PALO Creative Eyes Growth in Chicago/Midwest Market

Hires Erik Carlson to Lead Business Development in the Chicago and Midwest Region

(YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio) – A strong reputation can span miles, and PALO Creative is leveraging the reputation it’s built for 18 years regionally to make a splash in the Chicago, Ill./Midwest market.

In recent months, PALO’s president and CEO, Rob Palowitz, has made several personal trips to the Chicago area. After developing a network of professional contacts in the city, as well as surrounding areas, he’s seen opportunities where his Youngstown-based agency can make an impact.

“For more than 10 years, we’ve put an emphasis on building our digital media and advertising capabilities to meet the demands of today’s modern market,” Palowitz says. “While corporations in the Chicago metro area have the budgets to afford the services of the city’s more prominent marketing agencies, there is an underserved market of medium-sized businesses that don’t have the resources to acquire those services or to do it in-house. PALO is uniquely positioned to provide scalable, affordable solutions to these companies to help them grow their business.”

Assisting with the charge is Erik Carlson, PALO’s business development manager for the Chicago/Midwest region. Since 2000, Carlson has held account executive positions with information technology services providers in the greater Chicago area. In that time, he’s led successful sales efforts to companies ranging from one- to two-person operations up to 10,000 employees.

Carlson looks to apply the skills he developed in cultivating IT customers to help PALO extend its services to new geographic markets, he says. While the services themselves are different, he says the approach is similar, as IT utilizes technology and strategy to be more profitable.

“As an account executive for IT firms, it was my job to understand where my customers were in their business, where they wanted to go and try to provide the road map to get them there,” Carlson says. “Value-added resellers of IT products do it all the time and are successful because people want to buy goods and services from companies they trust. A great reputation like PALO’s speaks volumes. As long as they can help customers build their brand and increase profits, there’s no reason why a Youngstown advertising agency can’t provide outstanding services to Midwest-area clients.”

As important as reputation is, having a reliable presence for face-to-face customer service is equally important to company growth, Palowitz says. Having met with Carlson during his trips to Chicago, Palowitz is enthusiastic about PALO’s future in the Midwest market.

“Erik brings plenty of applicable knowledge and experience to the table, and I have the utmost confidence in his ability to promote the PALO brand and core values to this new customer base,” Palowitz says. “He’ll be more than just a salesperson. He’ll be each client’s trusted advisor who will help them identify the services that will help them grow their business and increase profits.”

The new venture comes off the heels of PALO hiring new talent to its creative department. Since coming on in June, Steve Criado and Jackie Klanica, PALO’s senior designer and associate designer, respectively, have applied their perspectives and experience to projects for several new clients.

“They’ve been great additions to our team and have helped produce some high-end work that encourages me as we explore opportunities in the Midwest and other areas beyond Youngstown,” Palowitz says. “The diversity of our team and our agency’s ability to consistently create unique, top quality work puts PALO in a great position for success as we move forward with this exciting new endeavor.”

Palowitz assures local clients that the agency will not lose sight of its commitment to the Mahoning Valley, both as a service provider and as an employer. While PALO continues to offer premier marketing services to Youngstown-area businesses, cultivating new work outside of the area brings in money that help the agency hire and retain exceptional, local talent, he says.

“I started PALO Creative because I wanted to create local jobs and contribute to the area’s economy,” he says. “Gaining clients in new areas will only strengthen our ability to acquire local talent and provide a place where that talent can grow professionally and personally.”