Global consultancy North Highland welcomes strategic marketing agency Sparks Grove as a core component of its new marketing division. By joining forces, the companies now offer clients comprehensive marketing consulting services, complemented by a full creative agency. The new North Highland marketing division will operate under the Sparks Grove brand.

Combining Sparks Grove’s creativity and innovation with North Highland’s expertise in solving marketing business problems creates a singular marketing solution provider for clients.

Leaders from both organizations are enthusiastic about the union, believing their marketing abilities will complement one another and fill a significant gap in the professional services marketplace.

“As part of our commitment and guarantee to help clients solve business issues and implement customized, creative solutions, we are always looking to address client challenges. In this case, combining consulting with creative services not only addresses a problem we hear from clients, it is also a natural evolution of our services. Beyond broadening the scope of what North Highland can deliver, we continue to redefine what clients can expect from a consultancy,” said Dan Reardon, CEO of North Highland/Highland Worldwide.

Keith Browning, founder of Sparks Grove and chief strategy officer of the new division added, “By creating this end-to-end marketing model and eliminating the silos where information and accountability are often lost, we can better help our clients.”

An integrated, strategic marketing agency formed in 2006, Sparks Grove was initially funded in part by North Highland. The firms have jointly served global, industry leading clients over the last five years.

“We’re excited about bringing together creative, advertising and innovation capabilities with results-oriented consulting approaches to produce transformational results. Our senior level marketing clients are asking for sole source solutions, and we’re eager to provide them. Our value now truly extends from insight to impact,” commented Minsoo Pak, chief creative officer of Sparks Grove.

To learn more, visit sparksgrove.com and northhighland.com.

New President of Sparks Grove

Maria Bothwell has joined as the new President of Sparks Grove. We are excited to announce that our former CEO and president, Keith Browning,will transition to the newly created role of Sparks Grove’s Chief Strategy Officer; where he will focus on our key clients’ most strategic solutions and opportunities. Prior to this role, Bothwell served as Office Leader for North Highland’s Washington DC office, Regional Leader for the Richmond office, and is a member of the Strategic Leadership Team. Since founding the Washington, D.C. office in 2003, she grew the consulting base to more than 50 full-time consultants serving clients in commercial, academic, nonprofit and Federal Government market sectors. Bothwell and the DC and Richmond teams have delivered business strategy, customer relationship management, process, change, human capital, financial management and IT management solutions for clients to improve operations, increase revenue, and meet other performance improvement objectives.

Maria holds a B.S., Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, and a M.B.A., R. B. Pamplin College of Business from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband, Jeff, and son.

Additional New Hires

Please join us in welcoming several new members to the Sparks Grove family!

Kimberly Howe has joined the Sparks Grove Account Service team as a Senior Account Director, bringing over fifteen years of experience in strategic and interactive marketing to our growing team. Kimberly previously founded Benedetto Consulting after spending time with LexisNexis, Accenture, SunTrust, Wachovia, Media Logic, and Omnipoint Communications.

Mike Lang has joined Sparks Grove following more than 20 years in senior marketing roles.  Most recently he was Chief Marketing Officer at Manheim, where he was among the very first clients of Sparks Grove; his earlier experiences included marketing and general manager roles with Philips Electronics and Sony, among others.  When not immersed in marketing, Mike is an avid ALTA and USTA tennis player and a fan of 1960′s British sports cars – and still owns his very first car, a 1968 MGB…British Racing Green, of course.

Stephen Lucas recently joined the Sparks Grove creative team as a copywriter. Stephen got his start at JWT in Detroit, writing and concepting consumer-facing advertising for Ford Motor Company on a National scale. Stephen currently resides in Grant Park, Atlanta, with his fiancé, Chrissy, and cat, Zooey. On the side, he enjoys visual art, writing music, camping and fiction writing.

