About the Breakout Brand Blog:

Middle market brands are a unique breed. From those who are motivated to break out and claim the whitespace in their category, to those who have tried and failed, following these brands and their distinct journeys is always interesting.

These “challenger” brands face many obstacles in their pursuit to break out. The Breakout Brand blog was created to discuss these unique challenges and offer insights into to help mid-market brands and their marketers gain focus, become aware of marketing trends, better understand consumer purchasing behavior and so much more.

Have something to contribute?

Middle market brands are a unique breed. From those who are motivated to break out and claim the whitespace in their category, to those who have tried and failed, following these brands and their distinct journeys is always interesting.

If your passion is branding for mid-size companies and entrepreneurs—or you are one—we encourage you to share your experiences and contribute to the dialog that can help these brands break out. If you’re interested in writing, contact us for details.

Permissions and Copyright:

The written and visual contents of this blog are protected by copyright. Excepting translations, you may not reproduce our articles online or in print without first obtaining written permission. Please contact us to obtain consent. Once you receive permission, contact us to let us know where and when the article will be reprinted. Breakout Brand Blog posts cannot be reprinted without obtaining permission.

Breakout Brand Contributors

Jason Clewell's avatar

Jason Clewell

Director of Interactive

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He’s not just a tech geek. He’s versatile. He’s curious. He’s creative. He’s Twitter-pated. He’s Jason, and he rolls up his sleeves daily for Concentric to tackle site architecture, site design, development, search engine marketing and gets his hands dirty with some HTML and CSS. He enjoys seeing how people interact with a communication that he’s developed, especially through interactive, because he can track and monitor so many different aspects of the interaction.

Alicia Gozycki's avatar

Alicia Gozycki

Director of Agency Operations

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Alicia, an organizational guru, spends her days making sure that the agency is running on all cylinders. She’s skilled at maximizing efficiencies and maximizing the efforts of creative, account and production managers. Through managing the team and asking the tough questions, she ensures that Concentric hits the mark every time. Clients she has worked for in the past include Dunkin’ Donuts, Fleet Bank, Massachusetts State Lottery.

Bob Shaw's avatar

Bob Shaw

President

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Determined, Honest, Direct, Inventive, Competitive. Just a few of the words that describe Bob, who works hard to foster an attitude and environment where his team exceeds the client expectations daily. He passionately enjoys building brands of lasting value. He has worked with over 150 brands from start-ups to 35 Fortune 500 companies.

Stephanie Labuskes's avatar

Stephanie Labuskes

Senior Graphic Designer

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When you find a designer who is as passionate about branding as she is about great design, you’ve got a winner. Stephanie is that, and a whole lot more. She brings many strengths to Concentric including a get-er-done attitude with excellent concepting skills, packaging prowess, ability to photo shoot in a single bound and graphic design acumen.

Billie Spevak's avatar

Billie Spevak

VP of Strategy

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Billie is driven by the heart and vision of an entrepreneur, bucking long-held and often tired beliefs with original thinking and bold ideas. When she isn’t championing new business for Concentric Marketing, she’s passionately devising brand strategies for mid-market brands . . . something her team believes she does in her sleep. Her past clients include Cuisinart, Anchor Hocking, SC Johnson, Avid Brakes, Rolf Wheels, Interplan, Ariens Co., Bobcat, Ingersoll Rand and CASE.

Jenna Oltersdorf's avatar

Jenna Oltersdorf

Public Relations

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Jenna has managed and executed programs for sole proprietorships and multi-billion dollar companies. She has expertise, contacts and strategy to help your business grow. She's a member of the American Marketing Association and the Public Relations Society of America. Recognized for excellence in PR, Jenna has received a number of industry awards including Communicators, Summits, Anvils, Anvils, Platinum PR Awards, Tellys, U.S. International Film Festival Award and a nomination for an Emmy … but it’s not all about a fancy piece of stone and glass, is it?

Laura Culp's avatar

Laura Culp

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Kylie Grimshaw Hughes's avatar

Kylie Grimshaw Hughes

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Kylie is an Australian now living in the US. She was born and raised in Adelaide, which explains her fondness for Shiraz. She also lived in Sydney, which explains all her gay friends; Brisbane, which explains her immunity to rum hangovers, and; Santiago de Chile, which explains her appreciation of things that end in 'o' (her favorites being Sabado and Domingo). She has an MA in Communication Studies and currently lives in North Carolina. She makes her living as a freelance writer and business development consultant in the small-to-medium enterprise sector.

Kara Schwab's avatar

Kara Schwab

Senior Copywriter

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Kara is a storyteller at heart. Her friends know that she tends to exaggerate and usually believe only a fourth of her tales. She enjoys the challenge of working with well-researched strategies to create a compelling message able to connect with a particular market and cause them to act or think in a different way. Before this gig, she worked with are Arco Oil & Gas Co., Cellular One, First PREMIER Bank / PREMIER Bankcard, John Laing Homes and the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park.