Cultivate

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of MJB Restaurant Group. We have restaurants in Miami and LA and are about to open another in Chicago.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

We hired Cultivate to help us while we open our newest location in Chicago. The hospitality business can be very one-sided, and there are only a few restaurant groups. I needed help cutting through that noise.

What was the scope of their involvement?

 I asked Cultivate to build a brand. I needed a younger, more aware crowd to help create a vibe and look for our location in Chicago.

Our first concept is a supper series, and Cultivate’s job was to develop three WordPress websites from scratch.

They took all my jumbled thoughts and created a mission statement that included all things I wanted to accomplish. Being a black- and female-owned restaurant group, we needed a partner that wasn’t afraid to approach those topics and demographics, and Cultivate really helped with that.

I also have another partner that supports my visual identity, and Cultivate went as far as to help her sort out her ideas in order to create a more cohesive logo and branding situation.

What is the team composition?

At the beginning, most of my meetings involved ownership, but then he phased himself out and my team leader took over.

How did you come to work with Cultivate?

I was working with another partner, but, unfortunately, that didn’t work out. I started Googling the best branding company in Chicago who works for restaurant. It took a few weeks to find Cultivate, but after one meeting with their co-owner, I decided that his honesty was really valuable and that’s who I wanted to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020 and the site went live in September that year.  We’re in a slow period right now, but plan to continue our partnership.

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

They created a website that is beautiful, cohesive, and smart. People who came to our first supper series mentioned how much I got from the website. They clearly understood what I was trying to convey and thought the website was beautiful. Through this project, I learned how important it is to work with a quality agency like Cultivate.

How did Cultivate perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re communicative, on-time, and focused. As the owner, it’s easy to be flaky, but they always follow up and keep me in line.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their reach and ability to get it done when they say they’re going to is what stands out. Also, the cost is great. I was nervous about the price, but they’re efficient and understanding, so they’re completely worth the cost.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve done a really good job. I don’t have any complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared to engage with them a lot. Being accessible is really important.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Early Autism Services. We provide home clinic and school-based services to young children with autism, so applied behavior analysis with intensive developmental therapy.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

Initially, we brought them in to do a brand refresh. We’d been utilizing the same logo and materials for quite a few years, so they felt stale. We enjoyed the way that Cultivate worked and engaged them again to solve a different challenge.

We wanted to develop an internal app for our clinical staff to utilize during their sessions. Our technicians and clinicians had difficulty taking data during their sessions. They take 200–300 data points each session. Previously, our technicians and clinicians used pencil and paper while trying to work with a young child. We also can’t bill for set up, so it was an inefficiency issue too.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cultivate refreshed our logo and clarified our messaging. They interviewed key staff to get to the heart of what we wanted to communicate publicly. Their team put together messaging and materials aimed at pediatricians and diagnosticians to explain who we are and what we do in a clear and concise way. They looked at our website and made sure that anything public-facing matched.

We asked them to develop an app for us so that with just a push of a button, the clinician can go about their work and aggregate data. We asked them to take our process and map that onto the iPad. They took a clear look at our clinical process and created a 200–250-page binder with all of our programs and mapped our process. There are a clinical component and an administrative component of the platform. They delivered the first eight versions of the clinical iOS app, but we have a roadmap for the next year to continue to improve and add functionality to the product.

What is the team composition?

There were two people leading the project and other folks in the backend who helped build products. Jenny (Project Manager & UI/UX & Developer) is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Cultivate?

They came highly recommended. It came down to them and another firm. We were impressed with both companies, but the personal referral put Cultivate over the top.

How much have you invested with them?

Between the two projects, we’ve spent about $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initially engaged Cultivate in 2018 and the engagement’s ongoing.

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

What they delivered to us is so much cleaner than anything else in the market. We’ve gained about 7% efficiency from the app on every single session that we run. The impact of that financially has been incredible. It was obviously a big spend upfront, but it’s already paid for itself.

Our marketing director’s happy with the messaging and branding that Cultivate created. Their tweaks made everything feel fresher and more relevant. Our team has been impressed with the dedication that the Cultivate team showed to understanding who we are and what we wanted to accomplish.

How did Cultivate perform from a project management standpoint?

