Following the recent acquisition of C-Suite Communications by Jacksonville marketing firm On Ideas, management at the Sarasota company says a wider range of services including animation will now be available to clients. “What it allows us to do is tap into digital creation, in-house video and brand strategy skills that enhance our overall offerings,” says Patricia Courtois, president and CEO of C-Suite.

Courtois will continue to lead the Sarasota office but also now serves as executive vice president and chief client officer for On Ideas. Leadership at the Jacksonville office say the new position plays to Courtois’ strengths and will be useful in dealing with clients already working with On Ideas. “One of the things that has become very clear getting to know Patricia is that she has the inherent and implicit trust of all of her clients,” says West Herford, president and CEO of On Ideas. “She has an ability to not only understand the intricacies of a client’s industry but also the very specific and nuanced needs within an organization.” 

There are currently 11 employees operating out of the Sarasota office, which will continue to operate with the C-Suite brand for the time being. The company in total now employs 35 people in both locales. The Sarasota team will continue to work on specialities such as social media management, while content creation like animation can be handled by the digital creative team in Jacksonville. Herford notes that On Ideas has invested in a 6,000-square-foot video and animation production facility there to deal with increased demand for content, but that the synergy with social media distribution will amplify the value of offerings in both offices. 

Tom Bolling, founder and chief operating officer of On Ideas, has known Courtois for years and says the combination of the companies made sense. “Any business that is dependent upon advertising will look at the senior personnel of the agency they are considering working with,” he says. The combined staffs boosts the reputation of On Ideas substantially. Bolling has worked with companies such as Citibank, IBM and Fisher-Price; he helped with the transition from Marine Midland Bank to HSBC and helped introduce that brant to the United States. Courtois, meanwhile, has experience with brands including Pure Premium Orange Juice, Sunkist and Sweet ’N Low. Herford’s experience includes work for Jack Daniel’s, Budweiser and Carnival Cruise Lines.

C-Suite has also worked with major local entities such as the Sarasota Orchestra and The Mall at University Town Center, along with Benderson Development. As it happens, Bolling worked with Benderson leadership in Buffalo, NY years before the firm moved to Sarasota, so the advertising and marketing executives begin with a certain level of overlap in experience with clients now in the On Ideas portfolio.