May 7, 2012 – The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) has selected Nelson Schmidt Inc. to develop and lead its marketing program to brand the state of Wisconsin for business formation, growth and relocation. One of the nation’s leading business-to-business marketing agencies, Nelson Schmidt was chosen after an extensive, multi-agency review by WEDC. Nelson Schmidt maintains offices in both Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s central business district, and Madison, the state’s center of government and education.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and the state legislature created WEDC in 2011 to focus on economic development and job creation in Wisconsin. Nelson Schmidt has been engaged to help brand the state as an ideal place to do business and highlight Wisconsin’s significant advantages and resources. The agency is actively involved in many of the state’s economic development organizations including the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), Milwaukee 7, Milwaukee Water Council and Downtown Madison Inc.

“Nelson Schmidt is uniquely qualified for this assignment,” said Paul Jadin, CEO and Secretary of WEDC. “It is a national leader in the business-to-business marketing industry, with global reach and deep expertise in many of our target industries. We believe the agency is the ideal partner to help elevate Wisconsin’s economy and promote Wisconsin as a business-friendly location.”    

As a Wisconsin owned and operated business, Nelson Schmidt has a vested interest in helping to reenergize the attitude about growing businesses and jobs in Wisconsin.

“We are tremendously excited to be part of WEDC’s mission to make Wisconsin’s economic development the best in the world,” added Nelson Schmidt President Dan Nelson, Jr. “We are eager to bring our b-to-b marketing expertise to deploy exciting new campaigns and programs throughout the statewide network of more than 650 economic development organizations.”

The agency’s scope of work with WEDC includes brand development, advertising, media, public relations, direct marketing and research. Work is slated to begin immediately.

About Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation

As the state’s lead economic development organization, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation nurtures business growth and job creation in Wisconsin by providing leadership, bold thinking and creative investment strategies. Learn more at http://www.wedc.org.

April 11, 2012 – Vorex Inc., a leading provider of cost-effective, on-demand enterprise resource planning solutions, has selected Nelson Schmidt Inc., a full-service marketing communications agency headquartered in Milwaukee, as its agency of record. Nelson Schmidt has been tapped to create and execute a marketing communications plan for Vorex’s new Professional Services Automation (PSA) suite targeting the small business market.

The new Software as a Service (SaaS) product is a comprehensive Web-based platform that integrates time and attendance, customer relationship management, project tracking and management, invoicing and human resource management. It is an ideal small business solution and will be marketed toward North American companies with less than 50 employees.

“When introducing a new product line to market, it is essential to have a sound marketing plan in place,” said Mike Salem, Vorex managing partner. “After working with the Nelson Schmidt team, we are confident our partnership will produce positive, business impacting results.”

Nelson Schmidt has already begun extensive market analysis, brand development and overall marketing communications planning for the Dallas-based software company.

“Nelson Schmidt’s Milwaukee and Madison offices are working collaboratively to provide Vorex with a category-leading strategy for introducing its new product,” said Dan Nelson Jr., Nelson Schmidt president. “In today’s economy, it is essential for small businesses to optimize the productivity and profitability of their operations, and we are thrilled to introduce Vorex’’s product as the ideal solution.”

As part of the overall marketing communications plan, Nelson Schmidt will support advertising, media planning and buying, customer relationship management, public relations, website development and event promotions. The account will be in excess of $1 million for 2012.

About Vorex

Vorex, Inc. is a leading developer of on-demand and licensed Enterprise Resource Planning and business solutions. Founded by seasoned professionals, Vorex’s cost-effective, user-friendly software solutions help firms in multiple industries streamline operations, automate time-consuming tasks and save time and money. Serving a global clientele, Vorex is driven by a passion for excellence and a commitment to cultivate products and services that are seamless to install and deliver immediate ROI. Vorex is an independent, privately financed company based in Dallas, Texas. For more information visit Vorex.com.

