Member News

2015 marks Kauffman Creative Services, Inc.’s 30th anniversary, the oldest PR and Marketing firm in Lebanon County. But before Kauffman Creative Services, Inc. was created by president and owner, Barbara Kauffman, Kauffman worked at Channel 27 as the “continuity girl.” Kauffman took care of all of the ads coming into the station, receiving them and ensuring that they made it on air.
   Kauffman was able to make a number of connections with the ad salesmen through her position at Channel 27. One salesman introduced Kauffman to Hood, Light & Geise, Inc., a marketing firm located in Harrisburg. Kauffman worked for Hood, Light & Geise from 1980 – 1985, dabbling in all areas and fields from copywriting, to traffic, to continuity, to sales.
   What made Kauffman want to leave Hood, Light & Geise? Kauffman realized that she was handling all larger, major clients, and was forced to turn away the smaller businesses and clients who couldn’t afford a large marketing firm. It was then she decided that she would leave and create her own company to help small to mid-sized businesses. She saw this as a niche market that needed to be filled.
   “One of the first calls I made when I started my own business was to join the Chamber. Anne Peiffer, now VP at Cornwall Manor, answered my call,” Kauffman said, “My goal was simple: to network. When I first joined, and even today, I get most of my business by good, old fashioned word-of-mouth.”
   Kauffman Creative Services, Inc. offers a variety of amenities for clients, including both social and traditional media. These services include copywriting, graphic design, and public relations. Kauffman does everything and anything from YouTube and television videos to recording on-hold phone messages for companies. She oversees in-house communications, corporate events, newsletters, direct mail, website design and maintenance, crisis management, and more. One of Kauffman’s very first clients was Bob Ladd of Ladd-Hanford car dealership. In addition to Ladd-Hanford, her clients include WGAL, Cornwall Manor, and Arthur Funk & Sons Inc. Construction Services.
   “We build relationships and longevity with our clients,” Kauffman stated.
   Since Kauffman Creative Services, Inc. opened 30 years ago, Kauffman has encountered a number of challenges. One of her greatest challenges has been keeping abreast of the ever-changing and evolving world of website maintenance and social media. What’s another of her challenges?
   “There’s a literacy gap between the individuals coming out of college and those professionals who are in the workplace,” Kauffman explained. “You can get a graphic artist out of school who can design something beautiful, but it can’t be printed and made into the real thing.”
   Kauffman and her husband, William, are the only employees at Kauffman Creative Services, Inc., working out of Suite B, the basement of her home in Palmyra where she has a recording studio and four work stations. She has a network of local graphic designers and other independent contractors for aspects of some projects which she may not be able to complete herself.      
   Kauffman likewise takes on interns to help give them “real world” work experience. She has hosted interns from Lebanon Valley College, Shippensburg University, and HACC Central Pennsylvania’s Community College.
   Kauffman has likewise noticed a recent trend for companies to transfer their production of marketing and communication materials in-house, which she believes can be a negative aspect. Kauffman explained that it all boils down to how the company’s image is portrayed and the need to make sure everything is of first-class, top quality.
   “When someone hires me, they’re getting decades of experience and someone who is target-driven,” she said. “I always ask them, ‘Do you want Emeril, or do you want McDonalds?’”
   One of Kauffman’s favorite projects was when she helped Three Mile Island to get reaccredited for their training program in 2005 by setting up their in-house corporate communications plan. Her task was to find the best way to reach the plant’s over 700 employees. For this position, Kauffman had to get her FBI clearance. She was also able to stand in the control room of Unit 2 at TMI on the 25th anniversary of the reactor accident.
   Kauffman has been able to do a number of exciting and unique things thanks to her clients and networking connections. She was able to pick a Milky Way right off of the conveyor belt at the Mars factory. Another one of her favorite memories is riding the Leffler hot air balloon to shoot a commercial.
   Marketing isn’t Kauffman’s only passion. A self-proclaimed Civil War buff, Kauffman is currently writing a historical novel on the assassination of Lincoln that has culminated after two years of research. She is working on this project with her writing partner, Anthony Rose. Also on the horizon are two children’s books that she hopes to be published. Kauffman enjoys visiting classes of all age groups to present seminars on marketing, the Civil War, and other topics.
   In addition to marketing and her love of history, Kauffman’s time is devoted to her family, which consists of her husband, William, her three daughters, Anna (18), Katy (22), and Chessie (26), and the family’s Bichon Frise, Logan.
   Kauffman Creative Services, Inc. and Barb Kauffman have been the recipients of a number of awards. In 2010, Kauffman Creative Services, Inc. was awarded the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Leon Hoover Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. Kauffman was also named one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business by the Department of Commerce and Economic Development, and was recognized by the six statewide business journals in Pennsylvania for her contributions to women in the workplace and to the community.
   Kauffman Creative Services, Inc. is always accepting new clients. Anyone interested in learning more about the services or discussing a project can contact Barb Kauffman by phone at 717-838-3668, or by email at barb@kauffmancreative.com. Information is also available on her website at www.kauffmancreative.com, Facebook (Kauffman Creative Services) and Twitter (Barbwiththebuzz).