Agency with Strong Marketing Strategy, Branding, Design

OVERVIEW

We take brands higher

Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Elevation is an integrated marketing firm dedicated to elevating the brands of our clients through creative and strategic excellence. Founded in 2001 by principals Frank Gilliam and Aaron Dotson, Elevation delivers a higher level of thinking and a higher level of service—helping our clients achieve a higher level of success.

Elevation has built a national reputation for excellence based on five core strengths:

We ask good questions
We understand the delicate balance between “brand” and “promotion”
We get it—and get it fast
We believe in the power of simplicity
We are design-centric

CAPABILITIES

Elevation delivers insight and integration throughout all levels of advertising. From broadcast to digital and print, our team of strategic planners and content creators seek new solutions to advertising’s age old problem: how can we deliver a compelling story to the right audience at the right time.

Brand identity goes far beyond logos, fonts and colors. Elevation excels at uncovering the unique messaging and core values at the heart of companies and organizations. Then our strategic creative team brings that brand to life in ways that bring consistency and connectivity to customers across all channels.

When the world is a blank canvas, creativity becomes your friend, not your foe. A compelling visual experience elevates customer perceptions and enhances the chances of success. Elevation emphasizes a clean and sophisticated design style that is consistent throughout our client roster yet distinctly different from brand to brand.

Content marketing delivers the ability to attract and convert—making it a powerful tool in a search intensive world. Elevation develops content with a clear purpose, drawing buyers in by helping them solve a challenge, then demonstrating our clients’ knowledge and expertise to convert visits to conversations.

Engage-ability. Track-ability. Scale-ability. We love the ability of digital to deliver the right audience at the right time with the content that drives action. We combine our digital team’s strategic capabilities with our creative team’s expertise to deliver the art and science of digital—whether that’s for search, social, display or site development.

In the new world of media, every communication becomes more targeted. Our one-on-one marketing experience ranges from traditional mail and email programs to complex lead generation and nurture programs that build relationships with potential customers before, during and after the sale.

Analytics tools provide a wealth of information. The challenge is selecting which data will best move the needle. Our team combines both online and offline programs to provide a holistic view of results and opportunities—from site assessments and competitive reviews to analytics dashboards and ROI analysis.

A company’s people are the heart of every product and every service. They are not just brand ambassadors—they are the brand itself. We build brands from the inside out, which means we develop integrated employee communications efforts into each and every marketing program.

When you get a better handle on the customer’s path to purchase, you get a better handle on closing the sale. With our insights into shopper behavior and marketing analytics, we can give you leverage on the shelf—and at every point prior.

Great products and services are only successful if you can convince customers to purchase them. Elevation creates careful promotional strategies that work together with your marketing campaign to get your brand in more customer’s hands—over and over and over again.

CLIENTS

Capital One
Carando Foods
Donate Life® Virginia
Evergreen™ Enterprises
Farmer John Foods
Farmland Foods
James River Association
LaDiff Modern Living
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
National D-Day Memorial
OrthoVirginia
Pairwise™
Plow & Hearth
Propane (Propane Education & Research Council)
Silgan Dispensing
Smithfield® Foods
Swedish Match®
The Valentine
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest
Virago Spirits
Virginia529™
Virginia Credit Union®
Virginia Green®
Virginia Tourism Corporation

PEOPLE

Aaron Dotson

Founder, Executive Creative Director

He creates, builds and sells, sells, sells brands. A strategist and professor with a passion for storytelling who still loves the title “copywriter.” Recipient of the Richmond Ad Club’s highest honor: Advertising Person of the Year.

Frank Gilliam

Founder, Executive Creative Director

He’s the rarest find: the person who makes everything he touches better. His thinking and design sensibility run through the region’s most successful brands. And he's nationally recognized as a "Designer To Watch" by Graphic Design USA magazine.

Stacie Elliott

Chief Operating Officer

Imagine a CPA who actually “gets” marketing strategy—and tirelessly supports creatives and account teams in their drive for greatness. Meet Stacie. She helps our clients move their businesses forward. And that’s how she keeps moving ours forward, too.

Carol Williams

Director of Account Planning

When Carol enters the room, you know you’re going to be asked questions. Big, serious, thought-provoking questions. The kind that will allow her to develop the insights she uses to craft integrated marketing plans that deliver on both brand and sales drivers.

C.J. Hawn

Creative Director

A client’s dream and our ultimate triple threat: writer, art director and designer. Quick witted. Wickedly smart. Leads broadcast and video efforts around the nation and demands the best from others because she does from herself.

Kim Moore

Account Director

Strategically minded. Killer instincts. Always on top of everything (and yes, we mean everything). Kim always knows the right questions to ask to keep everyone on our team and yours moving toward the same goal.

