White Street Brewing Company opened its doors in Fall 2012 and immediately enhanced the local craft beer scene. Founded by Dino and Tina Radosta, the brewery is new territory for both, whose most recent careers were (and still are) in software. But Dino was eager for a new challenge and sensed a void in the Wake Forest community.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of the vibrancy of historic downtown Wake Forest and the recent craft beer renaissance,” he said. “The unique setting of the beer factory combined with the taproom is a first for the area.” White Street beers are served not only in the taproom/brewery on White Street, but in a rapidly growing list of restaurants and bars all over the region.

The Radostas have completely renovated the building, which they now own, that opened in the 1930s as a local Chevrolet showroom. The brewing equipment and other equipment are in full view in the taproom, making daily brewing a spectator event. Head Brewer Chris Bivins recently moved to Wake Forest from Atlanta oversees all beer production. Flagship beers include a Scottish Ale, a traditional IPA, a Black IPA and a Kolsch. Others will be added seasonally, and some will be available in limited quantities and only in the taproom. There are no immediate plans to bottle.

“From our very first meeting, I felt that Strategic Insights really ‘got’ White Street Beer stands for,” said marketing director Tina Radosta. “Their strategy was spot-on, and they managed to bring our brand to life in a memorable and distinctive way that will help us with both short-term sales and long-term market penetration. We’re fortunate to have such passion and creativity right around the corner.”

At this point, we should make it clear that that one year ago, Strategic Insights relocated its headquarters from Raleigh to Wake Forest.

“We’ve attended a few Business After Hours events so far,” said co-owner and creative director Bill Cokas, “and have dutifully exchanged business cards and elevator speeches. It’s led to a couple proposals and at least a half dozen new relationships in the community.”

Co-owner and associate creative director Chris Griffin agreed that the there is evidence the membership is already paying off. “We found an insurance agent for ourselves through the chamber, as well as a PR resource that will enable us to co-pitch pieces of business that are looking for things we don’t handle in-house.”

On May 6, Strategic Insights volunteered at the annual Meet In the Street event on behalf of the Chamber, providing vendor assistance up and down Brooks Street. “It was encouraging to see so much participation, both from an attendee and a vendor standpoint. One of our clients and a major event sponsor, White Street Brewing Company, had a destination presence set up on White Street with its beer garden facing the music stage.”

Strategic Insights looks forward to future events put on or participated in by the chamber, as well as the numerous opportunities for networking, referrals and exposure.

While Dr. Mathur is represented on the main Cary Orthopaedics website, he was looking to bring some more visibility to his own specialties and attract more patients directly, independent of that site. Strategic Insights agreed more exposure is never a bad thing, and sat down with Dr. Mathur and his assistant Pat Mills and devised a comprehensive sitemap that would showcase his unique talents and the results he’s produced for patients.

Having recently designed and built the website for a related practice, Carolina Back Institute, the agency got “back” into that mindset and devised a soothing palette that also suited the medical nature of the business, creating an overall welcoming impression. The Strategic Insights team consisted of Chris Griffin, associate creative director and web developer, and Bill Cokas, creative director and copywriter. Both worked closely with Dr. Mathur and Pat throughout the process.

The new website makes aims to make the process of seeking back pain relief easier and less intimidating by incorporating pictures of Dr. Mathur, lifestyle images to depict one’s life after surgery and multiple resources that either answer questions or provide the ability to ask them. Under “educational info,” for example, prospective patients can watch a series of instructional animations that walk them through a particular medical procedure offered by Dr. Mathur.

Of the experience, Pat Mills had this to say: “We found Strategic Insights great to work with. They were patient, helpful, creative and quick to get back with us when we had lots of questions. We were looking for a fresh, user-friendly, informative site, and they helped us to achieve that goal. I feel like it takes Dr. Mathur to a new level of professionalism with our marketing.”

According to Firewürst co-founder Bill Morgenstern, America is saturated with burger, pizza and Mexican joints–it’s time for a little variety and time, in his words, for people to “break the burger addiction.” And who better to usher sausages and hot dogs into the aught-teens than Morgenstern and his son co-founder Chas, who both trace their roots back to a Romanian forebear–and sausage-maker extraordinaire.

