“It’s all about the people and what we have been able to accomplish together.”
SOMERVILLE, N.J., Aug. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — With more than four decades of innovation, BNO proudly celebrates two significant employee anniversaries. George Jackus, senior vice president of creative, commemorated 30 years with the agency on July 8 and Rachelle Powell, SVP of client engagement and strategy, celebrated 18 years on July 29. Both started their careers with the agency in the heat of the summer and have been fired up about the creative innovation at BNO ever since. Jackus was fresh out of college when he came aboard as a graphic designer back in 1993 and Powell joined as an account executive after relocating from Canada in 2005.
Such inspired talent like Jackus and Powell drives innovation in agency culture and in the agency’s work. So far this year, BNO has earned recognition as one of Inc.’s Best Workplaces as well as being recognized for the third year in a row by NJBIZ among the Best Places to Work in the state. The agency’s work has also been recognized by the Telly Awards and Communicator Awards in multiple categories, as well as by Gartner for innovation in analytics and Fast Company for accessible design.
Innovation and Evolution
“One of the reasons I was brought on board was to help update creative design processes and leverage the potential of desktop design within the agency environment to help take the company to the next level with digital design,” Jackus says. “One of the things I have loved most about BNO from our humble beginnings is that I’ve been allowed to evolve not just my role but also help evolve the agency.”
The span of his responsibilities has grown to include search, media, and analytics as the agency has added new services under his leadership.
One of the reasons Powell decided to join the agency was because “Joanne had such a strong point of view as a woman business owner and that spoke volumes to me getting back into the workforce.”
“The work is always interesting, and the people are tremendous to work with,” says Powell. “BNO, for me, has always had that kind of entrepreneurial underpinning of never being afraid to do new things.”
Of the volume of award-winning work they have produced over the last two decades, one of the projects both Jackus and Powell are particularly proud of is the “Be Vital” campaign for Johnson & Johnson. “The client was willing to take risks and trust us to do the work that we needed to do. During the focus group testing, everybody on the team realized right away that we had created something special.”
“BNO is a smart and progressive place to work,” explains Trista Walker, BNO’s president and CEO. “One of the things that drew me to Joanne [Obenauf, agency founder] was that she was always looking forward. She would hear or see an idea, learn about something new and say, ‘you know, we need to be thinking about that, or we need to invest in that’.”
“Since she founded the agency, we have been in a constant state of evolution — looking at the marketplace and client needs and figuring out where we need to be,” she says. “There have been countless examples over the years. We were doing employer brand marketing probably 15 years before most companies knew what it was, and looking at what’s next, AI is likely to alter where our industry goes from here.”
“Part of Joanne’s legacy was making smart bets, and then doubling down,” boasts Walker.
Hiring Jackus and Powell are two prime examples. Obenauf saw something in Jackus, appreciated his vision, and hired him when there wasn’t a defined role or budget for the position they were creating. And with Powell, Obenauf took a chance on a mom returning to the workforce whose prior experience was in another country.
Walker will be celebrating her tenth anniversary next year, joining more than a dozen BNO employees who have been with the agency for a decade or more. The cast of characters serve in a variety of roles throughout the organization, including founder and Board Chair Joanne Obenauf, Donna Milano, Matt Dubno, Karen Van Doren, Kofi Bonner, Anders Hansen, Laura McLaughlin, Kathy Klenetsky, Paul Ferris and Marc Goodinson. Each echo similar sentiments. “It’s all about the people.” “You can evolve here… and work with some really great clients.”
About Baldwin & Obenauf, Inc. (BNO)
Founded as Baldwin & Obenauf in 1981, BNO is a full-service creative agency with a unique model that blends CX expertise with high-end brand creative designed to influence consumers, businesses, and employees. BNO helps clients develop relevant and meaningful brand connections and helps global brand leaders and talent acquisition executives attract and engage best-fit candidates. With offices in Somerville, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, and St. Petersburg, FL, BNO has remained proudly independent, smartly strategic, and fearlessly creative for more than 40 years. For more information, visit https://bnoinc.com/.
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SOURCE BNO