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Global Shopper Marketing Agency Opens an Office in Blue Ash
You've probably heard the buzz about our region's strength in consumer marketing, and it's true. Greater Cincinnati has more consumer branding and marketing talent than anywhere else in the world and is being promoted as BrandHUB by the Cincinnati USA Partnership for Economic Development.
John Yengo, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi X knows first-hand about our region's talent base. Prior to joining the agency, he was a partner in another large agency that is headquartered in Cincinnati, and before then, he was in brand management and marketing at P&G.
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Saatchi X's Blue Ash team in their new offices
at 10260 Alliance Road
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"There's a large pool of incredibly innovative and talented consumer marketing professionals in the region which is a key reason we decided to open an office here." he stated. And he relied on this talent pool when the agency opened an office in Blue Ash last August. "We hired our first 20 people in 60 days," he said. The agency held an open house on April 16 which was attended by more than 150 people, including Mayor Mark Weber and several City officials.
Yengo said Saatchi X selected Blue Ash due to its prime location which allows his team to be closer to the brand teams at Wendy's and P&G, two of the agency's largest clients. He also stated that as the leading global shopper marketing agency in the world, it was important for Saatchi X to be in the consumer marketing capital of the world.
To get an idea of what shopper marketing services are, the next time you're at Wendy's or at Walmart in an aisle with P&G products, take a closer look at the in-store displays. They're the work of Saatchi X's Blue Ash office and they're designed to engage consumers with the products so they'll purchase them.
Saatchi X has a track record of winning more industry awards than any other shopping marketing firm. The agency recently added ten Effie Awards to its list, which are highly coveted awards that recognize the most effective advertising efforts each year.
Founded in 1997, Saatchi X is part of Paris-based Publicis Group, the world's third-largest communications company. In addition to Blue Ash, Saatchi X has 12 offices in nine countries.
Switzerland-based Industrial Minerals Producer Plans to
Increase its Blue Ash Workforce to 145
Few companies have roots that go back to the 1800s, and even fewer become global leaders in their industries. Omya is certainly a rare
exception in both cases.
The company was started in 1884 by a Swiss entrepreneur who began producing glazier's putty by combining chalk and linseed oil. Within a few years, he acquired a chalk quarry in France and built a plant to produce chalk powder -- and his business took off. Over the years Omya expanded into other countries, including the U.S., and began serving new markets. Today, the company is a global leader of industrial minerals and a worldwide distributor of chemicals.
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Omya's Region Americas headquarters at 9987 Carver Road
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In 1976, Omya established its North American headquarters in Vermont, but by 2007, needed a more central location to better serve its customers and operating facilities. That year, Omya selected Blue Ash and cited the city's quality of life, proximity to its customers, operating facilities, major freeways and the airport, and supportive business environment as the reasons for its decision.
At first, Omya estimated it would have 65 employees in Blue Ash by the end of 2011, including the corporate management functions that were part of its initial move from Vermont. The company exceeded those estimates in 2009 when it relocated its logistics, IT and customer service functions to the city. Today, Omya has 125 employees in Blue Ash and plans to add 20 more by this fall when it relocates its technical labs.
"Omya's technical labs provide a variety of analytical, microbiology and segment applications services that support our customers and plants," explained Linda Pleiman, Omya's Communication Manager Region Americas. "Our current business and our future expectations require closer collaboration between our technical labs and our sales, operations and engineering groups which are located in Blue Ash."
Omya occupies the third floor of the Landings. The technical labs will be located in a separate Blue Ash facility.
Since the company moved here, Blue Ash has taken on an expanded role as Omya's Region Americas headquarters, which includes both North and South America. Omya's Region Americas employs 1,000 people and has numerous facilities, distribution companies and offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and South America. On a worldwide basis, the company has 7,000 employees and more than 100 locations in over 50 countries.
Leading Claims Management Company
Brings 111 Jobs to Blue Ash
When Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc, a leading North American provider of claims and productivity management solutions, opened its new Blue Ash claims management office in March, it relocated 40 employees from another location in Cincinnati and created 55 new jobs. The company recently announced it's in the process of recruiting 16 additional employees which will bring its total Blue Ash workforce to 111.
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Sedgwick's new office at
4445 Lake Forest Drive
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James Paprocki, Vice President of Operations for Sedgwick, said the company moved its center from Des Moines, Iowa to Blue Ash because of the superior pool of talent in the Cincinnati area. The most recent new jobs are customer service positions for The Kroger Co.
Sedgwick provides workers compensation and disability claims services for the Cincinnati-based grocery chain giant. Kroger is nearing the end of a multi-year expansion project in the region and has already relocated hundreds of employees to its headquarters in downtown Cincinnati and in Blue Ash.
Sedgwick has more than 10,000 employees in 195 offices throughout the U.S. and Canada and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded in 1969 and provides cost-effective claims, productivity, managed care, risk consulting, and other services to its clients. For eight years in a row, Sedgwick has been awarded the distinguished Employer of Choice® certification, the only third-party administrator to receive this designation.
Chase Opens a Branch Bank in Blue Ash
Chase Bank, Blue Ash's newest business, celebrated the grand opening of its branch bank at 9019 Plainfield Road on April 11. The grand opening was attended by Mayor Mark Weber, who cut the ribbon, as well as several Council members, City officials, Blue Ash police officers, and Chase Bank executives.
 The first self-service banking kiosks in Greater Cincinnati are at Chase's new branch. The kiosks enable customers to pay bills, withdraw cash in varying denominations and conduct a number of other transactions.
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It's a well-known fact that the U.S. economy is becoming increasingly global. Our nation has actually been the largest recipient of foreign investment for many years. But how does this trend impact our city? 