They created timelines for the projects. Their team is easy to reach by phone or e-mail. With the initial project launches, we had bugs or glitches that made clinicians in the field frantic. As soon as Cultivate heard about an issue, they’d get on the issue and fixed it fast. They’re responsive and personable, so it’s easy to work closely with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took the time to understand the project from a clinician’s perspective. Their team made sure that the app felt immediately natural to an end user.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re not a huge operation. On the first day, we had 450 people utilizing the platform. Users were supposed to push suggestions right over to the Cultivate team. When there were suddenly people pushing through comments or fixes, they got overwhelmed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get Jenny on your team. She’s wonderful. It’s always good to interview a few firms. Cultivate’s a great firm to work with if you’re looking for a personal, close experience.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a concrete construction company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

We wanted to become more visible both in our sector of the market and for developers upstream from us. We typically work for general contractors directly and name recognition has been a challenge for us in the past. We needed to be recognizable for the developers, owners, the community and real estate market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did a full rebrand, which involved refreshing our logo. They modernized it and streamlines it so we could use it for social media and online advertising. We also revised our name so the services we offer would be clear to potential customers. Again, all of this was centered around trying to be more visible and clearer to our client base.

Later on, we focused on social media and general marketing. Then, they helped refresh our site’s look. Although it was pretty structurally sound, it just needed some aesthetic updates. Finally, they supplemented the site and our social media with photography and new videos. They created several short videos that lasted from 30 seconds to two minutes.

Now we’re working on something for our company’s 90th anniversary celebrations. They’re helping us with the marketing materials, a tag line, and a graphic logo for the celebration.

What is the team composition?

Chris (Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Cultivate) is the project lead, but we’ve also worked closely with Mark (President & CO-Founder, Cultivate). We also met with their lead in charge of branding.

How did you come to work with Cultivate?

Our ready-mix supplier worked with Cultivate before. So, we had seen some of the work they’ve done, and in a parallel industry to ours. We knew that they could handle the construction industry well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2019 and our work is ongoing.

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

We've seen an increase in our employee engagements, which was a bit of a surprise. Specifically, tradesmen are looking at different pictures and are engaging with our updates.

We’ve also gained a huge following on social media. In particular, LinkedIn has been a huge resource for the construction and architecture community. It’s easy for us to target our ads towards developers.

How did Cultivate perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate by phone, email, or text. I appreciate that they’re able to act on things quickly. They’re flexible and don’t require a formalized process. This really is a compliment to them. I can just shoot them a text, and they’ll act. They’re easy to work with and we have a great working relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very good people. From a culture standpoint, you can tell that they're very well managed and they have just they work with a level of integrity.

They definitely gravitate towards doing a higher-end and very high-quality stuff. They want to do everything to the very best. That's a really good thing because their production value is very high.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes we struggle to communicate the size of the project we’re looking for. If we want to do something very small with a strict budget, they sometimes propose something more grand and larger in scale than what we’re looking for. They just need to have realistic expectations for the work we do and stay within the constraints we outline.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a building material supplier. We're a family business mainly operating in the Midwest.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

We've worked with Cultivate since the beginning of their company. They have helped us communicate our story and our values, and they've helped connect us with them through different digital mediums. Their work included video content and help with branding.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their main projects for us have been brand campaigns. They developed an understanding of us and our story, and then they distilled that into tools to communicate with our customers, our co-workers, and the broader communities that we touch.

Their deliverables have been a mix of video content, online digital content including website design, and some print collateral. In addition, a lot of our branding efforts and communication of our story and values have been assisted by their deliverables, including color, brand, videography, and photography.

What is the team composition?

It’s a smaller shop and my main points of contact are Mark (President and Co-Founder, Cultivate) and Chris (Chief Creative Officer). I appreciate that aspect.

How did you come to work with Cultivate?

We had a relationship with the founders that went way back.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2010 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

We’ve seen significant improvement in brand awareness. That has led to the attraction of people to come to work for us. And it’s also opened doors with prospective clients. I would say it led to doors opening with government officials and other people with whom we're trying to work in the community.

How did Cultivate perform from a project management standpoint?

