Small Business of the Year finalist...Marketing Partners turns promotions into reality

by Karen E. Culp

SBJ Staff

Marketing Partners Inc. began as a marketing services company in August of 1995, said its founder and president, Mark Shea. The company provides a variety of services to support its clients, including sales promotions, creative services, distribution and fulfillment services, business group travel, data processing and sweepstakes promotions.

Marketing Partners also has warehouse space available to its clients, and handles storing and shipping promotional items for its clients, Shea said.

Shea had 15 years of experience in the type of work Marketing Partners specializes in when he started the business. The type of marketing services the company focuses on does not include purchasing media or much designing of ads.

Marketing Partners' role is to plan and execute promotions, such as sweepstakes, for large corporations such as Tyson Foods, Jimmy Dean Foods, Reckitt & Colman, Noble & Associates and Mercury Marine, Shea said. That involves taking the promotion from its planning stages through its execution and beyond.

Because of the demand he saw for good embroidery work, Shea began Embroidery House in October of 1997. A sister corporation to Marketing Partners, Embroidery House customizes apparel for businesses.

"Embroidery has just gotten red hot over the past few years. Corporate America has also embraced casual shirts with embroidered logos as suitable work attire, and the trend continues to grow," Shea said.

During its just-over 2 1/2-year history, Marketing Partners has taken on some pretty interesting projects, Shea said. One of the most memorable was a promotion for a gourmet foods company that makes peanut brittle. It was Marketing Partners' job to break the peanut brittle up into packages to be placed in tins with a holiday greeting last Christmas.

"That was one project where everyone chipped in and worked hard. We were shipping that product to customers all over the world," Shea said.

The company has packed the peanut brittle for two years, Shea said. The company also has an ongoing promotion for Mercury Marine. When a customer purchases a boat, Marketing Partners ships a water-toy package, including skis, to the new owner, Shea said. That promotion also involves the warehouse side of the business, because Marketing Partners stores the packages until they are ready for shipment.

Marketing Partners started with one employee, Shea himself, and has grown to six. Shea's wife, Pamela, is vice president of the company. Embroidery House now employs two.

One of the most challenging aspects of his business has been building loyalty among clients, but that has also been one of the most rewarding, Shea said.

"Getting that repeat business has been a great reward. That sends a message that we are working hard for people. We continue to work harder and harder," Shea said.

Other members of Shea's family, including his father-in-law, are involved in the business.

"That's another thing that's great about our business. All of us come together to get something done," Shea said.

Shea's business started in Nixa in the back of a friend's warehouse and within six months had moved to its current location at 211 S. Union. Embroidery House is in a location near Marketing Partners, at 2979 E. Chestnut.

The list of programs both companies have participated in is long and varied, but among them are those that demand precision and attention to detail, Shea said.

The company once mailed 26,000 measuring spoons all over the world for Tyson, when the company was offering the spoons as an incentive to visit its web site. "We mailed those to as far away as Russia. It was incredible the places we sent those to," Shea said.

Shea is the salesman for the company. He works daily to entice new clients and to get involved in new projects for existing clients. Knowing how to sell is only a part of the business, though, he said.

"If you don't know how to both sell and execute, you're sunk. When I tell someone I will not let them down, I cannot forget that; it drives everything I do," Shea said.

Marketing Partners has been able to fill a niche not offered by many other companies. The company works with advertising and marketing agencies to fill in with services those agencies may not provide.

For Shea, customer service is what his company does day in and day out, he said.

In the company's application for the Small Business of the Year award is the following quote that sums up Shea's thoughts on serving his clients: "It is our firm belief that this dedication has cemented our client relationships. One chance to serve them and they're hooked on our service!"

PHOTO CAPTION:

Mark Shea's firm executes promotions for such companies as Tyson Foods, Jimmy Dean Foods and Mercury Marine.[[In-content Ad]]