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By SBN Staff
Smart Business Akron/Canton | April 2001
Creative sentence structure
Before becoming an account executive at Hitchcock Fleming and Associates Inc., an Akron advertising and public relations firm, Bob Clancy did everything from selling vacuum cleaners to driving a tow truck.
"This was perfect training for a career in advertising because these jobs reflect the inherent drama of life," says Clancy.
After college graduation, he worked briefly as a bill collector for a department store chain. His first assignment was to secure payment on a delinquent account or repossess the debtor's refrigerator.
"I confidently knocked on the door and demanded payment. The door closed, but opened again, and there stood a family of about 20, ranging from newborns to a 90-year-old," Clancy recalls. "Solemnly, someone announced that 'Daddy' had died, but they'd pay soon."
The check never came, so Clancy returned. Again, the entourage greeted him with solemn expressions and the death-in-the-family excuse.
"I skeptically asked, 'When?' and the woman responded, 'Oh, about three years ago.' At that point, the entire group burst into laughter," Clancy recalls. "That ended my collections career but I learned then that facts can be manipulated in many useful and creative ways!"
Facing the future
With concerns over a slowing economy looming, it is understandable that many business owners would assume a reticent position concerning any type of risky move, especially expanding a stable, well-established business.
But Akron-based Superior Staffing Inc., a temporary staffing agency, has a different outlook when it comes to making risky decisions in the midst of an unstable economy. Along with the decision to grow the business, owner Tom Doll has chosen to expand services by opening an office in Canton.
"The reason we are expanding is that we currently do a little business in Stark County," explains Doll. "To grow our business, we realize we can't grow it here in Summit County, we need to expand on the borders of where we already do business."
Doll chose Stark County because of the connections Superior Staffing has already established in Green, North Canton and Canton.
"That's why we chose Stark County, because we have some relationships there. Some people will know of us already, and we think that will help," he says.
With 21 employees, Superior Staffing is not the biggest staffing agency. But with a solid reputation in the Akron area, Doll is optimistic about the company's expansion opportunities and says now is the time for action.
"We are building on what we have done in Akron, which will help the clients we already have in the Canton area," says Doll.
Today's rapidly changing business world is risky enough without the added pressure of a slowing economy. But while most companies are holding their breath in anticipation of a brighter economic future, Superior Staffing vows to venture into new territory with confidence.
