Newly launched marketing agency the brainchild of Sun Solar owner, marketing director

The owner and marketing director of Sun Solar LLC are behind a newly debuted marketing agency in Springfield.

AdZen LLC officially launched April 1, said co-founder Jacques McNeese. The marketing director of Sun Solar, McNeese founded AdZen with Caleb Arthur, the solar company's owner and founder.

"AdZen is a separate business from Sun Solar, with its own clients, structure and goals," McNeese said via email. "That said, Sun Solar is our founding client, and we have a strong, ongoing relationship. We’re careful not to work with any direct competitors in the solar space out of respect for that partnership."

According to a news release issued by the company, AdZen will focus on industries such as HVAC, home services, construction, banking and health care. The company's services include website design, lead generation, search engine optimization and content production.

“We’ve seen what happens when marketing is fully aligned with business goals,” Arthur said in the release. “It’s powerful. And it’s rare. That’s why we created AdZen.”

Declining to disclose a figure, McNeese said via email that AdZen's startup costs were kept low because the business founders are "leveraging our existing experience, tools and client relationships." Up-front investments related to legal requirements, brand development and software were covered by Arthur, McNeese said.

McNeese and Arthur are currently the lone employees of AdZen, which intends to make hires in content creation, advertising and account management as the firm grows.

"Hiring full-time staff is part of our year-two plan once revenue milestones are hit," McNeese said.

AdZen is currently operating in a hybrid work model involving home offices and shared workspaces, he noted, adding that a permanent office is planned later this year.