You can walk into any supermarket and see the what the creative types at
LPK Inc. do. LPK designs and builds brands, and has worked with leading consumer product companies such as Procter & Gamble, Hershey, Kellogg and AT&T. Many of their products owe their identities and power in the marketplace to the work done at LPK's Cincinnati headquarters. The designers, writers, artists and strategists at LPK help create the entire brand experience, from the packaging design to the words on the package to the colors and even to the product itself. Their aim is to create an emotional connection between shoppers and the brand, and in doing so to create loyal, repeat customers. LPK is on the front edge of what CEO Jerry Kathman calls "the brand design revolution." LPK takes a holistic approach to the brands and products they work on, creating and designing nearly all aspects of how the consumer experiences the product.
The company's growth has been rapid. Kathman was part of a group of five who bought the firm in 1983. At the time, annual billings were $1.4 million. Growth of 18 to 20 percent a year has brought its 2007 billings to about $60 million and its total employment to about 400. Its downtown Cincinnati headquarters, at about 350 people, is the single largest location in the world where brand design takes place, Kathman says. Just in the last four years, LPK's size has doubled as more and more companies realize the power of branding. LPK has expanded its reach overseas to Geneva, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, China and London to help its clients explore markets in those countries. LPK is an employee-owned company, with all full-timers owning shares.
LPK also shares its success with its community. Through the LPK Foundation, it has provided gifts of time, talent and funding to the arts, environmental causes and non-profit organizations that help those in need. Its staff has also developed the brand design franchises for area institutions, such as the Cincinnati Opera, public media provider CET, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Public Schools and United Way of Greater Cincinnati.
Writer: David Holthaus