ACR Nally, Corporate Business Systems expand to Joplin

Advertising and event-planning firm ACR Nally Communications plans to lease office space in Joplin before the end of June. There are three possible sites.

One option would be to share space with office machine dealer Corporate Business Systems, an ACR Nally client for two years. Corporate Business Systems established a Joplin office about three months ago.

“We’re not 100 percent which direction we’re going, but we’re getting pretty close,” said Mike Nally, president of ACR Nally, 2840 E. Chestnut Expressway.

ACR Nally and Corporate Business Systems have worked together for about two years in both markets. Corporate Business Systems has used ACR Nally for radio and print ads in Joplin, in addition to advertising in Springfield.

Now, they say they can help each other gain a bigger presence in Joplin.

“We’re more a hands-on people where we like to get involved in their business and see it operate,” said Lisa Nally, who bought the firm, then known as Archibald-Cowan-Ringer Communications, in 2003. “We’re going to be in Joplin anyway. We prefer to actually be there and not just carbon copy what is happening in Springfield.”

ACR Nally, which has about 50 clients, has secured three clients in Joplin. It also has two clients in Rogers, Ark., and plans to move into that market within a year.

Mike Nally declined to release the names of other clients in those markets, saying only that four of the five, including Corporate Business Systems, are based in Springfield.

Neither Nally nor Brain Peltier, vice president of Corporate Business Systems, 509 S. Cavalier Ave., believes Joplin success will give their businesses a huge boost – just a nice shot in the arm.

ACR Nally has an immediate goal of six Joplin clients and expects to generate $200,000 in revenues from that effort.

ACR Nally made about $2 million in revenues last year.

Once open in Joplin, Lisa Nally and Jennifer McClure, public relations representative, will commute from Springfield. There will not be a dedicated Joplin staff initially.

Peltier said Corporate Business Systems, founded 13 years ago, generates 70 percent of its revenues from efforts in Springfield, 20 percent in Joplin and 10 percent in Rolla. With ACR Nally representing it in a more aggressive and targeted manner in Joplin, Peltier said company revenues could increase 2 percent.

“We’ve had great success with them helping and growing our business here,” he said. “I don’t see it changing any, getting them more involved with specific Joplin-focused media campaigns. We’re pretty excited about it.”[[In-content Ad]]