R&G Strategic

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of stakeholder engagements for Efficiency Canada, an advocacy group for energy efficiency.

What challenge were you trying to address with R&G Strategic?

As a startup nonprofit, we wanted to establish a brand identity that was professional, fun, and modern. We had to ramp up quickly to create the brand ahead of our launch event.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project started with a discovery session to review our existing visuals, which we didn’t love. R&G Strategic then refreshed our logo to convey our intended message to our audience; two part-time resources created the new logo. Other branded deliverables included letterhead, PowerPoint templates, and business cards. Since we use an affiliated university’s logo on most collateral, the school had to approve each item.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Sarah (Director of Strategy, R&G Strategic) and Liz (Director of Design, R&G Strategic).

How did you come to work with R&G Strategic?

I had worked with one of R&G Strategic’s employees seven years ago. Based on that experience, I jumped at the opportunity to work with this team. Their industry knowledge was an advantage because energy efficiency is difficult to capture via visuals.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between September–October 2018.

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

The team hit the ground running. In 20 years, I’ve never worked with such an organized team that produced high-quality results in such a quick turnaround. The launch event had 300 attendees and a high-profile speaker from the Canadian government. During the event, the branding—banners and PowerPoints—looked polished and made us appear as an established organization, even though we were one month old. As a result of the success, a high-ranking government official invited my supervisor to appear on their video blog. That invitation was one example of how we’ve forged new contacts and relationships with government officials.

How did R&G Strategic perform from a project management standpoint?

R&G Strategic was a pleasure to work with. The partnership was remote, but that was never an issue. The team included several working groups that handled multiple last-minute changes. They were responsive and ever had problems with our requests. We used Slack and a conference call tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience, professionalism, and turnaround times were unmatched. Deliverables were nearly perfect the first time, and the team was always open to constructive feedback. Liz wanted to do whatever it took to fulfill the customer’s needs because client satisfaction is her number-one priority. What’s more, R&G did research to stay current with industry trends. That practice enabled them to understand our competitor and allies’ brand terminology. Without that knowledge, they couldn’t have produced such accurate work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should use Slack with them because most organizations are moving toward the tool.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a program development coordinator at Nourish Nova Scotia, which is a nonprofit organization that aims to support schools in helping raise healthy learners through school nourishment programs and food literacy education.

What challenge were you trying to address with R&G Strategic?

We determined that our website was not meeting the needs of the individuals we intend to serve. We have a very resource-rich website, but many of our partners found it difficult to navigate to find the resources that they needed. We contracted with R&G Strategic for website development and design services to alleviate these problems.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The new website is hosted on Squarespace, and they are training us quite a bit so that we can manage it ourselves. We stressed the importance of visitors being able to easily find and download large PDF files detailing our different programs. Further, we now have the ability to track who is downloading specific content. Overall, we wanted a more approachable website to present our information.

What is the team composition?

We have worked directly with Liz, their director of design, as well as some of their designers, Andrew and Grace, who have been leading the work. Their director of strategy, Sarah, has been in constant contact with us to make sure the project runs smoothly. We feel very well-supported by R&G.

How did you come to work with R&G Strategic?

They do a lot of work focusing on sustainability and environmental projects, and I think food and nutrition fall into those categories. We believed they had similar core values as us.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $10,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in July 2018, and we expect the website to be completed and by the end of August 2018.

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

Although we haven’t launched yet, I can report that our program team and our partners are excited to see the revitalization of these program resources and the way they’re going to be showcased. Our partnerships will be strengthened because of this upgrade.

How did R&G Strategic perform from a project management standpoint?

They are friendly and professional. We’re in the same city, so they make it easy to meet in person. They have been very clear with their expectations for deliverables and timeline estimates since we met, and we haven’t strayed from those. Grace, the lead designer, has been a very prompt communicator.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think their core values have made them a unique and attractive organization to us. With our tight budget, we had to go into this endeavor with an organization we trusted, and they have proven to be trustworthy and respectful.

