Dallas ad firm taps two ex-Marsh execs for Indy office

Ivie & Associates Inc., a Dallas-based marketing firm founded in 1993, recently announced it is opening a Midwest office in downtown Indianapolis’ warehouse district.

The new office, at 601 N. Fulton St., is designed to sustain the firm’s double-digit growth, said the company’s CEO, Warren Ivie.

The firm chose two local marketing and public relations executives to lead the local office: Jodi Marsh and Kevin Bridgewater.

Bridgewater is a five-year veteran with Ivie, while Marsh, who formerly headed the communications department for Marsh Supermarket and later worked for Indianapolis-based public relations firm Sease Gerig & Associates, joined Ivie in 2010.

“Ivie thoroughly researched the Midwest market and drew upon expertise from two Indianapolis area marketing and communications professionals, r, who are ready day one, to provide full service Ivie solutions to clients,” Ivie said.

Before joining Ivie, Bridgewater served as vice president of marketing and advertising at Marsh Supermarkets and advertising manager at the Indianapolis Star.

Bridgewater is serving as vice president of client services and will manage a large portion of the firm’s work in the region, Ivie said. Marsh will serve as vice president of communications focusing on public relations, marketing and brand management.

Ivie, which has 300 employees and annual billings in excess of $250 million, is more than three times larger than Indianapolis’ largest agency based on those numbers. An agency’s revenue is typically one-third of its annual billings.

Ivie’s client list includes Sam’s Club, Sally Beauty Supply, Albertsons supermarkets, Dollar General, Dick’s Sporting Goods, B&Q Home Improvement, Watsons Beauty Products, Leslie’s Pool Supplies, Raley’s, QKL Stores Inc. and Niemann Foods among others.