Tsunami Marketing recently reopened its doors to clients at the agency’s new location in Kalaheo. The company’s move is a return to its Kalaheo roots, and a vote of confidence in the area as a place to do business, according
Tsunami Marketing recently reopened its doors to clients at the agency’s new location in Kalaheo.
The company’s move is a return to its Kalaheo roots, and a vote of confidence in the area as a place to do business, according to Robert Rekward, president.
Rekward, a resident of Kauai for the past 14 years, started the firm out of a tiny South Shore studio in 1991, armed with a Macintosh computer and a $5,000 small-business loan.
Tsunami Marketing moved to its new office as an established marketing and advertising firm with a team of specialists in marketing strategy, brand development, graphic design, and Web technology.
Located along Kaumualii Highway across from Brick Oven Pizza, the newly renovated yellow house now home to Tsunami Marketing is a sunny space for the creative team and clients to do business, he said.
“I’m really happy with our return to Kalaheo. We started in a house, and now we’ve moved back into one, which really fits our casual, ohana style of working,” Rekward said.
“We’ve found our clients enjoy meeting in a more creative space, and we enjoy the pile of slippers at the back door.”
Val Rekward, Tsunami vice president, created the new environment, and is thrilled with the results, she said.
“What really made this move possible was the great support we received from the community. Our new landlord, Kathy Johnson, has gone out of her way to make the space work for our purposes,” Val Rekward said.
“A team of local contractors and vendors worked with us round the clock to transform the house into a great commercial space in a very short time,” she added.
“Special thanks go to John Gilardi, Mahlon Callison, Ed Markel, Barney Tamura at BMT Flooring, Ross Young, Jerry at KNK Glass, Kaipo Pascua, Klayton Kubo, Clyde Ajimura and Doug Inouye. We’d also like to thank our staff for turning out incredible amounts of extra volunteer time to get the new office up and running,” she continued.
Change and growth can be tough for small businesses, particularly during uncertain times, the partners said.
But taking calculated risks and a stand for quality have proven to be a success formula for this team, they said.
Tsunami officials are confident that Kauai’s business environment will rise to the occasion.
In addition to their recent move, the company this month added a new member to its team. Chris Adams comes to Kauai with over 12 years of strategic design experience, helping a wide variety of clients successfully reach business goals.
Past work includes print and online projects for Santa Cruz Snowboards, Rockshox, Electronic Arts, Cisco, Andersen Windows and 3M.
“I founded Tsunami Marketing with the strong conviction that you can do great advertising and design in any market, even a small, rural place like Kauai,” Robert Rekward said.
“All it takes is a lot of hard work, a deep passion for the creative process, and exceptional professional service. Our Tsunami team demonstrates all three,” he said.
“In the past decade, we’ve negotiated our share of economic peaks and valleys, and we’re always amazed by the community’s ability to stand firm in the face of adversity,” he said.
“Kauai’s underlying tenacity and drive to succeed are the forces that create the demand for our work. As long as there are businesses and organizations driven to succeed, we’ll be here to help them.”
He offered some specific information to potential clients regarding marketing during uncertain economic times.
“When it comes to marketing your company during an economic slow-down, it’s important to remember that while your specific situation may have changed, the way your customers respond to advertising hasn’t.
“That’s a critical distinction, because a common reaction to a business slump is to squeeze content into smaller ad space instead of looking for new ways to improve customer response and recollection, which is what you really need to achieve,” he said.
Tsunami Marketing is a nationally recognized, award-winning marketing and advertising firm specializing in brand development and the creation of powerful print, interactive and broadcast programs that work together to achieve specific business goals.
For more information, please call 332-7992, fax 332-5077, visit the Web site, http://www.tsu.biz, or e-mail Val Rekward at vr@tsu.biz.