Hunter Knierim

Account Director

Cool. Calm. Collected. And above all else, incredibly insightful. With over 15 years experience as both a marketing leader and entrepreneur, Hunter brings a quiet thoughtfulness that his clients and colleagues find both assuring and inspiring.

Corey Lane

Senior Vice President

With a reputation as a serial “intrapreneur,” Corey challenges clients and agency partners alike to tap into innovative opportunities to grow their business with applied strategy and disciplined execution.

Emily Greenwood

Senior Account Manager

You know that instinctive, super-sharp marketer you always wanted who was not only strategically minded but also a killer tactician? The multi-tasker extraordinaire who can think big yet never miss a single detail? That’s our Emily.

Scott Vadas

Senior Art Director

With a background that includes both Design Army and in-house corporate design departments, Scott not only knows how to push for the very best creative, but also understands that the work needs to, well, work. He delivers on both accounts.

Daniel Uhorchuk

Senior Studio Artist

When you jump out of airplanes for the United States Army, you learn that details matter. Daniel has an eye for detail like your life (or the life of your project) depends on it. That’s why we trust him with so many of our most important projects.

Heath Flohre

Senior Manager, Digital Design & Process

Heath is a rare combination of creative talent and organization who prides himself on staying ahead of the curve with creative technology. He supports our digital efforts and brings a critical eye to optimizing best-practices.

Stephanie Lewis

Senior Account Manager

Have a project that demands an intense focus and absolutely zero chance for failure? Our clients often do, and that’s why so many of them get assigned to Stephanie. She is reliability and dependability personified, and always gets it done.

Logan Graham

Senior Account Manager

Logan is a versatile marketer with a background in start-ups, media and non-profits. But it’s her experience integrating traditional and digital to create effective and engaging marketing campaigns that makes all the difference.

Puck Byrne

Studio Artist

Meet the only designer in Richmond whose talent and personality are big enough to have a music festival named after him in Austin, Texas. Puck’s how-can-I-help-you? attitude and creative spirit make him a hit wherever he goes.

Ryan Muldoon

Senior Copywriter

With a career that has spanned music journalism and nonprofit communications—in addition to traditional agency work—Ryan brings significant writing experience to our clients. And his insight is matched by a level-headedness that makes Ryan the calm of the creative storm.

Pam Tucker

Accounting Assistant

Your company's accounting department will appreciate Pam. And that means you will, too. With over a decade of agency finance experience at The Martin Agency, Pam keeps our billing and other financial matters buttoned up—and reminds us to get our time sheets in on time, too.

Matt Brown

Senior Graphic Designer

With specialties in illustration, package design and motion design, Matt brings over 20 years of experience to our clients—and does it with a smile and energy that makes him a favorite of everyone with whom he works.

Bryce Praught

Graphic Designer

This former Eagle Scout lives up to the “be prepared” motto with a sharp set of design skills and a great work ethic that drives him to keep pushing creative to be the best it possibly can be.

Beth Borum

Associate Creative Director

With an artist’s eye, next-level design skills and a calm, clear focus, Beth elevates creative across the agency without breaking a sweat. After spending more than a decade working in design and advertising in Chicago, she returned back east to find a home at Elevation as an associate creative director. Here, she raises the bar for our team through thoughtful, high-impact creative that’s strategic—and stunning.

Kim Peters

Graphic Designer

Kim’s like a can of soda—small, bubbly and packed with energy. She handles projects of any size with ease, while her strategic thinking means she never loses sight of the big picture. As a recent VCU grad, Kim sees every job as an opportunity to improve her skills.

Brian Burton

Senior Copywriter

Armed with a versatile skillset and a desire to innovate, Brian thinks beyond the conventional by crafting unique solutions that range from product design to stunts and activations. With a career path that spans from Richmond to the Middle East and back, his work combines international experience with local insights.

Lauren Edwards

Account Manager

Lauren’s energy and meticulousness as a project manager at Elevation made her a favorite of both her clients and her creative teams—which is a delicate balancing act, indeed! Now as an account manager, Lauren is bringing the same level of attention and clarity to her work, while letting her leadership and strategy skills shine even more brightly.

Jason Sullivan

Art Director

Whenever he tackles a project, Jason has a simple formula: Sit down & work hard. Because he knows his designs can do more than just look great—they can solve client problems, too. It’s an approach he perfected working at some of Virginia’s top publications, as well as agency and in-house roles. But don’t assume he’s always at a desk. After hours, this dad of two enjoys hiking, cycling & anything outdoors.