We always have a point of contact on their side. A lot of our communication is done in person because their office is not too far from ours. We can otherwise get in touch by phone or email. They’re very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their product is a cut above the rest. From what I see in the marketplace, they have a very strong eye for the look of things. They offer high-quality content. When it comes to brand management, they're able to find the unique characteristics of the organization in a way that others are not able to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have very strong convictions about their work. They could do a better job negotiating the customer’s preferences against their strong convictions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think it's good to communicate well and be very honest and candid about what the expectations are. I think that people should be pleased.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a pastor and the executive director of Roseland Christian Ministries, a nonprofit on the South Side of Chicago. We operate several entities, including a church, a women and children’s shelter, a thrift store, and a daily program which helps to feed the homeless.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

We recognized that we needed a better way to communicate our objectives to our donors and members of our organization. We engaged Cultivate initially thinking about a new website, but the engagement grew to include a new brand strategy and marketing materials.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a four-hour discovery session with their team and several members of our organization and people in the community. After a few weeks, Cultivate presented us with their findings and interpretations of our identity. Together, we refined our visual presence and overall brand strategy with our identity in mind. Cultivate’s branding work made its way into our marketing collateral, a new logo, and an overhauled website, which also featured some beautiful photography.

What is the team composition?

Nathan (Strategist, Cultivate) and Chris (Co-Founder/Chief Creative Officer, Cultivate) were our primary contacts, but Wally (Web Lead, Cultivate) and Melissa (Photographer, Cultivate) were also prominent during our project.

How did you come to work with Cultivate?

I know the Cultivate founders from college, so I’ve been familiar with their work for a long time. We had worked with Cultivate about 15 years ago, as well, and I think we were one of their first clients then. We had changed a lot in that time, but we were confident in choosing them because they knew a little about us already.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project spanned September–December 2018.

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

Thanks to Cultivate’s work, we can tell our story better. We can now project a clearer sense of who we are and what our objectives are. We go into meetings with donors and potential sponsorship partners, and we have a lot of confidence in how we talk about ourselves. That’s turned into support for the ministry, which has allowed us to have more of an impact in the community. 

How did Cultivate perform from a project management standpoint?

Cultivate worked quickly and efficiently. There was never any time when we were anxious about the project because we couldn’t reach them. They provided concise and consistent communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was a significant amount of money for us to spend, but it has paid off almost immediately in terms of how we communicate with our donors. Because we have been so successful with some of our older donors, we plan to engage Cultivate to help us devise a communication strategy for people who are 15–25 years old. Cultivate has our full confidence and excitement moving forward. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only time we experienced any tension during the project was when some members of our team were unsure if their input on the new logo was being heard. I could understand if Cultivate believed that too many voices would compromise the process, however. In the end, we’re still very happy with the finished product.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Part of the creative process is to push their team so that you have the best outcome, so don’t be afraid to do that. However, it’s also important to trust their professional abilities and instincts.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are the oldest commercial general contractor in Chicago metropolitan area. We specialize in commercial interiors. I am the COO.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

We decided to do a brand and message refresh in our marketplace. We’ve been around since 1879 and have built up a tremendous identity, but wanted to appeal to our changing industry and keep up with societal shifts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We didn’t want to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. We wanted to maintain the continuity of our image but refresh and modernize it. They made subtle but important changes our logo, emblem, and marketing materials. The new materials are still grounded in our company’s history but look phenomenal and fresh.

They completely rebuilt our website, with tremendous consideration to our brand. They met with us several times to go over drafts and ideas for the format and structure of our proposals, our stationary, and our staff clothing and uniforms.

What is the team composition?

We had a main point of contact, Nate (Strategist, Cultivate), and six or seven other team members. We had one wordsmith who came up with all the language we used and the whole team worked on the creative side and on the website.

How did you come to work with Cultivate?

Our marketing director had some experience working with Cultivate at a previous employer. She set up the initial meeting with them where we discussed our goals. We liked what they had to offer and kicked off what became an eight-month process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000–$65,000 on the whole project, including their fees and some ancillary costs for associated materials.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in late January or early February 2018. We wrapped up the site refresh in August 2018 and just finished some marketing strategy sessions in September 2018.

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

We just introduced all their work into the marketplace, so we don’t have any metrics yet. Our marketing director has analytics software built into the site, so we’ll have a better idea of the impact after a few months of monitoring our visitors and pageviews.

