PODS growth stokes ad agency expansion

By CHRISTINA K. COSDON

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 22, 2000

The Davis Agency, a 13-year-old Seminole advertising firm, is preparing to nearly double its staff and yearly revenues, mainly because of the growth of one of its clients.

Company president Phil Davis said its client PODS (Portable on Demand Storage) of St. Petersburg has begun to market its product nationwide, making it necessary for his company to expand.

"We've experienced a lot of growth lately, much of it due to PODS," Davis said. "That account could easily double in size now that the company is franchising nationwide. They're in the process of franchising in Orlando, Sarasota, Lakeland, Miami and Atlanta and are getting ready to open in Tennessee, Ohio and Minnesota."

Davis, 39, said he got the PODS account two years ago when the business was based in Clearwater and called itself Portables.

"When I took the account two years ago, they had 90 portables," he said. "We gave them a new name and logo and helped re-position them in the media. Now they have 2,700 locally and were recently featured in the Dec. 6, 1999, issue of Business Week."

Except for video production, the agency does everything in-house, from developing strategies to completing campaigns. "We have Web designers, an art director, an illustrator and account service reps," Davis said.

As part of the current expansion, Davis has promoted two staffers and brought aboard two new employees, for a total of 10. He's also getting ready to advertise for two more account service reps, an assistant Web designer and an assistant creative director.

Promoted are Sandy Dougherty of Largo, with the company for two years, to vice president of account services, and Tom Kenney of Tampa, a five-year staffer, to director of creative services.

Jaime Grasso has been hired as director of media operations. He is a former senior media executive with Ammirati Puris Lintas advertising agency in New York City. Angela Ruggiero has been hired as a copywriter. She most recently worked as a copywriter for FKQ Advertising in Pinellas County and before that was head copywriter for Cornerstone Advertising in Baltimore.

A native of Muskegon, Mich., Davis moved here in 1983 from Lima, Peru, where he worked a year as the director of a small YMCA camp after graduating from Michigan State. After coming here, he worked in sales for Tampa Bay Magazine and CMSA Advertising in Clearwater before starting the Davis Agency.

At the time he started his business, he was almost broke.

"I was living in a tiny garage apartment in Seminole and driving a 1967 Ford Fairlane with no floorboards," he said, laughing at the memory. "I thought I was going back overseas to work with a church group and had given everything away but, when it didn't work out, I had to start knocking on doors."

Representing himself as working for an ad agency, he bid on an advertising campaign for a local vision center. He got the job and the business was launched. The garage apartment served as his office for about a year.

Davis said the company's revenues for 1999 were $3.5-million and he expects them to exceed $6-million this year.

Sales are up at new Scotty's Bargain Outlet

After a little more than two months as a closeout and dollar store, sales and transactions are significantly up at the Scotty's Bargain Outlet in Seminole, according to company spokeswoman Lora Kellogg.

The new Scotty's is now five stores in one:

A closeout store with housewares, electronics, sporting goods, books, tools, toys, small kitchen appliances and seasonal items;

A dollar store selling dishes, shampoo, paper towels, household cleaners, party supplies, pet supplies, canned foods and kitchen gadgets;

A home fashions outlet with comforters, pillows, candles, curtains, window treatments, bath towels, mirrors and gifts;

The floor store outlet selling closeout carpet, vinyl and ceramic tile, rugs and carpet remnants;

A hardware outlet.

Scotty's at 6780 Seminole Blvd. was one of 10 stores around the state with 40,000 to 60,000 square feet that were converted in mid-January to the outlet concept. Since then, 17 more stores have opened and 18 more are to open this week, said Mrs. Kellogg.

"Everywhere we have opened the stores, we have seen significant positive response from customers," she said. "The success is obvious, since we are rolling this concept out to almost 60 stores by the end of this month."

Even the small Scotty's hardware stores are eventually to undergo some changes, she said, but the plans are not yet complete.

Real estate news

Max Bissey, a sales associate with Century 21 Grant Realty, 6450 Seminole Blvd., has completed the Realtors Institute series of advanced courses and has received the graduate Realtors Institute designation.

- Know of a new or unique business in the greater Seminole area? If so, tell us about it. Send items to Seminole Business, Seminole Times, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756 or fax it to 445-4119. Photos can be sent, but not all will be used and they cannot be returned.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.