Actionable Insights Christens New Office, Capabilities

SHARON, Pa. – When Actionable Insights CEO Jason Wood was thinking about the design of the marketing firm’s new office in downtown Sharon, there was one facet he put above all else: collaboration.

“At the end of the day, we’re a technology firm. Everyone who works here has some technology skills,” he said Thursday at the grand opening of the office, 44 N. Sharpsville Ave. “That requires hiring millennials, who play a very big role in our company. Work atmosphere is among the top things they care about when it comes to the happiness at their job.”

Almost every office and meeting room features floor-to-ceiling glass walls and, in the center of the space, is a sitting area with couches, high-top tables and a kitchenette.

“This is where the best work in this office gets done,” he said.

With the new office, Actionable Insights has moved its office to Sharon from Austintown, Ohio.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with that office, but it wasn’t set up for marketing. It was compartmentalized and it wasn’t conducive to collaboration,” Wood said.

The move and renovation, noted Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce board member Tracy Schliep, is a sign of progress and investment in downtown Sharon.

“It’s no secret that there’s blight in the Shenango Valley. We see these older buildings being bought and revamped to accommodate businesses like this,” she said. “It’s a win-win for all of us.”

Work is also underway on a second branch in Florida that will be a replica of the renovated space in the Applegate Building.

“We’re going to do this exact office down there. We have all the specs and schematics from this building to build down there,” he said.

Actionable Insights has long focused on providing data-driven marketing campaigns, Wood said, a trend that will only continue. He pointed to a car dealership that he counts among his clients.

“We know that the largest buyer of the Mercedes 3-series is millennials who are taking their first steps into something nicer,” he explained. “If you try to sell that car to a member of the Tippecanoe Country Club who wants a $150,000 car, then you’ve missed. By segmenting data, we have a greater understanding of who we’re talking to. Then it becomes a function of what communication channel to use, which data can tell us too.”

Among those channels are email delivery, search engines and, most recently for Actionable Insights, video. In April, the firm announced the acquisition of Hermitage-based Radcliffe & Co., which specialized in video.

“From Day One, Actionable Insights has been cutting edge with data and how we use it,” Wood said. “But what we missed was a traditional digital approach with things like video. It was something we hadn’t thought about.”

Added Marci Radcliffe, co-founder of Radcliffe & Co. and today the director of business development for Actionable Insights, “My husband [Brandon] purchased a 360-degree camera and we really developed in that medium. We had talented copywriters, so we brought those sort of talents here along with web design skills.”

The combination of skills and analytics, Schliep said, could pay dividends for the area.

“It says to the world that we’re on the forefront of marketing. Not only will they be bringing clients from across the United States and possibly the world, but they’ll be able to help our local businesses as well,” she said. “We’ve seen it already.”

Pictured: Actionable Insights CEO Jason Wood celebrated the ribbon cutting of the company’s new Sharon headquarters Thursday.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.