SEPTEMBER 2023 - MORGANTON, NC - Full-service marketing, graphic design and website development firm, VanNoppen Marketing, recently announced the retirement of Allen VanNoppen who founded the Morganton-based business in 2001.
He will remain Chairman of VanNoppen Marketing’s Board of Directors.
Promoted to the newly-created positions of co-CEO are Nancy VanNoppen, Creative Director, and Jean VanNoppen Patton, Operations Director. VanNoppen and Patton have been with VNM since 2015 and 2016 respectively and hold equity partnership positions within the agency.
VanNoppen began reducing his daily engagement with VNM in early 2022 when he started an all-local, locally-owned newspaper to serve Burke County. Titled, The Paper, the digital and print weekly newspaper debuted on February 4, 2023 and has consistently gained market share and an ever-growing subscriber base since. VanNoppen serves as publisher.
“VanNoppen Marketing is in fantastic hands,” said Allen VanNoppen. “Under Nancy and Jean’s active leadership, VNM has realized progressive year-over-year growth across all benchmarks: Portfolio, client care, sales, capabilities, service offering, personnel and talent staffing, and company culture.”
“Speaking both as a parent and an employer, I could not be more proud of the responsible stewardship and management they have consistently demonstrated,” he said.
“Allen has been an incredible leader and mentor at VNM,” said Nancy VanNoppen. “Our unique approach to client relationships, the importance of concierge-level service, and our commitment to quality are cornerstones of our business he established early on that have contributed to VNM’s success and growth. While his presence in the office will be missed, Allen is bringing a much-needed resource to our community with The Paper and we’re excited to watch it flourish.”
A seasoned entrepreneur, Allen VanNoppen founded VanNoppen Marketing after a career in journalism and 15 years as an executive in the furniture industry. He successfully navigated the 2008 recession, rapid technological innovation, and a pandemic to grow VNM from a one-man business to the multi-faceted agency it is today.
When reflecting on the history of and growth ahead for VNM, Jean Patton said “With the fundamentals Allen instilled, VNM continues to push the envelope- bringing fresh creativity into all our relationships and services.” Patton continued addressing the transition saying, “right alongside client-care, Allen made a special responsibility to take care of his employees. We continue to strengthen that backbone as our team expands, making sure to support everyone who makes us stronger.”
VNM’s new co-CEOs have been implementing changes throughout the company over the past year, ahead of the transition that will propel VNM into its next chapter. Under VanNoppen and Patton’s leadership, VNM has added event planning, exhibition design and commercial interior design to its capabilities while scaling existing services such as streaming tv advertising, omnichannel brand strategy, custom website and CRM development. As a result, the company saw a 30% increase in business last year.
“We’re excited about what’s next for VanNoppen Marketing,” said Nancy VanNoppen. “As service lines expand and talented people join the core team, we get to do what we love everyday on a growing scale: innovate.“
ABOUT VANNOPPEN MARKETING
VanNoppen Marketing is a full-service, award-winning marketing, branding, graphic design, website development and digital marketing firm dedicated to elevating clients through smart, creative and strategic excellence and killer ideas. Our services include web design and development, graphic design, logos, brand development, print design, advertising, PR, digital marketing, PPC advertising, social media marketing, ecommerce, and more.
