About Us

Our principal leadership and staff bring depth and expertise to every client relationship.

Susan MacNicol has more than 25 years of business experience spanning several industries including media, entertainment, retail, higher education and data. Her diverse roles have ranged from marketing, employment branding and client relations, to sales, recruiting and training, providing her with a unique viewpoint on how to build businesses and the best marketing techniques used by a range of organizations. After a successful management career at both domestic and international companies, including Fortune 500 organizations, Susan established the firm in 2001, and has completed projects for non-profits, small businesses and enterprise level companies, plus government agencies. Some clients include: Experian, Nielsen, Charter Business, Office Max, Sears Holdings, Ericsson, Charter Cable, Time Warner, Level 3 Communications, International Channel Networks, United Artists/Regal Cinemas, Columbia College Chicago, BCCA (Broadcast Cable Credit Association) and Johnson & Johnson. Specific areas of focus throughout her career included: corporate and regional recruiting and employment branding; local and national sales, advertising, promotions and publicity campaigns; domestic and international marketing, events and corporate sponsorships; client relations, training and business development. Prior to establishing the company, Susan held sales and marketing management positions at HSA – High Speed Access Corp, STARZ Encore Group, Orbit Satellite and Radio Networks (Rome, Italy), Samuel Goldwyn Studios, Columbia TriStar Television Distribution and Columbia Pictures (Sony Pictures Entertainment). Susan has her B.A. In Marketing Communications from Columbia College in IL and her MBA from Pepperdine University in CA. She Is also a certified Recruitment Marketer. She lives In the Chicago area, and is actively Involved in supporting community organizations focused on education. She's served as a judge for the BPA (Business Professionals of America) Illinois state high school competition, taught for Junior Achievement at local school districts, built a community-wide organization to partner with parents and educators to support gifted and honors programs and also serves as an advisor for INCubator, a high school program that educates future entrepreneurs. Susan Is a 2019 graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, and the winner of the Stevie Award for Innovation In business and recipient of the Daily Herald award for Entrepreneurship.

Tami Wloch’s career includes 20 years of corporate sales and marketing experience in retail, tourism, and telecommunications, plus entrepreneurial experience gained by starting and managing her own retail business. For over 15 years, she has been providing Marketing services for companies, including expertise in Social Media, PR, Trade Shows, Radio/TV/Newspaper, print, cross-promotions, and more. Because of her successes with Social Media Campaigns, she was asked to serve on Advisory Boards for both Facebook Corp & LinkedIn Corp where she continues to help shape the future of social media. She does beta testing & evaluates their future products & services and also has a team she can call at each company. She Is certified in both SEO & Google Analytics and believes data should drive every marketing campaign. Tami teaches social media classes around the world In places such as Australia, Bangladesh, & Kuala Lumpur to show business owners how to harness the power of social media to Increase their brand recognition and sales. As a previous sales executive, Tami negotiated million-dollar contracts with telecom companies such as MCI, and, while owning two retail stores, Tami gained employment branding experience by recruiting, hiring and training a sales team that delivered $500k in sales in its first year. She has a B.A. degree from University of Illinois. Her community background ranges from teaching in higher education to serving on committees and boards for several charity organizations.

Shilpa Chaubal’s career includes 10+ years of experience managing projects in IT industry. She has extensive experience as a Lead Software Tester and Business Analyst Consultant for Discover Financial Services and Northern Trust. Before joining Strategic and Creative Marketing Inc., Shilpa worked as a Freelance Market Research Consultant and Report Writer for leading market research companies like Synovate and Maritz. She has also volunteered actively as a fundraising committee member and marketing coordinator for local Non-Profit organizations Lifespring Ministry and People’s Resource Center. She is currently a board member for a district wide parent organization for Gifted and Talented students in Oswego School District 308. Shilpa’s educational background ranges from B.S in Electrical Engineering to MBA in marketing from DePaul University.  She is a member of Eta Chapter of Delta Mu Delta; prestigious National Honor Society; in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievements at DePaul University.

Trisha Johnson currently develops social media and digital campaigns for clients, including ad creation, content development and paid campaigns that reach targeted audiences and deliver results. Her career includes 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the fields of mortgage lending, in-store advertising and ecommerce business sites.  Her strong client service relations and attention to detail have earned her numerous awards for outstanding performance throughout her career. Trisha graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois where she was recognized as a Pullman Scholar as well as a Dean’s List honoree.  She actively volunteers in the school district and has led multiple committees that are dedicated to enriching the educational experience of its students.

Steve Lovisa - for all of his life, Steve has been fascinated by the interplay of design & technology. Since the internet first became a mainstream medium in the mid-90s, his career has focused on Web Design & Development, Brand Development, and Digital Marketing for agencies and corporate clients of all sizes.  He​ founded ​his first digital agency in 2005, and exited in 2013 for the opportunity to merge ​his team with the creative and technical staff at ​his largest client’s company. It was an opportunity to work closely with a fast-growing company, and to continue building dozens of great brands, both nationally and internationally. There, the teams ​he​ led grew to include more than 20 creative and technical professionals, and to serve literally millions of consumers around the world, via the web.  Now, ​his focus is helping growing businesses ​and governmental agencies​ put their best foot forward. ​Steve provides experienced Web Development, Branding, and Digital Marketing solutions​ and, as your partner, ​he’ll communicate transparently about both opportunities and challenges, and work toward​s​ achieving goals rather than simply executing to-do lists. ​He become​s​ an extension of your company, an extension of your brand, and​ stands ready to do the heavy lifting with you.