Corner and Baronas will be responsible for planning and executing public relations plans, providing media relations support and managing the day-to-day needs of the agency’s public relations clients. The executives will work collaboratively to further the agency’s overall social media acumen.

“The growth of the department is a testament to the increasing role PR plays in integrated marketing programs,” said Marty Ellery, vice president of public relations. “The addition of an experienced public relations professional such as Kaitlin, coupled with the promotion of Mandi, Nelson Schmidt’s public relations department is equipped to exceed expectations of our client partners.”

Prior to joining Nelson Schmidt, Corner spent four years in Charlotte, N.C., where she worked at a global lifestyle, sports and entertainment public relations agency. Corner played an integral role in the planning and execution of national campaigns for Fortune 500 clients and managed programs in conjunction with some of the country’s largest sporting events including the Daytona 500, Super Bowl XVL and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Janesville, Wis., native joins the agency with extensive experience in the consumer packaged goods, motorsports and professional services categories.

Corner completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2007.

Baronas joined Nelson Schmidt in 2009 as an intern and was brought on as a full-time account coordinator and social media specialist June of 2011. During her time at the agency, Baronas has been an invaluable member of the public relations team, running day-to-day activities for several clients.

Baronas, a native of Lyons, Ill., graduated from Marquette University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate Communications and French.

February 14, 2012 – Nelson Schmidt Vice President of Account Management, Cody Pearce, was the featured speaker for the American Marketing Association-Madison Chapter’s February event. Pearce offered his expertise in event marketing to the association members through his presentation “Why Marketers Should View Trade Shows As ‘Non-Events.’”

With a wide range of marketing professionals in attendance, from local to global companies based in Madison, Wis., Pearce shared tips on pre-, during- and post-show tactics. He discussed how gauging a show’s value within the larger context of a 12-, 18- or 24–month marketing campaign provides a more meaningful measurement than a narrow cost-per-lead metric.

Pearce used real-world examples to illustrate how to extend the impact and maximize a trade show investment by connecting the events to the broader marketing strategy, a tactic his team at Nelson Schmidt has adopted when working with national and international clients such as Alliance Laundry Systems, Harley-Davidson, Honeywell and McKesson Provider Technologies.

“The monthly event was a great opportunity to show marketing professionals the type of thinking that leads Nelson Schmidt,” said Tracy Grzybowski, president of the Board of Directors of the AMA-Madison Chapter and account supervisor at Nelson Schmidt. “The feedback received from the attendees was overwhelmingly positive. They found Cody’s ideas for trade show integrations to be relevant to their own businesses.”

Pearce has more than 20 years of experience designing marketing programs and managing client relationships for Fortune 500 companies. At Nelson Schmidt, he is responsible for spearheading client strategic planning and providing overall account management.

About American Marketing Association–Madison Chapter

The Madison Chapter of the AMA is one of more than 100 professional AMA chapters across the nation. Founded in 1937, today the AMA is the #1 association serving the marketing community, and the national resource to today’s marketers. It is the only association helping to guide the business discipline of marketing through conferences, publications, and online information center, and through local chapter networking and education initiatives. The AMA – where marketing minds meet and grow! Visit http://www.amamadison.org.

November 16, 2011 – Nelson Schmidt, a leading full-service marketing communications firm, announced today that Andy Thompson has joined its creative department as a senior Web developer in its Milwaukee office.

Thompson will be responsible for the programming and development of client websites and applications. He has more than five years of experience working in Web development, social media, e-commerce and online games. He previously worked at Milwaukee-based Meet-meme, a social media company that specializes in business card replacements and networking events enabling individuals to build online connections through personalized trading cards.

“I came to Nelson Schmidt because I was impressed by their exceptional work and wanted to be part of a great team,” said Thompson. “I look forward to using my experience to help clients bring their visions to life.”

Thompson received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2009 in management information systems.

“Andy is a great addition to our expanding creative team at Nelson Schmidt,” said Ken Hagan, executive creative director. “We’re excited about the expertise he brings to the agency and how his experience with various development frameworks will benefit our clients.”