Brian Clements is the most recent addition to the Sparks Grove technology team. Hired as a Solutions Architect, Brian has over a decade of experience successfully designing and implementing solutions for metadata extraction and tagging, Information Retrieval, automated workflow, Business Process Management, and interactive customer experience applications for IHG, Primedia, ThyssenKrupp, Best Buy, Atlanta Natural Gas, Mitsubishi Electric, and Verifone. Brian is committed to solving his client’s business problems with the right technologies to create the most valuable solution possible.

Accomplishments

Big thanks to Mary Hollis for representing Sparks Grove at the 26^th Annual AMA Collegiate Conference and Job Fair. Mary spent an afternoon representing Sparks Grove to collegiate marketers from across the Southeast, explaining our unique mix of consulting and advertising to potential new hires.

Congratulations to Greg Cohen for being one of AMA’s Board Member Spotlights for February.  AMA recognized Greg’s work to help put together the AMA Collegiate Conference and Job Fair and shared his views on several trends in marketing.

Interested in working at Sparks Grove?

Follow Sparks Grove on LinkedIn for up-to-date information on open positions and personnel promotions.

Promotions

Congratulations to Lindsay Bellasi on her promotion to Senior Account Director.
Lindsay has been with Sparks Grove for 1.5 years and has worked on a variety of clients including Georgia Power, Dunkin’ Donuts, and The North Highland Company.  Lindsay is currently taking on the most important job – being a new mom to baby Luca!

Congratulations to Brittany Armstrong on her promotion to Account Supervisor.
Brittany just celebrated her 1 year anniversary with Sparks Grove in the Agency Services department, working on clients such as Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, and AT&T.  Brittany’s goals for 2012 are to improve her management skills, to spend more time reading and to visit at least 2 new countries.

Congratulations to Kim Osborn on her promotion to Senior Account Executive.
Kim has been working with Sparks Grove for 1.5 years in the Agency Services department on clients such as The North Highland Company, Spark Energy, and Allconnect.  Through hard work, dedication, and constant caffeine ingestion, she has more than earned this promotion.

Congratulations to Caitlyn McGann on her promotion to Assistant Account Executive.
Caitlyn has been working on clients such as The North Highland Company, Spark Energy, and Nissan for the past 6 months.  Caitlyn is looking forward to taking on new and exciting projects in 2012 including the most exciting project of all: her wedding!

Please join us in congratulating Lindsay, Brittany, Kim, and Caitlyn!

Anniversaries

This month we celebrate the anniversaries of several Sparks Grove employees – we sincerely appreciate the ongoing dedication of our team members: Brittany Armstrong (1 year), Greg Cohen (2 years), Wendy Wagner (1 year).

New Hires

Please join us in welcoming a new member to the Sparks Grove family!

Andrew Harrison recently joined the Sparks Grove Technology Services team as a Solutions Architect, overseeing all development aspects of our digital solutions offerings. Andrew has been a friend to Sparks Grove for the past year: our team is extremely excited to officially welcome Andrew to the SG Team!

Accomplishments

Big thanks to Tom Atherton for his incredible work putting together the Sparks Grove Day-of-Service during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Sparks Grove employees and families spent the afternoon with Quality Care for Children decorating and updating the playground at the Suburban Nursery School in the Decatur neighborhood of Atlanta, GA. Check out our video below to see how the day ended up!

Interested in working at Sparks Grove?

Follow Sparks Grove on LinkedIn for up-to-date information on open positions and personnel promotions.

“The mural from Sparks Grove makes us all smile when we drop our kids off at the Suburban Nursery’s playground – all of the kids, parents, and staff absolutely love it!” said Lainey Smith, a parent whose son attends Suburban Nursery School and Kindergarten.

Several Sparks Grove employees brought family members and children to help spruce up the school’s outdoor play area. Sparks Grove would welcome the opportunity to work with Quality Care for Children again in the future!

