Marketing Veteran Launches Ad Agency Alternative for Small to Mid-sized Businesses

(Pittsburgh, PA) Small to mid-sized businesses need quality marketing to succeed just like larger companies, but the reality is that they do not have the big budgets that warrant hiring an advertising agency, an experienced design firm, or properly staffing an in-house marketing department. So what is a small to mid-sized business to do?

According to Virtual Edge Collaborative President and CEO, Gregg Gantwarg, help has arrived! After 20 years in senior advertising agency and corporate marketing management, he created Pittsburgh-based Virtual Edge Collaborative because he felt that small to mid-sized businesses deserved a better alternative. He saw a void in the marketplace, and wanted to fill it with the best solution possible. He wanted to create a company whose guiding principles of integrity, respect, and passion were prominent in every relationship he forged along the way. And like many us, Gantwarg’s goal was to also create a positive balance between his work and family life, something he found virtually impossible while working for other firms.

“Virtual Edge Collaborative makes it possible for small to mid-sized businesses to receive high-quality marketing services from seasoned industry pros, at a fraction of what ad agencies and quality design firms typically charge,” says Gantwarg.

Following in the trend of many businesses, Virtual Edge Collaborative is based upon a flat and flexible virtual business model. The company has no employees or an elaborate office space, which eliminates costly overhead and expenses, and enables Virtual Edge Collaborative to pass the savings on to its clients. “Clients shouldn’t have to foot the bill for my overhead just for smoke and mirrors,” exclaimed
Gantwarg.”

Like so many professionals today, Gantwarg typically works from his home office or anywhere via laptop that has Wi-Fi. Rather than relying on static in-house staff, many of which are junior-level employees at traditional ad agencies, that may not be the right fit for his clients’ projects, his staff is highly experienced, nationwide, diverse, and totally customizable. In most cases, strategic planning, project management, concept development, copywriting, partner negotiation/procurement, and production supervision are handled personally by Gantwarg himself. The rest of his team is virtual. Based on his clients’ individual needs and budgets, he is able to assemble, work with, and manage a high-level team for each project that makes the most sense for his clients. His established network consists of independent, senior-level designers, programmers, photographers, video editors, audio engineers, and other accomplished marketing specialists and small firms he hires on an as-needed basis. We become whatever our clients need us to be, without limitations, at a price they can afford—without sacrificing quality,” says Gantwarg.

Unlike many marketing and creative firms, all services are offered on an a la carte flat fee basis, without the obligation of a long-term contract or recurring monthly retainer fees. The company’s capabilities include print, Web, interactive, broadcast, and identity projects for clients in every major business-to-business and business-to-consumer category. Virtual Edge Collaborative plans to work as much as possible with local and regional clients; however, also has the ability and interest in working with small to mid-sized businesses across the country.

For more information, please visit www.virtualedgeonline.com, e-mail gregg@virtualedgeonline.com, or call 724.766.1040.