Trozzolo Communications Group

Last Modified: 02-25-2024

https://www.trozzolo.com
Ownership: Privately Held
Size:

Overview

Company Summary

Advance Your Brand With Confidence Trozzolo is an advertising, PR and branding firm built on bold thinking. We help clients take their brands to places they’ve never been. Our culture of creativity permeates everything we do. It’s how we uncover truths that resonate and solutions that hit. Born of curiosity and steeped in strategy, our work is efficient and thoughtful. Unexpected and measurable. Seamless and focused. Resulting in more impact for brands ready to rise.

Contact

811 Wyandotte Street
Kansas City, MO 64105
P: 816-842-8111
F: 816-842-8188

Josh Brewster
Chief Marketing Officer
[email protected]

Offices

Kansas City
811 Wyandotte St
Kansas City, MO 64105
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Milwaukee
1528 W. Wells
Milwaukee, WI 53233
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Global Service Capabilities

Staff

Total Number of Employees

Office Employees:
Total US: 51-100
Total Worldwide:

Angelo Trozzolo
President & CEO
As president of Trozzolo Communications Group, Angelo Trozzolo is involved in every aspect of the firm’s work, from strategic consultation and creative brainstorming to expert data analysis. Under his leadership, Trozzolo has evolved from an eight-person publishing shop in the 1990s to one of the region’s most highly regarded marketing firms today.

Angelo serves on the Advancement Board for the University of Kansas Health System and the founding board of BrandLab KC, an organization committed to improving diversity in the communications industry. He also serves on the Starlight Theatre strategic planning and marketing committees, after serving six years on the board (including four as vice chair of marketing). He also serves on the Ronald McDonald House Charities marketing committee.

Angelo is a member of the Enterprise Bank & Trust Advisory Board, and has served as a judge for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Top 10 Small Businesses and Mr. K Award for the past four years. He also serves as a member of the Kansas City Business Journal’s Leadership Trust.

In the past, he has served on the board of trustees for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and on the board of directors for Girl Scouts of NE Kansas and NW Missouri. He also served as parish council president at St. Peter’s Catholic Church and School in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City.

He has been selected to Ingram’s “40 Under Forty,” was among KC Business Magazine’s inaugural “Rising Stars” class and was named to Kansas City Business Journal’s inaugural “NextGen Leaders” class.

Angelo is a graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions leadership program. He was one of Kansas City’s youngest mayoral appointments under Mayor Kay Barnes, and was a driving force behind a successful grassroots push for a downtown arena.

He is a graduate of Marquette University with a degree in advertising and holds an MBA from Rockhurst University. In 2014, the J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, named Angelo its Young Alumnus of the Year.
Angelo, his wife, Elisa, and their three children live in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rachel Lupardus
COO/CFO
Growth starts from within – by improving what you have to prepare for what comes next. And that’s exactly what Chief Operating Officer/ Chief Financial Officer Rachel Lupardus brings to our team. Not only does she keep our books straight and finances tight, but she also analyzes our procedures and finances to help every department run a little smoother.

With more than 20 years of financial and accounting experience – first as a controller, and the last 12 as a CFO – Rachel brings not only a wealth of knowledge to our team, but strong leadership, as well. She played a lead role in shepherding her previous agency from eight to 150 employees and through the sale of the company to a large advertising holding company. And she was honored by the Kansas City Business Journal as CFO of the Year.

Rachel has a nose for inefficiencies and how to mitigate them. Her holistic approach to finance starts with pricing points and ends with production proficiency, though she would tell you there is no “start” and “stop” in the process. She’s constantly finding and removing red flags – often before they’re even truly “red.” Which means fewer headaches and more efficiency and, ultimately, more success for everyone.

Rachel is a certified public accountant who graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting.

Julie Robinson
CCO
Julie comes to Trozzolo as the former chief operating officer and senior vice president at Kuhn & Wittenborn. She played a major role in taking that agency from a creative boutique to a fully integrated branding powerhouse. Landing clients like Assurant Employee Benefits and IBM, Julie helped her agency grow in size as well as esteem.

