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A Word about How We Work...
We develop and deliver marketing strategies and integrated programs that are solution-focused and goal-driven. Our executive team believes in "hands-on" management. You can expect their active involvement in developing the very best solutions to achieve your specific marketing goals.
"Hands-On" Executive Staff
Linda E. Kelley, President
A media veteran with over 20 years of record-setting experience at all levels of marketing, sales, sales promotion, retail and direct response advertising, Linda held staff positions with such market leaders as the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Des Moines Register and Tribune before founding CBM/inc. in 1989.
With a keen sense of the marketplace and an aggressive, growth-oriented philosophy that emphasizes sales, Linda has built a full-service agency that specializes in addressing the marketing challenges of small and mid-sized businesses. Linda's frontline sales experience and no-nonsense demand for accountability powers the development of exceptionally effective marketing strategies for her clients.
"One of the things I love about this business is that it's always new. Many of the core marketing and advertising principles stay the same, but each day, we meet a new client with a new product or service who presents us with a fresh challenge. That's what keeps this business fun, and that's what makes it so rewarding when we see results."
Send Linda e-mail
Lynn Adler, Director of New Client Development
An asset to CBM/inc. since the founding of the agency, Lynn held a variety of media sales positions prior to joining City's Best, including selling for the Minneapolis Star Tribune in their ROP advertising department. As Director of New Client Development, Lynn brings exceptional skills in listening to client's needs, then assisting CBM/inc. staff in developing sound marketing plans and executing carefully targeted strategies using a variety of media. Lynn leads the agency in critically reviewing every strategy to make sure it directly contributes to realizing the client's goals.
"The key to long-term growth and maximum profits is the careful application of strategic techniques like direct response, e-commerce, newspaper ads, and other targeted media to develop, maintain and expand selected markets," Lynn has commented. "Small-to-growing businesses cannot -- and should not -- attempt to saturate the market. There are too many available types of media. The trick is picking the ones that deliver the biggest payback... that's where I think we really help our clients."
Send Lynn e-mail
Client-Centered Account Services
Cindy Amundson, Sr. Account Executive, Account Services
Formerly a representative for Dun and Bradstreet prior to joining City's Best in 1994, Cindy leads CBM's Account Services, ensuring excellence in the execution of each client job. In addition to a heavy background in business-to-business marketing, Cindy also holds a degree in advertising design from the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. Her design background is an invaluable tool in capturing and developing each client's image and branding requirements, and translating those needs to the CBM creative team. Cindy also has years of experience in print production and utilizes her design training and background in that capacity as well.
Send Cindy e-mail
Pete Haggerty, Account Support/Traffic Manager
As a member of the City's Best team, Pete combines an entrepreneurial sensibility with cutting edge design skills. Pete graduated from Brown Institute, Mendota Heights, MN, with honors and a 4.0 GPA, then ran his own lawn irrigation company for three years before deciding to devote his attention once again to his first love, design. At City's Best, Pete is an all-around player, contributing to design, proofing, quality control, and managing workflow.
Send Pete e-mail
Marketing Driven Creative
Linda Busby Selsmeyer, Creative Director - Design
Before teaming with City's Best Marketing, Linda was a Senior Art Director with a graphic design firm and Creative Director for a Midwest publishing company. A degreed designer who applauds simplicity and clean design, Linda believes that truly exceptional print communication embodies function over form.
Attention to detail, skillful use of color and typography, and impressive technical skills necessary for utilizing today's advanced computer applications are only a few qualities Linda brings to our client's projects. As with our entire creative team, Linda feels her first responsibility is to listen to our client's needs. From corporate and brand identity development to packaging, web design, direct response and more, Linda has delivered a wide array of successful, award-winning design that helps our clients achieve their marketing goals.
Lea Pierce, Creative Director - Marketing Strategy & Copy
Prior to joining CBM in 1997, Lea enjoyed a 12-year career as one of the top freelance direct response writers in Chicago. She has written award-winning, hard-selling copy for top agencies in the Midwest and dozens of companies and not-for-profits such as Chase Manhattan Bank, Wells Fargo, Allstate Bank, Discover Card, Amoco Motor Club, CARE, Sears, Unisys, Walt Disney Productions, US West (now Qwest), Ace Hardware's partner site, www.ourhouse.com, and many more.
A firm believer that all advertising and marketing must "earn its keep" by contributing to the client's bottom line, Lea focuses on finding the "unique selling proposition" (USP) in every company CBM works with.
"Each client has a USP whether they know it or not," Lea commented recently. "Our job is to identify it and leverage it into breakthrough sales and marketing messages -- more powerful offers, fresh presentations of old benefits, innovative ways of capturing the imagination and interest of the end buyer. That's what builds sales."
Pam Griffith, Creative Director - Graphics
Art has been Pam's passion since she was a young girl. So it was an easy decision for her to pursue a career in advertising design, starting with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
As a Senior Art Director for Carlson Marketing in Minneapolis, Pam was assigned to a variety of accounts, including Holiday Inn Hotels and U S Sprint. While at Carlson, she was part of a creative team responsible for developing national marketing programs, direct mail campaigns, product identity, awards catalogs, and print advertising.
Since leaving Carlson, Pam has worked with a wide variety of clients including Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Minnesota Mailing Association, Jones Intercable, TCI, United Way, Teledyne Water Pik, U S Bank, and many more. As Creative Director - Graphics for City's Best Marketing, Pam's goal is to "create advertising that sells and reflects my client's image, products, and services - accurately and with distinction."
Now with over 20 years of advertising experience, Pam continues to look forward to new creative challenges and developing results-producing advertising solutions as part of the CBM team.
Amy Gohman, Creative Director - Graphics
Amy Gohman was a 10th grader when she developed a passion for designing logos and realized she wanted to be a graphic designer. Her portfolio of work has grown substantially since those first logo designs!
Amy holds a Bachelor's Degree in graphic design from Bemidji State University. Before joining City's Best Marketing, Amy was a graphic designer at Martin Williams. Amy first listens to what a client wants and likes before she employs clean, crisp designs and her distinctive eye for color to achieve just the right look for our clients' projects. Although she specializes in print collateral design, Amy has a wealth of experience in event design (i.e. invitations, banners, special logos) and PR design (i.e. product launches, media kits).
Visionary Web Development, Database and E-Commerce Solutions
CBM/inc. offers end-to-end database and web development services that are carefully integrated to augment our client's overall marketing goals. Our premier software/database/web developers include:
Dean Smith, Sr. Web Developer
A master of multimedia computer applications, Dean has had a lifelong interest in computer graphics. His first job after gaining his degree consisted of creating CD-ROM technical manuals, which demanded that he create a user-friendly interface for navigation and optimizing files for use on multiple platforms -- all critical skills for web development. When he accepted a new position as a web designer for a consulting company, he expanded into developing multimedia, cutting-edge web sites. Using Flash and other exciting new technologies, Dean enjoys designing web sites for a variety of clients.
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Advertising and design with a marketing mind.