Barb Clapp, owner of Barb Clapp Advertising and Marketing, started her business a little over a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks ? a risky time for anyone starting a new company.
But for Clapp, fortune has been good. Since opening the agency as a sole practitioner from the attic in her home, the company has grown to employ five full-time marketing professionals. It currently boasts more than $8 million in annual billings. The firm also has expanded its office into more than 3,000 square feet in Lutherville.
“Last year our growth was up 128 percent over the prior year,” said Clapp. “And we are up significantly this year as well.”
Clapp said that during the past three months the agency has added six new clients. New wins include Community Insurance Associates Inc., Nations Photo Lab, Vanns Spices, Federal Hill Eye Care, Marathon Roofing and the Greater Baltimore Committee. Clapp credits the agency?s growth to not relying on what she calls a “cookie-cutter” approach with clients and to having a team that really put “their hearts and souls into their work.”
Ellen Trusty, vice president of Vanns Spices, said the company chose Barb Clapp for its marketing efforts because officials felt the agency would really devote the time to become knowledgeable about Vanns and its marketing needs.
“We don?t have a lot of experience in the PR and marketing area. We needed an agency that would really give us the time to find out what Vanns was really about,” said Trusty. “They spent a lot of time getting to know what we wanted, and we?re off to a great start with them.”
Meanwhile, Clapp said the agency has also expanded its practice areas to now include a significant amount of public relations work, in addition to marketing, media placement and advertising. The past five years have been quite a journey, Clapp said.
“I think part of me really believed this would happen, but I started with no accounts,” she said. “It was a big gamble, but I still love every day.”