In finding the right tone for the venture, Strategic Insights suggested a series of satirical cartoons that would expose “great sausage conspiracies” throughout history. “We want to give sausage its due,” said Creative Director Bill Cokas, who created the cartoons along with Associate Creative Director Chris Griffin. “It’s time this venerated meat got some respect, so we shone a spotlight on some forgotten moments throughout history where sausages and hot dogs were present–but not necessarily accounted for.” The overall goal was to engage customers and provide them a fun and rewarding visit.

“I mean, come on–how can you be too serious when it comes to sausages?”

Moments depicted include the inspiration behind the first telephone transmission, the end of the Cold War and Napoleon’s secret reason for keeping one hand concealed at all times.

The characters depicted in the posters also make a second appearance over everyone’s heads in what the team ended up referring to as “sausage clouds,” an inspired idea from the Morgensterns to add a little bonus levity to the experience.

Strategic Insights also designed and built Firewürst’s website, menu boards and a series of informational posters throughout the restaurant, known as Firewürst Fresh Facts.

“Not only was the work a blast, but it appears to have paid off,” Cokas remarked. “Customers are surprised when they find out the sole Cary location of Firewürst is not, in fact, a national chain. We consider that a mission accomplished. And Bill and Chas have made sure the food is incredible, so the whole customer experience is a win-win.” Firewürst has since announced a Brier Creek location, with others in the würks [sic].

Between Cokas and Griffin, the pair has created memorable work for McDonald’s, Golden Corral and Raleigh-based Rocky Top Hospitality.

“We love working for restaurants,” Griffin observed, “as long as it’s not in the kitchen.”

View the entire poster gallery here.

“The video went over amazingly,” said Karla Lawson, E-Business Director at BSI. “The entertainment portion had to be played twice, because people were laughing so hard that they missed some parts. There was even a round of applause at the end.”

BSI approached Strategic Insights with an initial collection of TV theme song ideas, commercial parodies (such as Snickers, eTrade and Dos Equis) and the theme of “Catch the Wave,” as the sales conference was being held on the coast of Florida. To give the whole video more structure and unity, the S.I. team suggested wrapping the concept up in the notion of a TV “network” of sorts called “BSI-TV.” As the video played, an unseen hand would be “changing the channels,” thus providing a reason to jump from one concept to another without need for transitions.

Working with longtime collaborator, Whistle Corps composer Mike Sottong in Charlottesville, VA, Creative Director Bill Cokas called on his long-dormant karaoke talents to perform the theme songs to both “The Love Boat” and “Gilligan’s Island,” which became, respectively, “The Love Mark” and “BSI Isle.” Strategic Insights Associate Creative Director Chris Griffin designed highly effective and detailed title sequences and special effects for the video.

“These projects are incredibly fun and fulfilling,” said Cokas, “and the only frustrating thing is that—as an internal corporate piece–so relatively few people get to see the finished product. Still, I’m tremendously grateful to Karla and BSI editor Nicholas Messiah for their generosity and senses of humor throughout the project.” While reluctant to post the video publicly, Cokas can arrange private screenings for interested parties.

Lawson added, “Strategic Insights is able to translate both abstract concepts and detailed requirements into a polished creative product that wows us every time. The final product was professional, tasteful, and hilarious communicating key points to our team, putting them at ease, and raising expectations for the next year. The Strategic Insights team is a joy to work with and we look forward to working with them for years to come.”

The new website, built around the new positioning of “Compassion, Care and Comfort,” has an improved navigational structure and a clean, welcoming look. Dr. Campbell also requested that the site feature social media prominently on the home page, as Campbell’s Facebook page is quite active, as is Dr. Campbell’s blog. Twitter and YouTube links are present on the page, also. Associate Creative Director Chris Griffin, who designed and developed the site, wanted it to engage visitors with a mix of inviting photography, a soft color palette and a mix of engaging, rotating messages that invite one to click and explore the site further. “We recommended a few different compelling calls to action that tout benefits for each of Dr. Campbell’s audiences: cosmetic/restorative, pediatric and general family,” he stated. “And we were able to use photography that dramatized those benefits, some of which Dr. Campbell supplied herself.”

The site also makes certain processes more convenient for patients and prospective patients; all the necessary forms are available for download from the site, so patients can arrive with them fully completed and cut down on their waiting time.

