About Us.
…after getting a B.S. in Marketing and having a career as an account executive, Jeff got tired of selling for others. No matter how well he did earning trips and cruises, his quota kept increasing to infinity and beyond. Valerie, his wife who earned a BFA in Graphic Design, had a small freelance business at the time.
One night, they realized that they had been thinking the same thing….he sells—not seashells—but her high-quality design services. They both felt quite a disturbance in the Work Force, as if millions of businesses with deplorable brands cried out, “Help me, ECI, you’re my only hope!” Thence began the saga of Exclamation Communications! Inc.
For 17 years, this has been our Destiny: rescuing people from the evils of rebel marketing ploys that sabotage their own U.S. Enterprise* and offering clients creative solutions at non-agency prices. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: let ECI seek out your new brands and marketing foundations—to boldly go where no plan has gone before.
Please look below to see the talented individuals we’ve rallied from across the nation. Live long and prosper, and may the Lord be with you! [ End Cantina Song ]
*Yes, we know we’re mixing up the Sci Fi. Just call it Star Wreck, Dr. Smith, Dr. Smith!
Community
Operation Creative Aid
ECI birthed Operation CreativeAid in December 2009 out of a desire to help those who have been hurt most by a painful economy—nonprofits. Click to learn more via our Facebook page.
Link Annapolis
This successful monthly event began as a result of Jeff’s brainstorm to get other business owners together and launch a new kind of networking group. Check out our website and please join us!
Our team.
The talented people who work hard and really care
to make your business look “maahh-velous”
As El Presidente, Jeff wears several hats, including Price Quote Man, Strategic Advisor (assessing client marketing needs), Miracle Worker (making a client budget work), and Task Master (making sure vendors deliver a quality product on time).
In personalysis testing, Jeff falls very high in the “red” zone. What that means for Valerie, his sage partner and wife, is that she doesn’t talk to him when his stomach is empty. What that means for you, is that he will roam the galaxy to find the best solution and the top vendors for your project.
In encouraging companies to present themselves with excellence, Jeff is often heard saying, “DO or do not…there is no try.”
Also known as “Chef Jeff,” Jeff’s gourmet cooking has bedazzled thousands of eager eaters who consider it a veritable sin to turn down his meals. Check out “What’s for Dinner?” for more.
To-the-point: Jeff consults with the client, provides the pricequotes, and project manages third-party vendors.
As CCO, Valerie is highly adept at converting brand malfunction into firepower for a client’s marketing victory. She works with the client and designer to ensure the requested goals and target are zeroed in on, resulting in the best solution possible.
She is privileged to be the Official Taste Tester for Chef Jeff’s amazing meals, but often has to say, “Use the Fork! Use the Fork!” as he tries to toss delectable morsels of food across the space into her mouth. Yet, even more special—they are privileged to be parents of two amazing young men.
Side note: Whatever Jeff scored in his personalysis testing, Valerie scored the exact opposite.
To-the-point: Once a project begins, Valerie provides creative direction to the design and message, is the client liaison, and coordinates the project and staff.
David is a man on a mission. Even without x-ray vision and aerodynamic cape, he will search the unknown at warp speed to find the most creative and effective interpretation of every client project he touches.
In his seventh year at ECI, David continues to produce client-raving as well as award-winning solutions, whether he works on an identity campaign, print project, or web job.
Having a blood type labeled “S” for Supremely talented, in his spare time he creates even more art—drawing, painting, screen-printing, and print-making, and even sells his artwork at local fairs and art shows.
David received a BFA in Visual Communications from Northern Illinois University and resides in the state of Illinois with his art teacher wife and precious little daughter.
If it weren’t for Michael’s genius in programming and web development, each website we do would just be another pretty face without substance or functionality. Holding a Masters in MIS, Michael can customize anything—from a shopping cart from Russia to a database-driven CMS from Down Under—and make them run seamlessly.
Admittedly geeky in more ways than one (while surprisingly congenial at the same time), Michael and his wife have three adorable boys who take after their Star Wars-lovin’ dad.
Charlene is the one who keeps us organized and does all of the behind-the-scenes magic to keep our business running. She also sends our clients those cute little invoices, and gives them reminders if they’re past due—either via phonecall, email, or by sending our friend, “BoneCrusher” to their door.
Talk about a thankless job. You gotta
love Charlene!
Charlene, her husband, and two sons live in
the Baltimore/Washington corridor, yet she still considers the Rocky Mountains her second “home.”
