Ray Ratajczak left behind more than just his family name. He left behind a future for his daughters.
Ratajczak, who had worked in commercial television production for more than 30 years, was the inspiration behind PDA Marketing, founded in 1993 by his daughters, Theresa and Andrea Ratajczak.
“My father was a wonderful influence. He was a man of integrity, he was focused, creative, powerful,” Andrea said. “And he infused all of those traits and skills into his daughters.”
When their father lost his battle with cancer at the age of 54, Andrea and younger sister Theresa decided to open a full-service marketing firm. Before their father?s death, Andrea was involved in direct mail and Theresa worked in television production.
“Some of his old clients started to contact us, asking us to handle things,” Andrea said. “Theresa and I developed a partnership together.”
Today, PDA Marketing, headquartered in Catonsville, is home to 14 full-time employees, handling everything from print ads to direct mail to packaging. “We have an amazing team of extremely versatile and skilled people,” Andrea said. “They all do great, edgy, out-of-the-box stuff.”
PDA is currently working on marketing what Andrea calls “Baltimore?s newest ad phenomenon,” a type of rolling ad, where advertising messages scroll electronically through vehicles.
Phyllis Reese, director of marketing and public relations for Bon Secour of Baltimore Health System, has worked with PDA since 1999. “When we talk about design, Theresa has a sense of exactly what we are looking for, and she understands what our needs are,” Reese said. “In some instances with firms, there are two, three, four and sometimes sox times they have to come back. Theresa is so open, it only takes one discussion and she runs with it.”
PDA Marketing
11 Newburg Ave., Catonsville
410-788-2007; www.pdamarketing.net