Chris Fullman

Senior Manager, Development

Chris thinks big picture. Like, really big. Because he’s responsible for ensuring entire online ecosystems foster meaningful experiences for our clients, their customers and the greater community. How does he manage it all? By constantly learning new things to help him achieve his ultimate goal: Making the world a better place.

Kristin Youngblood

Senior Project Manager

Extremely friendly. Super organized. Creatively savvy. Just three out of a billion reasons why Kristin is a Project Manager extraordinaire. She's also a self-described “movie & beer nerd”. No wonder she’s equally loved by creatives, clients and just about anyone who walks through our front door.

Karin Krafcisin

Senior Copywriter

If it feels like Karin’s words dance off the page, it’s no accident. Because in addition to being a talented copywriter, she’s also a classical ballet teacher. And whether she’s choreographing a routine or crafting copy, she loves to flex her creative muscles and make sure the work gets elevated. Or as she tells students, “Relevé.”

Hunter Mott

Account Planner

Hunter likes solving problems. And he says the best way to do that, is to just keep asking “why?” So, you’ll usually find this Brandcenter grad digging for insights that help us craft more authentic solutions. How does he relax after all that searching? He likes to play golf and guitar. (Just not at the same time).

Whitney Graham

Project Manager

For Whitney, it’s all about the details. Whether she’s managing a project, or crafting quilts and jewelry at home, she makes sure everything is in the right place. Was she born to work at Elevation? Maybe. Because her sister Logan works here too—and they’re both superstars. Nice work, Mom and Dad!

Anna Schaefer

Social Media Manager

Combine a Criminology & Psychology undergrad with a master’s degree in Marketing and you get Anna—a social media guru whose knowledge of human behavior helps her truly understand the consumer and create amazing campaigns. Oh, and she also plays polo. (The horse kind!)

Rob Reid

Senior Manager, Media & Performance

Rob loves to watch the English Premier League. Which is fitting. Because just like a pro soccer player, Rob’s job is all about making the right connections. By helping our clients pair the right messages with the right audience on the right channels, Rob makes sure our campaigns meet all their goals and score big with customers.

Jenifer Reinhart

Client Services Manager

Jenifer is Stacie Elliott’s right-hand person, assisting her with everything from time reports and invoicing to training new employees and assuring that our clients are happy. She loves cooking homemade Italian meals and has a passion for fashion. So when she’s hounding you to turn in those time sheets, you know she’s doing it with style!

Matthew Charboneau

Account Manager

Personable, curious and resourceful, Matt will leave no stone unturned when asked to look into something, which is what makes him such a stellar account manager. When he’s not actively auditioning to be the next Batman, he likes to spread his wings with poetry, music, and working as a sound designer. Holy smokes, he’s talented!

Colin Beirne

Senior Account Manager

An avid swimmer and runner, Colin is always up for an advertising adventure—whether he’s identifying opportunities, staying focused on providing solutions, or using his wicked communication skills to build healthy relationships with clients. He’s also an expert bonfire maker so if you plan to stop over, be sure to bring marshmallows.

Charlie Kiefer

Digital Media Manager

Charlie has always been interested in issue advocacy and what persuades and motivates people to support a cause or brand. His critical thinking and ability to stay on top of digital trends is what makes him a four-leaf clover find for Elevation. A big golf fan, his favorite memory is being on the 18^th green to watch Rory McIlroy win the U.S. Open.

Grisha Kramer

Marketing Analyst

A recovering ski instructor, Grisha spent his childhood in Europe as a U.S. State Department kid. His exposure to other cultures and customs broadened his perspective, which is why he’s a whiz at connecting with others. When he’s not using his high energy to research and report on digital marketing campaigns, he dabbles in music and biking. Good luck keeping up with him!

Lesley Bruno

Director of Talent & Culture

Lesley’s goal is simple but important—sustaining Elevation’s talent-driven culture by making sure every team member gets the support they need to be successful. Her ability to foster and maintain relationships is what makes her such an extraordinary talent director. Outside of work, Lesley loves caring for her 8-year-old daughter and listening to podcasts while cooking poorly.

Hugh Callahan

Creative Director

Hugh considers himself a musical triple threat because he’s equally bad at guitar, bass and drums. There’s no question, however, he’s a superstar creative director known for growing brands and businesses, leading and inspiring teams to deliver highly effective communication, and creating work that’s bold, fresh and fun. That’s music to Elevation’s ears!

Donna Thompson

Project Manager

A self-described military brat, Donna has moved 37 times. It’s no surprise she has the resilience and people skills to be a successful project manager. From understanding clients’ project goals and requirements to working with creatives, Donna loves putting the puzzle pieces together. She’s also a classically trained opera singer, which makes her the perfect karaoke partner!