CTCreative Now The Valcort Group, Adds services to Innovative VALCORT Strategic Growth Methodology

Creates New Brand Marketing Agency, Launches Nonprofit Practice

St. Charles, IL – February 27, 2013 – CTCreative, a business development and creative branding company, announced today significant changes that are intended to better serve its clients.  Most notably, CTCreative is now The Valcort Group to better represent its move over the last decade into business development consulting and strategic alignment.  The Valcort Group focuses on diagnostic and strategic service offerings designed to assist clients to grow consistently, efficiently and effectively.  In addition, The Valcort Group has added a nonprofit practice designed to help nonprofit organizations with the same services.

CTCreative is also spinning off its creative branding and communications capabilities under a new firm called Outside7.  This group has been expanded by adding respected global strategic and brand creative firepower to its talent pool.   Outside7 is focused on meeting the unique integrated communications needs of The Valcort Group and other clients.

According to Chuck Thomas, president and managing director, The Valcort Group will focus exclusively on helping clients identify business growth obstacles and creating business development and innovation strategies using the innovative VALCORT strategic change process that has been proven over the last decade.  This is a proprietary tool that develops the seven disciplines that compose the VALCORT acronym:  Values, Assets, Lens, Creative, Outreach, Relationship and Tracking.

Outside7 will take on client work that existed under CTCreative and drive additional business as a full-service integrated marketing and communications agency. The agency will be headed by Gary Pokorny, an award-winning account strategist of top U.S. advertising agencies.

“Now more than ever, we believe VALCORT is the best means for our clients to break out of the pack and create new relevance to those they serve.  Our proven VALCORT strategic plans and roadmaps create trust-based transformation and build customer engagement, loyalty and growth to become best-in-class,” Thomas said.  “This has been a 10-year adventure that has landed us in a very good spot.  We now have a full complement of VALCORT tools and diagnostics to unearth and provide solutions for the growth challenges clients are having.   Outside7 will offer business development and world-class creative teams that will support existing client resources to energize the market.  I’m excited about our future.”

Thomas took the opportunity to make additional announcements including a new dedicated nonprofit and public practice within The Valcort Group headed by Jim Jewell, a 35-year veteran of the nonprofit world.  Jewell will apply VALCORT tools and strategies to help nonprofits, educational institutions, churches and government agencies to better accomplish their mission and expand their impact.

As well, Thomas is offering organizations an opportunity to take the VALCORT ROI Survey at no charge.  The VALCORT ROI Survey is a 35 question, 10 minute online survey tool that organizations use to identify the gaps and opportunities in their business development processes.   The graphics and report indicates how close they are to maximizing their potential and effectively reach their marketplace.  “We will be providing free access to any leadership team to take the ROI survey because we are confident this instrument is unique and can provide the kinds of business insights that every CEO needs,” Thomas said.

We believe that the fastest path to an organization reaching its growth potential is to create a culture of trust inside and out.   The Valcort Group and its associated properties represent our efforts to move to the next level of client expectations,” Thomas said.  “We are taking the next step in our evolution and feel these developments will not only be good for our firm, but for values-driven organizations wanting to move to the next level as well.”

 About The Valcort Group

The Valcort Group is a leading Chicago business development consultancy focused on helping organizations reach their full potential by creating innovative business development strategies and strong brand foundations.  Its VALCORT® strategic process helps clients identify obstacles to growth and create a strategic plan to improve customer engagement and increase sales. It is based on three principles – 1) truth builds trust; 2) values drive choice; and 3) people seek purpose.  The Group’s Outside7 agency is a creative marketing and communications firm designed to meet the needs of business and organizational clients.