Any advice for potential customers?

We found it valuable to trust their experience. They have provided us with incredible insight from their industry. We learned to trust their skills and knowledge.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a senior manager at EfficiencyOne Services, an industry-leading energy efficiency service provider. Our company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EfficiencyOne, the company that runs all the energy efficiency programs in Nova Scotia. We operate Canada's first energy efficiency utility and market the expertise we've developed locally to a broader client base.

What challenge were you trying to address with R&G Strategic?

We had rather ambitious sales targets this year. We contracted R&G to develop a sales strategy to meet or exceed our sales targets.

What was the scope of their involvement?

R&G Strategic figured out the tactics and mechanics to help us reach our goals. Specifically, they helped us identify how to bring a couple of our more prominent opportunities to a close. After we agreed on the scope of work, they developed and submitted to us a proposal that we could use to apply for federal government funding. R&G Strategic was great to cooperate with the program’s requirements.

What is the team composition? 

Our main point of contact with Sarah (Director of Strategy, R&G Strategic) We also engaged quite a bit with Christa (Lead Strategic, R&G Strategic) In a meeting or two, Andrew (Junior Brand Strategist, R&G Strategic) was involved as well. The experience with the whole team was fantastic. 

How did you come to work with R&G Strategic?

We found them through a referral by an internal colleague of mine who knew Sarah from when she used to work with our parent company’s partner marketing agency. They’d become friends through professional exposure that fostered mutual respect. I asked if R&G Strategic offered sales strategy, and she said it was worth reaching out. They came highly recommended for their professionalism and robust marketing services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project with R & G Strategic lasted from April to May of this year, notwithstanding the period when we were having preliminary conversations before they submitted the proposal and we secured the federal funding.

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

Our partnership has provided a relatively easy-to-follow road map. We're confident that this engagement is going to help us reach our revenue targets for the year. I’m incredibly impressed with the final product. That positive sentiment is shared by our entire in-house team, including the general manager. Before the project, I’d met with the lead a few times, so I felt confident they'd deliver. 

How did R&G Strategic perform from a project management standpoint?

I met with our main point of contact a couple of times before bringing her into the broader team. R&G Strategic was extraordinarily responsive and adaptive to our timelines. When they sent us a draft report, for example, I had some clarifying questions about how to translate their ideas into practical terms for my business. R&G Strategic adapted to my needs and quickly provided specific examples. I don't mean that to suggest that the material was difficult to interpret. In areas where I needed a bit more clarity, they accommodated me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R&G Strategic's subject matter expertise, customer service, and responsiveness are second to none. I continued to be impressed with their ability to manage the process and with the final product itself.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Mara Renewables Corporation develops microbial technologies to make renewable oils. We take microorganisms from the ocean to the lab, optimize them, and make oil with them. This oil is a renewable source of oil and we make different products with it. One product is a nutritional application for human consumption that could be used for medicinal assets for humans and animals. We’re looking at making these renewable oils for fuel applications. We want to be part of the solution of using the renewable sources for energy. We use science to create products and optimize technology in a sustainable manner.

What challenge were you trying to address with R&G Strategic?

For the first generation of our website, we used a different company. Although a good piece of work, the website content was no longer relevant.

The last few years, we were focused on developing the core of the company. Taking our technologies from the lab level to a commercial level to sell a product was new to us. We had a website, but it no longer reflected what we are doing now. It used to show that we were an R&D company. Now that we’re selling, our customers said our website didn’t accurately reflect our company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed promotional materials like flyers, and we liked their work, so we proceeded with the work with the website. They redesigned the website based on our business vision, mission, and goals.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people. One or both of them came to our location for discussions. Sarah (Director of Strategy, R&G Strategic) handled design, communication style, and content. Liz (Director of Design, R&G Strategic) handled the design elements, colors, and art.

How did you come to work with R&G Strategic?