Julie is responsible for the strategic direction and account leadership for all agency clients. Her presence in a room is felt immediately. Whether it’s a small meeting or a large conference, Julie’s energy and enthusiasm invigorate and inspire those around her. She gets excited about building relationships. Clients and team members alike recognize her desire and insistence for strong communication as a pivotal trait that makes Julie incredibly effective.

Passion for branding has defined Julie’s work. But her client diversity speaks volumes about her versatility – from Kansas Speedway, one of NASCAR’s top tracks; and GEHA, a leading national insurance brand; to some of the most advanced health systems in the country. Different markets, different products, same outstanding growth results.

Julie also puts her expertise to work for the community, serving as the ArtsKC board of directors marketing chair and on the Kansas City board of governors for the American Association of Advertising Agencies. She has been honored as a “Woman Who Means Business” by the Kansas City Business Journal. Based on her mean, agency award-winning chili, we’re inclined to agree.

Jerry Hobbs
CSO, Managing Director of Prairie Dog
Jerry has spent his career as both a hospital CMO and an intuitive consultant. As Chief Strategy Officer, he has consulted with hundreds of organizations and businesses to solve their marketing challenges and find their unique brand opportunities. From local to multinational, clients consistently meet objectives under his guidance. He challenges his team to deliver measurable
results and create impact, whether the goal is to launch a product line or increase market share.

Prior to joining Trozzolo, Jerry spent 12 years in health care marketing, planning and service line management at a large Midwestern hospital. During his rapid progression to chief marketing and strategic planning officer for Shawnee Mission Medical Center, he provided strategy support and marketing services to the entire system. As a service line director, Jerry developed the area’s No. 1 women’s services program, recognized by Self magazine as one of America’s 10 Best Hospitals for Women’s Care.

Jerry shares his unique approach to marketing with growing audiences year after year. A respected voice in the industry, he makes regular appearances at the national Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) Annual Conference, along with regional conferences. He is also a member of SHSMD, the Forum for Healthcare Strategists and the American College of Healthcare Executives. Jerry earned an MBA from the University of Kansas and an undergraduate degree in communications from Ottawa University.

Josh Brewster
CMO
Josh is constantly proving his commitment to our clients’ success, as well as the success of our agency as a whole. In his role as chief marketing officer, Josh leads five major initiatives for Trozzolo: 1. Help grow our clients’ businesses by finding new ways to market their services; 2. Grow our agency’s client portfolio; 3. Grow Trozzolo presence in the business community across the Midwest and beyond; 4. Connect Trozzolo’s robust client network with each other, to support unified growth among our trusted partners; 5. Foster the amazing Trozzolo “family” culture every single day.

A former journalist, Josh has also spent the past 15 years immersed in each aspect of Trozzolo, formerly serving as vice president of public relations, group account director, and director of client engagement. His knack for understanding clients’ needs and his ability to communicate those needs to his team lead to top-level results that move the needle on our clients’ behalf.

Josh is a believer in open communication and partnerships that go deeper than everyday business. He approaches business relationships with an open, enthusiastic mind, with an eye toward both traditional and emerging ways of solving clients’ real business challenges.

Josh is also an active member of the community. He serves on the board of directors for the KC Tech Council, as well as the Trent Green Golf Classic benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City. Josh is an active member of St. Elizabeth Parish and School, where he serves as athletic director and coaches several youth sports teams.

Josh holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Saint Louis University, and earned his MBA at Rockhurst University.

Brad Hanna
Managing Director of Trozzolo Milwaukee
It’s hard to put a label on what Brad Hanna does because his experience, leadership and industry chops go deep – with a body of work spanning more than 30 years. Hanna has lifted and helped build brands of all sizes in all categories. His expertise in consulting, strategy, audience segmentation and a large body of other marketing disciplines boils down to one thing: You want him influencing your brand. His proven, disciplined approach is behind some of America’s largest brands.

From his work at Bernstein-Rein, where he lead the Wal-Mart national team, to his time at Barkley, serving as an Executive Director of Business Strategy, success follows Hanna. He was instrumental in creating a multi-generational insight and research group that quickly became an industry go-to for how to market to Millennials, Gen Z, corporate culture, sustainability and more. Prior to joining Trozzolo, Brad led marketing and product strategy for Briggs & Stratton’s Power Division in Milwaukee.

