Gerard Design thankful for Naperville connections

• Reprints

Carolyn Gerard, 37, of West Chicago is the leader of Warrenville-based Gerard Design. Gerard says she considers Naperville home base. | Submitted

Updated: July 20, 2011 11:11AM

A little over six months ago, Carolyn Gerard was selected to help promote the Cadillac brand of car to a number of CEOs, presidents of companies and business leaders. She was selected because she is the principal of a highly successful branding and design company in Warrenville known as Gerard Design.

At one time, it was ranked No. 45 by Inc. Magazine among the top companies in the media industry.

Begun in 1993, Gerard Design has grown considerably since its inception, yet its vision to provide companies with creative marketing and sales initiatives remains the same. Clients have included Tellabs, Navistar, LexisNexis, OfficeMax and Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.

Climbing the ladder

Gerard, 37, said she got an early start on her marketing career.

“My dad was a general manager for a Canadian company, and when I was about 7 or so, I’d come in and collate materials for him,” Gerard recalled. “Eventually he became president of this company, and we moved here to DeKalb. I worked as a receptionist at first.”

While still a teen, Gerard’s first “outside” job involved working part time for a design agency in a Chicago suburb at the age of 14. She advanced to sales and office management by the time she graduated from high school. A series of classes at Benedictine and Northern Illinois University followed, but the work experience she continued to gain drew her eventually into the work world on a full-time basis where Gerard said her real education began.

“Before starting Gerard Design in 1993, I worked for a west suburban agency as office manager, inside sales and marketing support, and it was there I met the senior designer and my soon-to-be business partner and husband, Kenton,” she said. “We started the agency, and day by day, I was gaining experience. I also read a lot of books in order to add to my marketing background.”

Flourishing

Gerard Design works with clients to promote them and their companies or products. Services range from simple posters or signs to website design, brochures, email campaigns and direct mailings.

Patrick Schab, creative director for the company, said he has worked for Gerard a total of four years and says Carolyn Gerard “truly understands people and the issues clients have.”

“Carolyn has discovered how to work with the issues clients have and achieve great outcomes with everyone from employees, to clients, to vendors,” Schab said. “She also is someone who empowers people. Around here, your voice counts, and there is open communication where everyone feels a part of the organization. Because there are relationships developed among us, it helps when we collaborate on projects.”

Gerard is a member of Entrepreneurs Organization, the Naperville Chamber of Commerce, Business Marketing Association, American Institute of Graphic Arts, and The Society of Typographic Arts. This year alone, the company has won more than 27 awards and has been named by The Business Ledger as one of the “Best Places to Work in Illinois.” In 2007, the company was named one of Inc. magazine’s “Fastest Growing Private Companies.”

Despite the recent downturn in the economy, Gerard Design has continued to flourish. Two years ago, the company had 12 employees, and today, the total stands at 19.

“We’ve done well, had steady work and people trust us,” Gerard said. “There’s no smoke and mirrors here. Everything is done with integrity, and we utilize a unique business model where we don’t mark up our fees based on expenses. We offer a great value, and provide complete visibility with the estimates we make. Our clients are truly our partners, and our job is to look closely at our fees and work within the client’s budget.”

Naperville connections

The Gerards have two children — Taylor, 10, and Jackson, 8 — and live in West Chicago. Their office is in Warrenville, but Gerard said she and her husband regard Naperville as their home base.

“My husband lived in Naperville when he grew up, and we really view it as our home town,” she said. “We truly enjoy the downtown area, which brings businesses to the area, and they become our clients. There’s kind of an ecosystem as Naperville attracts business and gives us the opportunity for work.”

Send recommendations for From the CEO to Dave Sharos at dsharos@yahoo.com. Make sure to send their name, phone number and e-mail address.