Cultivate is very talented and was absolutely spectacular throughout this big undertaking. They were patient with us, understanding, and great to work with. We were impressed by their approach; they let us take the lead and share our vision.

How did Cultivate perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a fantastic job and I give them top marks for their work. Most of our communication was through phone, email, and in meetings. They brought great talent and the right skillset to the process. Their fees were very fair and they presented all their costs upfront in a detailed list. I was very pleased with the financial component.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their temperament makes them very easy to work with. They always put our interests first and they were fantastic listeners. We had a big team on our side and they heard all of us. They responded to all our requests, gave good ideas, and made appropriate suggestions. We got exactly what we wanted and couldn’t be happier with the results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Based on our experience, I can’t think of anything they should change. They put a lot of time and effort into the project, met with us often, and fielded a lot of our ideas. They handled the whole process tremendously well.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director for an art and design school. We have about 3,600 students on our campus, which includes undergrad and graduate programs relating to fine arts, design, architecture, fashion, film, and sound.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

I needed help with a fundraising campaign. The specific challenge was our 150th-anniversary gala. We had about two minutes to announce a campaign and to emotionally connect all of these people who are in this first-ever gala for the school. We needed help to create a video to help attendees understand that we had a campaign and a need and that they were connected to that need and could help solve it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a brief, and we discussed different styles and format. They presented us with concepts, and we reviewed them and moved forward with the project. They helped us with three separate videos throughout the campaign. Two of them were shown at galas.

How did you come to work with Cultivate?

At my first employer, one of my colleagues found Cultivate. They helped us with some fundraising-related videos, and we traveled with them to international locations to capture these incredible stories related to the work we were doing. They approached subjects who were critical to us with great respect. We had strong and important relationships, and they were sensitive to them and helped to amplify and build the relationships through the video development. I knew that they would be good working in any environment.

I moved on to another organization, and I worked with them there as well on some advertising and videos. Then, I brought them here to the school. I’ve adored working with them over the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2010 and the work is ongoing.

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

We exceeded our goal. We had an extremely successful campaign. We raised more than $1 million from the first gala. Their video was a part of that. We raised over $600,000 from our closing party, and they were part of that.

People who saw the first video that featured one of our students still talk about her and the story that they told. Cultivate encouraged us to focus on one individual and they helped us land on a great story. It was extremely effective.

How did Cultivate perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re transparent about the process. They articulate immediately at the onset of a project what the timeline looks like, what the budget constraints are going to be, and how they’ll work within them. They’ve always met their deliverables.

On a couple of projects, we had some artistic differences on editing style at the very end. Nonprofit organizations tend to have a layer of collaborative review, which means many people give their feedback, resulting in more rounds of edits. It can be challenging for third-party vendors to go through that process. Cultivate has always taken it in great stride and communicated clearly what the impacts will be on deadlines. They’ve worked hard to make sure that we’re able to deliver what we need to deliver. I appreciate that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I enjoy their openness to take direction and to modify designs or ideas. For the most part, they present fantastic thinking. I’m always impressed by what they present as initial concepts. When we make changes, they’re normally just tonality issues to make sure that we get our audience exactly where they need to be and meet them where they’re at.

They bring a unique perspective. They understand the mission, identity, core tonality, and sensibility of an institution quickly. That’s something you can’t get easily from a lot of vendors. In nonprofit worlds, it’s especially important when you’re working on fundraising.

When they interact with important people and deal with the sensitive matter of those personal stories, they work with our people in a way that helps me build the relationships with those individuals long after the video is completed or our work is done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been expanding their focus to not just do video production. The direct impact is they’re professionalizing their work which involves having more people on site and on shoots, which expands their costs. Working with them to work with our budgets so that we don’t need so many people on every shoot would be helpful.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a Christian non-profit organization that works with K-12 students in Chicago.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

Our organization has been around for 45 years, so we were looking to rebrand ourselves. We needed a company to help us with our branding efforts as well as logo design and marketing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met and discussed our ideas and our organization with them, focusing on our logo, tagline, and messaging. Then, they designed our website and helped us develop a concise message that everybody from our board members to our staff and volunteers could remember and communicate. We also wanted the message to appeal to younger donors, who are part of our organization and our network. 

In addition, Cultivate developed the messaging for our website, newsletters, and appeals and helped us with social media and a fundraising event.