Dr. Campbell stated, “I’m so pleased with the new website. Strategic insights really streamlined it to make our important information more easily accessible to our patients. Our traffic on the new website is up from last year and people seem to be staying on the site longer. One of our patients mentioned that she really liked how there was a lot of good information about the office and about dental health in general. Strategic Insights have been great to work with. They really seemed to understand my vision for my practice and my brand and helped us bring it to life through our great new website.”

The new website makes ample use of the new Phoenix Commercial Properties logo, which features a regal reverse silhouette of the mythical bird, enclosed in tri-colored hexagon (red, black and gray). La Rocca chose the name Phoenix for both its strength and allusion to rebirth, renewal and new life. “I feel it has a double meaning, as it applies both to my own business and the businesses we assist in achieving their short and long term commercial real estate objectives,” he commented. La Rocca had worked for Grubb & Ellis|Thomas Linderman Graham before leaving in 2011 to establish Phoenix Commercial Properties, Inc. The Strategic Insights team consisted of Bill Cokas, creative director, and Jenn Soloway, art director and web developer. The selected logo was designed by Melissa Lyon, art director, following an agency-wide exploration.

“The website features a strong, bold look, reminiscent of the logo, with large swaths of red, black and white,” remarked Cokas. “It was designed to be inviting, easy to navigate, search-engine-friendly, and—importantly for our client—easy to update. The site is built on a full content management platform that allows authorized administrators to change pictures, text, add pages and update featured listings. We provided Phoenix with a full style guide and best practices handbook to help make the maintenance process easier.”

“Strategic Insights took the time to understand my long term objectives, the company symbolism I wanted to portray and most importantly; identifying the key components of my business model and bridging them into a unique package that helped me define my business in a more meaningful way.”

The new site makes ample use of Inspector Q, a spokescharacter Strategic Insights created for RapidXchange several years ago. Inspector Q personifies the unique 12-step safety inspection process that each propane cylinder goes through before it its returned to the marketplace. After the introduction of Inspector Q on its original website and other marketing materials, RapidXchange saw significant growth. “Inspector Q has really helped set RapidXchange apart. Partly thanks to his memorable presence–and promise of safety and quality–we have been able to greatly expand our territory,” added Daren Parker, owner of both Parker Gas and RapidXchange.

“It has been a pleasure working with the Strategic Insights team,” said HangTime owner Talitha Batts, who selected the agency. “The level of skill, expertise and incredible patience of every staff member is impeccable. I look forward to working with the team on several of my upcoming projects.”

With its original location in Wallace, HangTime aims to attract kids and parents who are looking for recreational options other than passive video games or hanging out at the mall. Talitha stresses that fitness is a big part of HangTime’s mission—thus the name “Fit n’ Fun Zone.” In addition to inflatables and fitness-based video games, HangTime will feature batting cages and a rock-climbing wall. The location—which Talitha hopes to franchise—will be open for scheduled parties and camps, plus open play sessions where kids are free to simply “drop in.”

“Our assignments don’t get much more enjoyable than creating a name, logo and website for a business built around having fun,” said Bill Cokas, creative director for Strategic Insights. “Talitha has been delightful to work with—her enthusiasm is contagious and her dedication to HangTime’s mission has inspired us to ‘think younger’ and create a vibrant, colorful brand for HangTime that will draw in kids like a magnet.”

“We have worked very hard to perfect our services. Strategic Insights has the ability to make our message heard in a clear and concise manner, which will afford us the opportunity to grow and become a competitive resource in our field,” said co-owner Ryan Sobus, who selected the agency. “We are so excited that Strategic Insights will enhance the professional credibility we have strived to establish.”

Based in Raleigh and staffed by registered and licensed dietitians, Healthy Diets aims to inspire and educate individuals who have a medical need or a personal desire to improve their health and well-being. Ryan Sobus believes that everyone deserves to be healthy and has the ability to achieve it, with proper awareness and motivation. Healthy Diets works with individuals and corporations, offering a tailored counseling approach that seeks to change the way people think and relate to the food they eat. Services include metabolic testing, allergy testing, individual and group nutrition counseling, and grocery store tours to encourage healthier shopping habits.

“We’re very excited about being able to work with Healthy Diets at this stage in their growth and help them establish a long-term competitive identity and edge. Fortunately, they excel at what they do and they’re very passionate about it, so 2/3 of the equation is already in place,” said Bill Cokas, creative director for Strategic Insights.