When he’s not powering growth and success for our Milwaukee clients, Hanna and his family enjoy fishing, hiking, biking kayaking, RVing – if it’s outdoors, they’re in. He’s also an avid reader and relishes time making his favorite dishes.

Ross Wuetherich
Managing Group Creative Director
A belief that “simplicity drives the best innovation” is what drives Ross. While his aspirations to be a dynamic designer and artist shaped him, his ability to lead is what defines him. From brief to execution, Ross shares his ability to meld creativity with the client’s goals to create work that not only accelerates business but does so in a beautiful way.

For over two decades, he has delivered impact-driven creative by adhering to the notion that great advertising is an expression of strategy. With an extensive background from retail branding and package design to high-level strategic branding in the B2C and B2B space, Ross has a large toolbox to tap into and does so for each project he oversees.

After gaining experience at local Kansas City agencies big and small, focusing on more traditional consumer-driven advertising campaigns, he joined Trozzolo. (Fun fact: He still had hair back then.)

Since joining Trozzolo, he has branched out to nearly every medium and developed a particular passion and proficiency for branding. Ross’ attention to detail, combined with his roots in the visual arts, helps clients’ brands continually look and feel their best.

A champion of ideas, a cultivator of his teams’ passions and projects – Ross leads the creative department, while continuing to stay focused on what drives human emotion and brand preference for his clients.

Whatever the project, Ross’ keen eye and creative judgment ensure brands get noticed and messages are received.

With his roots planted firmly in the KC area, Ross continues to impact not only client work but the communities he calls home. From his ongoing partnerships with The BrandLab and the Prospect Business Association, Ross aims to serve as a mentor to aspiring artists and designers throughout the Kansas City area.

Clients and Brands

Client & Brands	Start Date
McDonald's	N/A
Boulevard Brewing Co.	N/A
Westlake Ace Hardware	N/A
Ronald McDonald House Charities	N/A
Sun Life	N/A
Enterprise Bank & Trust	N/A
WireCo World Group	N/A
JDRF	N/A
Kansas City Aviation Department	N/A
The Cordish Companies	N/A
University of Missouri Health Care	N/A
FairWave Coffee Collective	N/A
Halls	N/A
Kansas City Life	N/A
Rutgers Health	N/A
Spencer Fane	N/A
Prime Capital Investment Advisors	N/A
EPR Properties	N/A
Missouri Credit Union	N/A
Cedarhurst Senior Living	N/A
McAnany Constuction	N/A
Catalyst Orthodontic Group	N/A
Kansas City Public Schools	N/A

Billings & Revenue

Billing / Revenue Ranges Number of Clients
Billing < $1M and/or Agency Revenue < $200K 50
Billing > $1M and < $3M 10
Billing > $3M and < $5M 1

Billing / Revenue Ranges	Number of Clients
Billing < $1M and/or Agency Revenue < $200K	50
Billing > $1M and < $3M	10
Billing > $3M and < $5M	1

Total Gross Media Placed by this Office

Allocation Percent of Media Placed by this Office
Local Broadcast: 23%
Digital: 48%
Print: 13%
Out of Home: 16%

Types of Services

Service Offering Revenue
Public Relations 25
Creative Strategy & Development 15
Media Buying 13
Advertising - General Market/ Traditional 10
Media Planning 7
Social Media 5
Content stategy & development 5
Design 5
Digital/Interactive | Website Development, Hosting, Monitoring 5
Digital/Interactive | Search Engine Optimization 2
Data & Analytics 2
Event Marketing 1
Influencer Marketing 1
Digital/Interactive | Search Engine Marketing 1
New Product Development 1
Corporate Communications 1
Digital/Interactive | Blogging Discussion Forums, Community Building 1

Service Offering	Revenue
Public Relations	25
Creative Strategy & Development	15
Media Buying	13
Advertising - General Market/ Traditional	10
Media Planning	7
Social Media	5
Content stategy & development	5
Design	5
Digital/Interactive \| Website Development, Hosting, Monitoring	5
Digital/Interactive \| Search Engine Optimization	2
Data & Analytics	2
Event Marketing	1
Influencer Marketing	1
Digital/Interactive \| Search Engine Marketing	1
New Product Development	1
Corporate Communications	1
Digital/Interactive \| Blogging Discussion Forums, Community Building	1

Industry Experience

Agency Profile