RESTON, VIRGINIA (July 1, 2014). On Tuesday, July 1, mdg (Marketing Design Group) opened its second office in the D.C., Maryland, Virginia region to better serve its growing roster of association clients. Located at 1904 Association Drive in Reston, Virginia, the newest office employs 15 full-time staff members, including specialists in communications, public relations and association marketing. The agency also has offices in Washington, D.C. and San Diego, California.
After opening its doors in downtown D.C. in 2013, mdg owners, Kimberly Hardcastle- Geddes and Vincent Polito, quickly proved the enhanced benefits the agency could offer simply by being in closer physical proximity to its clients. “Over the past several months, we’ve conducted more in-person meetings, had several account executives opt to work out of their clients’ offices on a regular basis and have simply been able to capitalize on opportunities created by the power of doing business face-to-face,” said Hardcastle-Geddes. “The expansion into Reston will, ideally, facilitate even more of these opportunities.”
Polito echoed the sentiment and added, “Not only have we amplified the level of service, we’ve also expanded the scope of services offered. A growing number of our association clients desire a truly integrated approach to marketing, communications and public relations across their associations. No longer content to work in silos, association professionals have turned to mdg to help find—and capitalize on—marketing synergies across various departments, including membership, professional development, publications and, of course, live events.”
The on-schedule opening of the Reston office is, in large part, attributed to the focus of key agency staff members Amy Kauffman and Shauna Peters. Kauffman relocated from San Diego to capitalize on this opportunity and has spent the past several months assembling a team of public relations specialists, writers, designers, coders and association marketing professionals, many of whom have experience in the educational leadership space, a key focus of the Reston office. Peters, a native of Northern Virginia, was recruited by Hardcastle-Geddes years after meeting at a Krakoff Leaders Institute event. Peters’ marketing acumen, strong education connections and knowledge of the local market are helping shape the direction of the agency and its East Coast clients.
