BatesMeron Sweet Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am with Sentergroup, Inc., which is an association management firm. We have a number of different association clients – currently about 13 or 14.

What is your position?

I am the director of marketing, and I work directly with a majority of our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

Sentergroup had been working with BatesMeron for a very long time before I joined Sentergroup last year. As far as I understand, the initial reasoning was that with this many clients, we needed a lot of design and marketing support, so we looked to BatesMeron to provide that across all of our clients. We looked to them because they have high-quality design and high-quality service.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They handle a few different things for us, but their biggest responsibility revolves around our annual meetings for each one of our clients that require a variety of different promotional pieces. That includes mailed pieces, advanced programs, final programs, banner ads on websites and on social media, and different other aspects, even PowerPoints, posters, and signs at the actual event. They really cover the whole breadth of promotion, the look and the feel for these meetings. I also work with them just to promote different products that the clients might have, like their educational offering. For some of our clients, we have brochures for that and other types of one-off design projects that we need.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

I know that BatesMeron had been working with one of our clients, the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, several years ago. That association was in the same office space as Sentergroup. They shared a lot of resources and vendors, and I believe that's how the relationship first started.

I personally also worked with Bates at my last position, at the American Osteopathic Association, and they had done a number of projects for us there as well. I've known Bates for a long time, even though I've only been working with them on this current position for about a year.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It's very hard to say because we do work with them on all different clients, but they work within our budget, and many of our clients have very small budgets. Even when we have very limited budgets, they are able to give us something that we need, and it is always at such a high level of quality. Other clients have bigger budgets, and we can be more creative and do more things with them. They're very flexible in that way. I don't think there is a standard pricing because I think they change their prices depending on our budgets. Across all of our clients, we have a large agreement with them, but it's all separate.

What is the status of this engagement?

Sentergroup has been working with BatesMeron for at least seven years. The relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I know that with the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery there were some years in the past when they were off on their own: we weren't managing them and they were not with BatesMeron. After returning to that design aesthetic, the president said, "We look like a professional organization again. The years that we didn't have them, the quality of everything dropped – the look, the website, everything." Now, he thinks BatesMeron really elevated the organization again. I think that has to do with the look that we're putting out there with our promotional materials.

We're constantly showing concepts and designs to our client leaders, and they are always very excited about them and really like the quality. Many times, when you're working with big committees, it can be really challenging to move artwork through, but it typically has not been challenging because everyone really enjoys and likes the designs.

What distinguishes BatesMeron Sweet Design from other providers?

I don't know if it's because of their long relationship with Sentergroup or my relationship with them from my last job, but BatesMeron Sweet Design really feels like they're part of the team. We're communicating daily, and they're always available. It's good customer service, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to make us and our clients happy while staying within budgets. If we ever lost them, it would be a big loss. It would feel as though a big part of our team was gone.

Is there anything BatesMeron Sweet Design could have improved or done differently?

No, I think they do a great job. They can be expensive at times, but it's definitely worth it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Chicago International Charter School (CICS). We operate 13 public charter schools in Chicago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

We needed help improving our messaging, communication, and branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BatesMeron Sweet Design has worked with us to update our messaging, communication, and branding to better reflect the mission and vision of CICS schools. The team has developed updated messaging and branding guides that we’re using on our website and other communication channels.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 2–5 teammates from BatesMeron Sweet Design.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

Someone referred BatesMeron Sweet Design to me. I chose them over other options because they had high ratings, were close to my geographic location, had pricing that fit our budget, had a great culture fit, and had company values that aligned with ours.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BatesMeron Sweet Design in March 2025, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

BatesMeron Sweet Design has delivered improved communication and branding guides to be used on our website and all other communication channels. As a result, we’ve increased the alignment between our network website and that of our schools.

How did BatesMeron Sweet Design perform from a project management standpoint?

BatesMeron Sweet Design has delivered on time. Our deliverables have been on time and complete. The team was open to feedback from our team members. We communicate via in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

BatesMeron Sweet Design’s team members are good partners and listened intently to what we wanted from the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re great partners.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Vice President of a manufacturing company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company repairs caster segments and steel rolls for the steel industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire BatesMeron Sweet Design to accomplish?

• Design a trade show booth and company swag to attract attention at trade show.

SOLUTION

How did you find BatesMeron Sweet Design?

Referral

Why did you select BatesMeron Sweet Design over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from BatesMeron Sweet Design were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We challenged Bates Meron to design and source a 10x10 trade show booth incorporating video, company swag, and updated branding. Key deliverables included the trade show booth, video, swag, and updated logos.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

From this trade show, we gained 2-3 significant new customers.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Bates Meron delivered everything on time. We were under a bit of a time crunch, and they hit every deadline. They were very responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Everyone on the BatesMeron Sweet Design team was very passionate and outgoing. This aligned well with our culture. Also, they hit every deadline we gave them. Very organized too.

Are there any areas for improvement or something BatesMeron Sweet Design could have done differently?

I can't think of any substantial areas for improvement.