Our company shopped around and found them online. We contacted 3–4 companies. It was very important to us that we have access and interaction with the people doing the work with us. We were lucky that R&G Strategic is near us and could have face-to-face interaction.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2017–February 2018.

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

I’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback. There’s more traffic on the website and more questions from the public. It’s helped a lot.

How did R&G Strategic perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good at delivering on time. They were very good at responding right away. If there was an error, they fixed it within minutes. They’re adaptable to our requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very good at listening to the message and transforming it into very understandable information. We’re mostly scientists so we want to put absolutely everything there. They filtered what we wanted to communicate into something that the public would understand. They were very good presenting options to us. Although they heard a lot of overwhelming information, they were patient and very good at distilling the core message and better communicating it.

I’m convinced we made the right decision in choosing them. It was a pleasure working with them. They’re very likeable people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We set up a tight timeline. They were delivering on time, but we needed more time to provide the materials they needed. We had to tell them to wait and not ask again for the materials, and they listened.

We had some different perspectives on the selection of the art and photos for the website. They could have been a little more flexible and willing to try a different concept or color. It was a minor thing.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co founder and head of growth for a blockchain development and consulting company.

For what projects/services did your company hire R&G Strategic?

Improve brand image and build consistency.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

R&G created a new, fresh, and relevant branding for our company and products.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We had some discovery sessions where R&G gathered information about our project and our needs. After that R&G presented different avenues for design so we could choose a couple of options that set the graphic direction.

Then R&G started working on proposals that followed those styles of design, and once we approved one the R&G team developed the whole branding around it that included the logos for the brand family, guidelines, and some templates.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

At least 5 resources, although I know there were more involved behind the scenes.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our internal community increased engagement as the project was finalized, they all liked the outcome and it's having good response in social media as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective as communication always worked. I never felt like we were wasting time during meetings.

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

They really operate as a top-level agency in the industry. The processes they have in place, the involvement with clients, the flexibility, and the quality of deliverables.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Honestly not, they have very well defined processes and the team is very qualified and professional. Even for people who doesn't know much about marketing, they do amazingly at guiding you step by step.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Growing Forests buys at risk forests and manages them in an environmentally friendly manner to capture and store carbon. I am CEO and lead the company in all aspects.

For what projects/services did your company hire R&G Strategic?

To build us a website, develop a logo and various brand collateral assets.

How did you select R&G Strategic and what were the deciding factors?

Introduced with a strong recommendation from a mutual colleague. Their focus on sustainability jived with our corporate ethos, and Sarah Riley presented a very professional, energetic and capable face for the company.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We held weekly team meetings where we worked through the drafting and delivery of one deliverable after another. We started with the development of a logo to get a broad outline of aesthetic direction, then proceeded with the development of our website and finally branded collateral assets. It was a very simple and straight forward project.

How many resources from the R&G Strategic team worked with you, and what were their positions?

4 persons at different times worked on our project, with 2 being the primary contacts and doing the majority of the lifting on their end. Their positions were their Junior Strategist and Creative Director.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All deliverables were delivered on time and on budget. Everything was to our satisfaction and we continue to receive complements on the different aspects of brand collateral that were developed for us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The RG team was very well organised and coordinated. There was one general point of contact and others only initiated contact when it was obvious as to why. Our team was only me, so that helped to keep communications simple.

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

They have a great ability to coordinate across their distributed workplace and integrate with me remotely. While this has become more standard in the last few years it was still impressive to see it executed so well.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Some sub-deliverable deadlines were missed but never by more than 12-24 hours.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a general partner for a newly formed venture firm that invests in CDR climate technologies.

For what projects/services did your company hire R&G Strategic?

We engaged R&G to help us with our overall visual brand identity, starting with basic visual assets like logo and landing page.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were familiar with R&Gs work though we had not directly engaged with them in the past.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We have been working on developing an overall visual branding strategy including logos, color schemes, letter heads, business cards, and a basic landing page. We have since transitioned into larger-scope customer facing marketing materials.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We have directly engaged with at least 5 people throughout the project, though there have been two people acting as contact points.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I think the best thing I can say is that we have since expanded the scope of our initial engagement. What better review is there than that?

