Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1981, Resource is the largest privately held digital marketing agency in the United States, with annual revenues approaching $60 million.
Nancy Kramer, founder and Chief Culture Officer, ranks with Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres as one of advertising's most influential women. After turning down an offer as MTV's first sales rep, Nancy decided to start her own marketing company and landed her first client, Apple. Since then, companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, Victoria's Secret, Sherwin-Williams, and Nestle have relied on this middle market firm to accelerate sales growth by leveraging digital technology.
In addition to this stellar list of clients, Resource is a model of innovative corporate culture attributing much of its success to its core values:
1. Feed the Culture
2. Do the Right Thing
3. Make Anything Possible
4. Lean Forward
Recent Success
Resource is the largest independent digital marketing agency in the United States. Founded in 1981, the agency propels clients in retail, consumer goods and technology forward with a proprietary and market-proven OPEN branding approach that combines consumer insights with next-gen technologies and competitive benchmarking. Resource has helped brands such as Victoria's Secret, CVS, Petco, Kohl's, P&G, Nestlé, HP and Adobe-many of whom have been with the agency for over two decades-realize the full value of empowering consumers as brand advocates and co-creators. In 2010 the company was ranked the no. 4 agency in the nation by Advertising Age magazine. This year Founder Nancy Kramer was recognized by the same publication for being one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Advertising. Resource has also won prestigious awards for its unique company culture, earning a spot on The Wall Street Journal's Best Place to Work list.
Q. To what do you attribute your organization's recent success?
A. Resource is always evolving. As a company with deep roots in consumer research, we challenge ourselves to stay ahead of industry trends. We developed our own internal university called ResourceU that provides required instruction for all company associates. The innovation arm of our company called ResourceLAB is a team of hybrid thinkers and rapid prototypers who help clients ideate and fast-track breakthrough consumer experiences. We also have a strong company culture governed by four distinct principles: Do the Right Thing, Lean Forward, Feed the Culture, and Make Anything Possible.
Working @ Resource
Q. What is it like to work at Resource? How would you describe the culture? What make's the company unique?
A. Resource is not your ordinary agency. We are fast-paced and high-energy. Resource is always buzzing with associates who are passionate about what they do. Our culture encourages individual work styles, rewards great work and inspires our associates to lean forward. Resource provides a comfortable work environment where no associate has an office or door, including our CEO. The Resource Employees' Equity Fund personally connects associates to the success of Resource work by making them a shareholder in the company's publicly traded clients. The Wall Street Journal and Business First have recognized Resource as a Best Place to Work. And don't be surprised if you hear an occasional bark " dogs are welcomed.
Q. Do you hire recent graduates? MBA? Undergrad?
A. We hire associates of various levels of educational backgrounds and experiences.
Q. How would you describe the ideal candidate?
A. An ideal candidate at Resource must be a good fit for our company culture and is passionate and hungry to create outstanding work.
To learn more about this unique company, the National Center for the Middle Market sat down with Nancy Kramer to get her insights and perspectives. See what she had to say on these topics:
Talent Management:
Culture:
Innovation:
Employee Recognition: