September 20, 2013 Wichita Business Journal Stephanie Bloyd
Picture printed in Wichita Business Journal issue from Sept. 20.
Women-Owned Businesses
More than half of the women-owned businesses returning to our list of them this week reported a higher number of employees than they did in 2012.
And of the businesses we surveyed, 73 percent said they plan to hire in the next six to 12 months. Nearly half of those indicated they’d be hiring to increase staff, as opposed to maintaining current staffing levels.
Readers can now view a sample of our weekly lists online, while subscribers can see the full digital lists.
Foley Industries tops women-owned businesses list
Ranked by Number of Wichita-area employees full-time
Locally Researched by: Stephanie Bloyd, Wichita Business Journal
Top 25 women-owned businesses in the Wichita area as ranked by the Wichita Business Journal.
Sonia Greteman, president/creative director, at Greteman Group, a marketing communications agency based in Wichita, the Air Capital.
U.S. Campaign Launches to Promote Aviation Manufacturing Training
n outreach campaign launching this fall promises to elevate lives – and an industry. Aviation continues to pull out of one of the worst depressions in history. But it is pulling out. And as manufacturers ramp up their hiring again, they’re struggling to fill a growing skilled-labor gap.
To meet this need, a $15m grant was awarded to the National Aviation Consortium (NAC). It’s all part of the U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative. The consortium includes colleges in Kansas, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Washington.Bringing It All TogetherNAC bridges the gap between manufacturers and workers. It partners with employers to develop a much-needed standardized curriculum for today’s jobs. It also provides relevant training for unfilled positions. NAC’s accelerated programs cut downtime and on-the-job training, benefitting both the companies hiring and the individuals being hired.Outreach Team SelectedTo spread news of the consortium and its opportunities, a portion of NAC’s funding was allotted for outreach. Earlier this year, NAC conducted a request-for-proposal process and selected our Wichita-based marketing agency for support.
A Brand Built to Soar NAC colleges across the country and Greteman Group collaboratively developed the campaign’s overarching messages. Move Yourself Up speaks to students eager to climb high. Trained and Ready addresses employers by showing how NAC programs train students for real jobs available now. The tagline Education With a Flight Plan unites both the student and employer-focused themes.NAC’s new visuals convey movement and suggest success. Graphic arrows shoot skyward. Aircraft ascend, as do individuals. And a logo that suggests a pathway rising above the horizon, speaks to both aviation and the future. The visuals are put in motion through two targeted, animated :30 TV spots that also can be shared through social media. A diverse set of branded materials further expand NAC’s outreach.
As soon as the NAC logo took shape, we knew we loved it. With shapes evoking everything from origami, a bird in flight, an aircraft taking off, or even a pathway extending beyond the horizon, it encompasses the uplifting mission of NAC.
Watch for NAC’s National CampaignThe consortium now has a customizable campaign with a toolkit that includes TV, radio, print, outdoor and social media. Each NAC college can tailor templates and messaging to their individual school’s needs and regional markets.Education With a Flight Plan creates a path that helps people move themselves up and employers looking for folks trained and ready. We call that a win win.
A detailed strategy and implementation plan weren’t the only components to the vital social media piece of the NAC’s campaign.Head-turning visuals give each of the social platforms a dynamic and brand-consistent presence. Check out NAC on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+.
Print and digital ads speak to both employer and student audiences, showcasing either the trained-and-ready worker or the student about to move himself up.
The NAC billboards are sure to catch drivers’ eyes with their bright colors, bold design and striking message.
Greteman Group, a Wichita-based marketing communications agency, has completed a dynamic new campaign and branding for the National Aviation Consortium (NAC).
The consortium is funded by a $15 million grant that is part of the U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative. It serves to bridge the gap between manufacturers and workers. NAC partners with aviation industry employers to develop a standardized curriculum for training, while providing relevant and accelerated programs for unfilled aviation manufacturing positions.
To spread news of the consortium and its opportunities, a portion of NAC’s funding was allotted for outreach. Earlier this year, NAC conducted a request-for-proposal process and selected Greteman Group, a Wichita-based marketing agency, for support.
“Greteman Group’s expertise in both marketing and aviation dovetailed perfectly with our outreach needs,” said Denise Pfeifer, NAC project manager. “We were thrilled to have them on board and have enjoyed their creative direction.”
A Brand Built to Soar
Through a collaborative process, five NAC colleges across the country and Greteman Group agreed on the campaign’s overarching messages. Move Yourself Up speaks to students eager to climb high. Trained and Ready addresses employers by showing how NAC programs train students for real jobs available now. The tagline Education With a Flight Plan unites both the student and employer-focused themes.
NAC’s new visuals convey movement and suggest success. Graphic arrows shoot up into the sky. Aircraft ascend, as do individuals. And a logo that suggests a pathway rising above the horizon, speaks to both aviation and the future. The visuals are put in motion through two targeted :30 TV commercials with images that pop with vibrant colors and compelling animation. NAC’s branding was designed for a diverse set of outreach materials.
“The National Aviation Consortium plays such an important role in the future of aviation manufacturing,” says Sonia Greteman, Greteman Group president and creative director. “We knew we had to create a brand that supported the magnitude of the NAC’s mission. These colleges can and will change the face of aviation training. And not a moment too soon.”
Watch for NAC’s National Campaign
The consortium – which includes Wichita Area Technical College (Wichita, Kan.), Ivy Tech Community College (Ft. Wayne, Ind.), Guilford Technical Community College (Jamestown, N.C.), Tulsa Community College (Tulsa, Okla.) and Edmonds Community College (Lynnwood, Wash.) – now has a dynamic, customizable campaign with valuable outreach tools that include TV, radio, print, outdoor and social media.
“Greteman Group understands aviation and immediately articulated a strong vision for this project. Despite the challenge of working for a client comprised of consortium members in five states, the Greteman team listened closely and deftly built consensus,” said Joe Ontjes, WATC VP of marketing and student services. “As the lead institution for the National Aviation Consortium, WATC thanks and congratulates Greteman Group for its excellent work on the branding and positioning of this exciting national initiative.”
Each of the colleges can tailor the collateral templates and messaging to their individual school’s needs and regional markets nationwide. Education With a Flight Plan is launching from NAC colleges across the country.
About the National Aviation Consortium
The National Aviation Consortium will provide accelerated training to more than 2,500 students to fill the current jobs that remain open due to an unskilled workforce in five states. NAC will use a sector-based strategy, building on the previous success of the National Manufacturers Association Institute’s Skills Certificate System, and expanding it with six aviation endorsed manufacturing credentials. NAC will use the emerging success model to stack and lattice aviation credentials, utilize high quality online aviation learning modules, implement transfer and articulation agreements, and align with industry and college partners. A fifth critical deliverable is a national consensus of aviation manufacturers on national standard aviation credentials to increase the competitiveness of U.S. companies in this essential sector. Consortium members include Wichita Area Technical College, Tulsa Community College, Ivy Tech Community College, Guilford Technical Community College and Edmonds Community College. Wichita Area Technical College is consortium leader and is based in Wichita. Kan. For more information, please visit NACcareers.com.
Greteman Group on Thursday announced it has completed a branding campaign for the National Aviation Consortium.
This billboard shows elements of the branding campaign Greteman Group has created for the National Aviation Consortium.
The consortium, funded by $15 million grant through the U.S. Department of Labor, is made up of five colleges collaborating to create a national standard for aviation training.
Greteman, a Wichita-based marketing agency, says in a news release that the campaign to promote the NAC’s work will consist of these overarching messages:
• “Move Yourself Up” — aimed toward students wanting to better themselves.
• “Trained and Ready” — aimed at employers to market the aviation students’ capabilities.
• “Education With a Flight Plan” — a tagline used to connect both the student -and employer-centered themes.
Greteman has also created new visual elements to go along with the campaign that can be viewed on its website.
The campaign will be put out to the public through TV, radio, print and outdoor ads, as well as through social media.
Here is Greteman’s statement on the new campaign:
Wichita, Kan.— Greteman Group, a Wichita-based marketing communications agency, has completed a dynamic new campaign and branding for the National Aviation Consortium (NAC).
The consortium is funded by a $15 million grant that is part of the U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative. It serves to bridge the gap between manufacturers and workers. NAC partners with aviation industry employers to develop a standardized curriculum for training, while providing relevant and accelerated programs for unfilled aviation manufacturing positions.
To spread news of the consortium and its opportunities, a portion of NAC’s funding was allotted for outreach. Earlier this year, NAC conducted a request-for-proposal process and selected Greteman Group, a Wichita-based marketing agency, for support.
“Greteman Group’s expertise in both marketing and aviation dovetailed perfectly with our outreach needs,” said Denise Pfeifer, NAC project manager. “We were thrilled to have them on board and have enjoyed their creative direction.”
A Brand Built to Soar
Through a collaborative process, five NAC colleges across the country and Greteman Group agreed on the campaign’s overarching messages. Move Yourself Up speaks to students eager to climb high. Trained and Ready addresses employers by showing how NAC programs train students for real jobs available now. The tagline Education With a Flight Plan unites both the student and employer-focused themes.