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very. It was fluid and as dynamic as needed under a tight timeline. They were not only open to feedback but very quickly deciphered and acted on it.

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

R&G's team have been responsive, talented, capable, fun, and incredibly insightful/knowledgeable about our space. It has been nothing but a pleasure to work with them — they always deliver under tight timelines. We gave them little in the way of direction and they returned with what we wanted. Best possible outcome.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

So far I'd give the project a 10/10.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of finance for, silver and gold mining and exploration company with head office in Canada and operations in Mexico

For what projects/services did your company hire R&G Strategic?

We brought them in to help us create our first investor facing sustainability / ESG update

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had heard about them through a mutual contact, and after initial meeting moved forward.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After kick off meeting, we provided them with our internal unpolished sustainability report, which they then converted to a proper format and brought in appropriate consultants to ensure the technical content was done correctly. After a few versions were generated, with meetings and comments given for each version, we arrived at the finished product which was uploaded to our website.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We dealt with Sarah, as well as Allison from Upswing solutions who were brought in to help with the content. There were also some other staff who helped.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The report satisfied certain investors, as well analysts stated we were ahead of the curve by putting this report out at our Company's stage. Also, it generated an internal discussion about increasing our resources in properly tracking data related to ESG.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project flowed smoothly, with open lines of communication. The usage of Google Docs / PDFs enabled easy commenting on the multiple versions of the report.

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

Polish of finished report was done well and it didn't require a lot of hand-holding to go from our unpolished report to the final design, which is a weakness of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None come to mind

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Communications Coordinator for Rayleigh Solar Tech. A cleantech startup based in Halifax, Nova Scotia that is working to commercialize the next generation of solar technology.

For what projects/services did your company hire R&G Strategic?

Our website was no longer serving us. It got the job done in our company's early days, but it was no longer representing us as a company, which made it difficult to reach our key audiences. We enlisted R&G's help to create a new website that was hosted on a more accessible platform, that better represented who we are and what we do.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We wanted to work with someone local to us. Out of the two options we identified, it was clear that R&G had the expertise we needed, and shared our company's values. They also made it clear that they were excited to work with us, which made us excited to work with them.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project began with a discovery meeting where we worked together to outline everything we needed in our new website. From there, wireframes were developed, and we filled them out with photos and text.

Once we had a version that fully represented us, the website was moved from R&G's servers and launched on our own domain. Once the website was launched, a training session was conducted so myself and my team members could competently maintain the website on our own.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with four members of the team on this project:

• Andrew Chaisson - Designer and Strategist
• Sarah Riley - Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
• Liz Gosselin - Founder and Chief Creative Officer
• Jayde McPhee - Junior Strategist

Riley and Liz led our discovery session and kept us on track while identifying needs we didn't realize we had. For the rest of the process, we worked very closely with Andrew and Jayde. Andrew took the lead, and we had weekly meetings. He was very responsive to all of our requests, and offered great guidance to make sure the finished product had everything we needed.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our new website was beautiful! It is already serving us well. It has prompted a number of media inquiries, and helped us find talented new additions to our team. We receive far fewer emails requesting services we do not provide, because our website now properly communicates who we are and what we do.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow on this project was so effective that the project was finished weeks ahead of schedule! Using a combination of email, Slack, Google Drive, and InVision, we were able to communicate well, and share ideas and files with ease.

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

The most impressive part of this process was when I phoned Riley one afternoon in December and said "we just learned that we have a big announcement coming up the first week of February.

Would it be possible to bump up the website launch by an entire month so it's ready in time for our announcement" and without skipping a beat, Riley said "we can make it happen". The project was already a couple weeks ahead of schedule at that point, but they were able to accelerate it even further without sacrificing the quality of the finished product.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I honestly can't think of anything they could have done differently.