What is the team composition?

We had two primary points of contact, but there were about 15–20 people who worked on different aspects of our project.

How did you come to work with them?

We were referred to them. We looked at several different companies and decided that Cultivate was the best fit for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between February - October 2017.

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

I was very pleased. They were responsive to our feedback and easy to work with. If we disagreed with their initial approach, they came up with new ideas. We've heard positive feedback from people who saw our website and our newsletters. Cultivate made a big difference for our organization, helping us transition to modern times.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They handled everything very well. We had to readjust the initial deadline because of the changes within our organization, but it wasn't their fault.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're aware of what we're doing as an organization and kept in touch with us even after the project was completed. We can still ask them questions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would have liked it if they gave us more fundraising guidance, but we knew that was not their primary focus, so that wasn't an issue.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep open lines of communication and bring everyone together to discuss the important parts of the project. This will ensure everyone is on the same page and you’ll reach a final decision sooner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the communications director at Faith Church.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

Our logo was very outdated, so we were looking for a company to design a new logo for us and help us develop a brand identity.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met with Cultivate and discussed our mission and values. Then, they came back on our campus and met with about 30 leaders from different groups, who provided their feedback and presented short tag-lines that defined our vision statement. After that, Cultivate designed our logo and helped us develop our brand look and print materials.

What is the team composition?

We worked with our project manager, who was our brand strategist, and two other members of their team.

How did you come to work with them?

We found them through a personal connection. They listened to us instead of trying to tell us who were were, so we decided they'd be a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2015 and the project was completed in January 2016.

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

We were extremely satisfied. Our logo is recognizable and reflects our mission. We use it across six different campuses (we also changed the outdoor and indoor signage). We, as an organization, have a more uniform look and our graphic design team can work more efficiently now because they know what the design limits are.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and met their deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a fun team to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open about who you are. If they have a true picture, they'll do a great job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the vice president of First Choice Logistics, a trucking company based in Chicago, Illinois. We started in 1987 and we operate in Chicago, Houston, and a satellite terminal in Maryland. We transport liquid chemicals, hazardous waste, and ISO containers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cultivate?

We needed to create a digital social media presence and wanted an all-in-one digital marketing partner that we could build a long-term relationship with.

The trucking industry is unique and, unlike retail stores, requires a specialized marketing plan. Our company was struggling with brand identity and didn’t have a dedicated team for our online exposure.

The company was growing, however, and we wanted to recruit new, young talent with a fresh look at the market. We needed a company with video and creative capabilities that could put our best foot forward into the online market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cultivate provides a full-bodied digital marketing service. Their team first interviewed our employees to understand our needs and figure our target audience.

They now develop creative promotions through videos, pictures, and posters; update our Facebook page; and research various social media channels.Their team consistently creates creative, cutting-edge advertisements and advises us on the areas of marketing we are lacking.

What is the team composition?

We work primarily with a project manager for meetings and scheduling. We also work with a creative director who helps with media direction and 4–5 other team members.

How did you come to work with Cultivate?

We looked online for a marketing company in Chicago. I admired what Cultivate did for other organizations on social media, so I contacted them. In our initial meeting, I really liked their message, philosophy, and approach.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Our largest customer contacted us referring the first-ever advertising video Cultivate created for us. Large and small clients also call us frequently referring our ads and provide positive feedback. Our likes on Facebook and views on our videos continue to increase with every new content release.

Due to Cultivate's efforts, we are now a leader in advertising in the trucking industry. We are very happy with how our company is being perceived and are receiving results much earlier than we expected.

How did Cultivate perform from a project management standpoint?

They don't miss any deadlines and they are always timely and accurate. They make sure to stick to the timeline on video and photo shoots. Their team always keeps on track and their billing has been accurate and timely—an issue we had with another past provider.

Cultivate also conduct regular meetings to keep us updated on upcoming creative projects. They are really delivering and executing well so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a dynamic team and their creative minds are experienced in the transportation field. Cultivate blows me away with the ideas they come up with and keep our marketing relatable to our industry.

They're good listeners and talk with our team learn more about who we are, what we do, and what our motivations are. They impress us with how they were able to step in and understand how to appeal to our target audience. They are a company we definitely want to partner with for a long time.