NAC’s new visuals convey movement and suggest success. Graphic arrows shoot up into the sky. Aircraft ascend, as do individuals. And a logo that suggests a pathway rising above the horizon, speaks to both aviation and the future. The visuals are put in motion through two targeted :30 TV commercials with images that pop with vibrant colors and compelling animation. NAC’s branding was designed for a diverse set of outreach materials.
“The National Aviation Consortium plays such an important role in the future of aviation manufacturing,” says Sonia Greteman, Greteman Group president and creative director. “We knew we had to create a brand that supported the magnitude of the NAC’s mission. These colleges can and will change the face of aviation training. And not a moment too soon.”
Watch for NAC’s National Campaign
The consortium – which includes Wichita Area Technical College (Wichita, Kan.), Ivy Tech Community College (Ft. Wayne, Ind.), Guilford Technical Community College (Jamestown, N.C.), Tulsa Community College (Tulsa, Okla.) and Edmonds Community College (Lynnwood, Wash.) – now has a dynamic, customizable campaign with valuable outreach tools that include TV, radio, print, outdoor and social media.
“Greteman Group understands aviation and immediately articulated a strong vision for this project. Despite the challenge of working for a client comprised of consortium members in five states, the Greteman team listened closely and deftly built consensus,” said Joe Ontjes, WATC VP of marketing and student services. “As the lead institution for the National Aviation Consortium, WATC thanks and congratulates Greteman Group for its excellent work on the branding and positioning of this exciting national initiative.”
Note: This story was originally published in print in 2003. It appears online for the first time today as the Wichita Business Journal looks ahead to its 2013 Women in Business awards program on Sept. 17.
You can’t be, she says, in a business where opinions and perception help sell products. In fact, Greteman says, letting your opinion be known is an important trait in any business.
And, she says, it’s often more important for women, who are sometimes seen as too aggressive if they are opinionated. That’s a stereotype Greteman has chosen to abolish through her actions.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have an opinion,” she says. “I think the fact that I voice my opinion is powerful and that I’m passionate about what I believe in. In our world of white-bread conformity, it feels like so many people don’t take a stand. I have a lot of buddies that I disagree with. I think some women are scared they’re not going to be accepted if they have an opinion. I think I approach it almost more like a man in that way.”
“Sonia makes the work force better for women by shattering stereotypes,” says Deanna Harms, vice president at the firm. “Forget weak and demure, retiring and unopinionated. Sonia knows what she wants and speaks her mind. She throws her entire being into accomplishing the goal.”
Building a family
Greteman says she tries to be a role model to young women she meets through her experiences in business. She does that by example. Her senior management team is two-thirds women.
She says it might have been better for her to hire men in the interest of diversity, but the best people for the jobs happened to be women.
Harms says that by giving women employment opportunities, Greteman helps promote women in the work place.
“She doesn’t believe gender should be an issue. Only ability,” Harms says. “She succeeds in a man’s world without abdicating her place in it as a spiritual, spirited woman.”
But Greteman is quick to point out that everyone should be given an equal chance, not just women.
“I think it’s important to recognize any business leaders, men or women,” she says.
Volunteering in the community is also important to Greteman, who says being a mentor and involving oneself with charities are vital characteristics for business leaders. She has volunteered with the Women’s Sexual Assault Center, Habitat for Humanity, Kansas Humane Society and Great Plains Earth Institute, to name a few.
Greteman started the firm in 1989. Since then it has reached $18.5 million in capitalized annual billings and has a staff of 18. The firm does advertising, marketing, public relations and interactive work for clients that include Ryan International Airlines, Royal Caribbean and the Kansas Health Foundation.
Along with creating a successful business, Greteman says she’s most proud of the environment she’s been able to foster at work. Employees tend to stay for a long time, she says, and everyone works well together.
“We’re all a family here,” she says. “We just have a pretty tight group.”
Harms says Greteman is a good leader because she knows how to work together as a team.
For Greteman, getting an award for her contribution to women in the work force is more meaningful than most other accolades.
“It seems like creative businesses award themselves a lot and pat themselves on the back a lot,” she says. “A lot of the awards I receive don’t mean a lot to me anymore, but this one means a lot.”
The program received 200 nominations in its first year, and 20 prominent Wichita businesswomen in a variety of fields were recognized. Many of them are still leading businesses today, such as Patricia Brasted at Wichita Technology Corp., Sonia Greteman at Greteman Group, Ann Konecny at Foley Equipment Co. and Anita Oberwortmann at Wilson Building Maintenance and Metro Courier.
WBJ Publisher John Ek noted in a 2003 column that others could learn from the experiences and work of these women. Their profiles are linked from the WBJ’s blog, where a slideshow of their 2003 headshots is also available.
