Woodruff Sweitzer Celebrates 25 Years of Entrepreneurship with Name Change, Employee Ownership

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of its anniversary, Woodruff Sweitzer, a full-service marketing and communications company, is embracing the same entrepreneurial spirit that helped establish the company a quarter of a century ago as it today announces a new name and ownership structure. The company is changing its name to Woodruff effective immediately and will soon become employee owned.

"Twenty-five years ago with the support of my friends and family, I was fortunate to establish a company that did things differently in marketing and communications," says Terry Woodruff, founder, president and chief executive officer, Woodruff. "This entrepreneurial mindset has always been the lifeblood of our company, pushing us to take risks, be bold and challenge the status quo to drive extraordinary outcomes for our clients. Today is exciting, because we're ensuring that spirit continues for decades to come."

Employee Ownership
Woodruff's success has always stemmed from its employees, including their passion for what they do; knowledge of their craft and the industries they serve; and their commitment to delivering above and beyond for clients. By becoming employee owners, Woodruff team members are encouraged and free to take the same risks that established the company in 1992.

"It's not just giving our employees a sense of ownership," says Woodruff. "It's literally giving them ownership. Everyone will have the opportunity to participate in our new employee stock ownership program and be able to share in the success they helped generate."

Woodruff and WS
As part of the employee ownership shift, Woodruff Sweitzer Canada will be evolving as well, operating as a sister agency to U.S.-based Woodruff rather than an affiliated office. The agency, which will also have a new name – WS – will continue to work closely with Woodruff.

"Woodruff and WS share the same legacy, maintain the same philosophies, and will continue to work in partnership with clients (both existing and potential) to ensure seamless operations across borders," says Jeff Groeneveld, president, WS.

WS has added Insights and Analytics as a core offering, helping to guide strategy, creative and communications execution. Complimentary to this approach is the addition of an in-house media planning and buying team rounding out an offering that begins and ends with an audience-centric approach to marketing.

The Next Quarter Century
"As Entrepreneur Magazine noted in a 2015 article, innovation and creation aren't possible without risk," says Woodruff. "We've seen that first-hand and embrace calculated risk in order to grow. This entrepreneurial thinking and approach is a part of our company's DNA, but we wanted to take steps now to make sure it thrives well into the future."

WS 
WS is a collection of marketing professionals bringing a variety of disciplines together to simplify the complexities of marketing and give clients a competitive marketing advantage. We believe a smarter approach begins and ends with measurable results that can only be achieved by knowing the audience better than anyone else. Then we apply insights, experience and ideas to help people create more meaningful connections with brands. And that's what propels our clients further, faster. WS has offices in Calgary, AB and Toronto, ON. To find out more, visit WS at simplyws.com, on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Woodruff
Woodruff is a full-service marketing and communications team of transformational thinkers who deliver unexpected ideas and extraordinary outcomes for clients. It was established in 1992 with an entrepreneurial spirit now engrained in its DNA. This spirit provides its employee owners the freedom to be bold, experiment, challenge, act and celebrate with colleagues, clients and partners. Woodruff has three offices throughout the United States: Columbia, Mo.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; To find out more, visit Woodruff at www.wearewoodruff.com, on Facebook or LinkedIn.

SOURCE Woodruff

Related Links

http://www.wearewoodruff.com