BOARDMAN, Ohio – Farris Marketing, founded in 1986, outlasted, bought out or outgrew most of its competitors over the years, according to agency co-founder George Farris.
The agency’s workforce has fluctuated from seven to as many as 20 depending on client needs.
The agency’s headquarters has always been in the Youngstown area, although at times up to 50% of agency revenue was generated by accounts in the Cleveland, Tampa and Dallas areas.
“We’ve always welcomed change and embraced technology,” says Farris. “It started with some of the first Apple computers, software and accessories – including the first Apple color laser printer. Today, that printer could be in a museum.”
In late 2021, Farris Marketing set up a dedicated team of employees to explore digital and social media trends, says Makenna Ozenghar, vice president of client services.
Farris decided to create a temporary division that focused on social media marketing and named the division BOP Social. This allowed the agency to experiment with different programs and packages to offer clients.
StrategiX Social morphed out of the BOP experiment and began beta testing in early 2024.
“It has become successful enough that we decided we should spin it off as a standalone business, not just a division,” says Farris. “That’s our goal for 2025.”
StrategiX has gone through a first private round of funding, and Farris says he’s pleased with the results. “We’ve begun adding talented individuals especially in the StrategiX division but also in account service for Farris Marketing.”