The Northwest Arkansas-based, multi-media consulting and technology agency is among Inc. 500's fastest growing U.S. companies. Fortune 500 companies like Walmart, Kimberly-Clark, Nickelodeon, Sara Lee, Sam's Club, Tyson and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group are among its clients. Rockfish employs 115 companywide, with offices in Little Rock, Dallas and San Francisco.
Late this summer, the company tapped two local P&G execs, Dave Knox and Bryan Radtke, to help lead the Cincinnati branch. Three other executives, including Rockfish Chief operating officer Michael Stich have moved to Cincinnati.
Knox, former P&G brand manager for global branded entertainment and a well-known
blogger,is Rockfish's VP-Chief Marketing Officer. Radtke, formerly P&G brand manager for retail innovation and scale, is VP Strategy & Client Services. This fall the company executives began looking for permanent office space, and are temporarily working ago out of the
Brandery office in
Longworth Hall. (Knox is the co-founder of the Brandery, the Region's first consumer marketing startup accelerator.)
Knox said the entrepreneurial spirit and resources in Cincinnati, as well as the potential for expanding its work with top brands, sold Rockfish on the city. Cincinnati is home to Kroger, P&G, Macy's and other top brands.
"When they looked at the area they really wanted to expand into branding, research, analytics and design. Cincinnati really interested them," he said.
The growing company plans to create more jobs in Cincinnati, currently hiring for 10 positions including creative director, brand manager, recruiter and director of client services.
The company is just one of the latest catering to the consumer marketing sector. Over the summer, the State of Ohio announced Cincinnati would be Ohio's Hub of Innovation and Opportunity in Consumer Marketing. Along with that designation came a $250,000 state grant to help startups and create new business and jobs in the consumer marketing industry.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Dave Knox, Rockfish VP-Chief Marketing Officer