Ready to aim for greater heights? Let Straight North help your B2B or B2C business reach its full potential with a customized mixture of our high-quality SEO, paid advertising, web design / development and creative services.
Straight North provides a complete suite of internet marketing, web design, web development and creative services to B2B and B2C organizations of all sizes. While we continue to manage complex SEO campaigns and paid search, shopping, display and social advertising campaigns for large clients with expertise that is second to none, we have recently developed highly innovative internal platforms and processes to deliver high-quality, customized, responsive websites and internet marketing campaigns to small businesses as well.
Beyond offering clients the best services in the industry, Straight North boasts a delivery style that very few agencies can match. Among our strongest tools are a transparent and collaborative business style, superior account management, a focus on the end result, and a full-time team of highly skilled and experienced professionals dedicated to providing your organization with exceptional customer service.
The atmosphere in our offices is energized but informal. Everyone on our staff is focused on one thing: getting results for our clients. Employees are encouraged to take on as much work and responsibility as they are willing and able to accept. Our agency is built for growth, and to make that happen, we prize team members who are eager to advance and take on challenges.
To support employees, Straight North offers internal and external training on a regular basis as well as opportunities to work on exciting and engaging projects. As a stable company that has been in business for 25+ years, we are able to offer our employees a highly competitive benefits package. We understand that employees have personal lives in addition to their working lives, and toward that end, we offer remote and hybrid work options. We credit our high levels of productivity and employee retention to our commitment to a work / life balance.
The history of Straight North begins in 1997, when current Straight North Chief Creative Officer Kevin Duffy opened Duffy Design Works, a graphic design agency, in the western suburbs of Chicago. In 2008, Duffy and David Duerr, an entrepreneur and investor with expertise in marketing and executive management, joined forces to co-found Straight North, absorbing Duffy Design Works’ graphic capabilities, and adding internet marketing and web development services to create a full-service agency located in Oak Brook, Illinois. Duerr, also a firm partner, currently serves as our Chairman and CEO.
In 2009, Straight North acquired Whoast, Inc., a rapidly growing internet marketing firm founded by current Straight North partner and Chief Operating Officer Aaron Wittersheim. Combining the Whoast team’s technical skills with the Straight North team’s creative skills significantly expanded our capabilities, enabling us to successfully take on more complex and larger-scale internet marketing campaigns and web development projects. Also in 2009, Joseph Cahill, current partner and Chief Strategy Officer, joined Straight North, bringing significant direct marketing, strategic planning and organization-building skills to our business.
In 2010, we expanded capabilities further by acquiring Word Sell Inc., a Chicago-area consultancy specializing in social media and content marketing. Word Sell founder, Brad Shorr, was brought on as Director of Content Strategy to organize content strategy and production, as well as to improve social media marketing and blogging capabilities. He has since retired.
In 2013, Straight North, now with corporate headquarters in nearby Downers Grove, Illinois, increased our national internet marketing presence through the acquisition of Ephricon Web Marketing, the largest SEO firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Charlotte office remains our hub for services in the Southeast U.S. In addition to expanding Straight North’s physical footprint, the Ephricon staff brought tremendous expertise in internet marketing strategy, adding a level of innovation and creativity to client campaigns that few agencies can match.