“We enjoyed working with Sparks Grove to assist Suburban Nursery and Kindergarten in journey towards National Accreditation. It is this kind of partnership that helps further our mission to ensure every child has quality early learning experiences.” Theresa Prestwood VP of Development and Marketing, QCC

About Quality Care for Children:

Quality Care for Children (QCC) is the resource for parents, child care providers and community leaders in Georgia seeking information, assistance and support in securing high quality early learning experiences for infants and young children. QCC works with parents from across the state to assist them in finding child care. QCC ensures children statewide are fed nutritious meals through the child care food program and works with child care providers to help them offer quality care child care.

To learn more go to: www.allgakids.org/

Located at the intersection of Peachtree and Piedmont roads, Terminus 200 is a Gold-level LEED Certified, 25-story, 564,000-square-foot tower of Class A office, retail and restaurant space. The property is owned by Cousins in partnership with Morgan Stanley.

“This is another step in the evolution and growth of Sparks Grove. An improved environment adds to the list of reasons we’re able to attract world-class creative and strategic talent to the Sparks Grove team. Our new offices will also enable us to better serve our growing client roster with enhanced facilities and amenities.” – Keith Browning, CEO and founder, Sparks Grove.

The building space for North Highland and Sparks Grove is under development and both companies have plans to move into the new offices in November 2011.

Since 2006 Sparks Grove has grown their Atlanta office to three times its original staff and expanded to Houston in 2010. Throughout its growth and expansion, Sparks Grove has continually delivered exceptional work for top companies, including AT&T, Delta Air Lines and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

“This 5-year anniversary is an exciting time here at Sparks Grove, coinciding with our upcoming move to a new Buckhead office,” commented Sparks Grove Founder, Keith Browning. “We’re proud of what we’ve built over the last 5 years – and most importantly we’re proud of our strong client relationships and the great results we deliver for them.”

Sparks Grove’s work has been validated with honors from multiple organizations including American Advertising Federation (AAF), the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the American Marketing Association (AMA), and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).

Sparks Grove looks forward to continued growth and success in the next 5 years.

“By continuing to focus on being recognized as a leader in solving complex marketing problems, and helping our clients deal with complicated business challenges, we hope to continued success and growth in the future” said Rob Sherrell, Executive Vice President of Marketing.

Sparks Grove led the concepting, development, and execution of an animated video aimed at fueling private sector investment in the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. This investment allows the Metro Orlando EDC to carry out their mission of creating high-wage, high-value jobs in the area. The video that Sparks Grove created brings this mission to life by showing the real effects of the EDC’s work on the community and the people who work and live there. Using motion graphics and animation, the video communicates the positive impact that the EDC has on the metro area, and tells a story that reinforces the value of investing in this cause.

About the SEDC:

The Southern Economic Development Council is the oldest and largest regional economic development association in North America. They have members in 17 states in the American South, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Sparks Grove print submissions were in competition with over 600 other print entries from 38 companies and four graphic arts schools throughout Georgia. Submissions were divided into divisions based on company size, finishers and schools, and judged on a multitude of criterion ranging from neatness and clarity to difficulty of printing.

To learn more about PIAG, visit: http://www.piag.org/

At Sparks Grove Jenn is responsible for leading and mentoring a diverse creative team of art directors, designers, copywriters, production artists and freelancers to develop innovative solutions through ideation and applied conceptual thinking. Fenrich resides in Atlanta with her husband and two children, 3 and 5 years old, along with a cat, Berlin, and a dog, India.

As Delta’s BtoB agency, Sparks Grove is responsible for driving brand perception in the BtoB market and helping to drive small business enrollment in the SkyBonus program. Support provided will include: management of Delta’s Corporate Sales and SkyBonus strategic marketing initiatives, management of BtoB social media tactics and strategy, and development of integrated print, broadcast and digital advertising materials.

About Sparks Grove, Inc.

Sparks Grove, a strategic marketing agency headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, provides customer insight, marketing strategy, creative design, and digital solutions to clients that include many of the world’s leading brands. Sparks Grove provides clients with fresh ideas that invigorate their brands, resolutions to pressing business challenges, and innovative ways to address complex marketing problems.

For more information, please visit our website at www.sparksgrove.com.

About Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 357 destinations in 66 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world’s largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.