski says. But he knew that putting too much stock in a single client was risky business. Meanwhile, the changing face of advertising presented the challenge of needing to evolve, adopt services that could drive client revenues, and work emerging technologies into the service mix.

As a result, the firm has tripled its client base and maintains a balance among its accounts, providing more opportunity for the agency to continue growing, especially in the nonprofit sector. Linear Creative has the resources to provide clients a soup-to-nuts program that includes foundation support, from organizing fundraisers to committee setup and the delivery of presentations, media and public relations required for these ventures.

Because Jasinski can deliver “big agency” services with the small agency flavor—hands-on, personal and cost-efficient— Linear Creative’s network continues to grow. “We can bring clients an integrated marketing program because we are a one-stop shop,” Jasinksi says.

And Linear Creative is the only marketing and advertising agency in the state of Ohio that is a certified LGBT Business Enterprise by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, which also awarded the firm for its work on the 2010 Plexus Supplier Diversity Summit Video. Additionally, the firm won a Bright Star award from the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce.

Linear Creative’s commitment to diversity is important to Jasinski, and he believes this differentiator will open doors for the firm. Plus, with a growing staff including interns whom Jasinski mentors, Linear Creative is growing talent to continue providing clients with innovative, relevant services. “Our staff is working as a team, and possibilities are opening up,” Jasinski says.