NEWS UPDATE
April 27, 2010: A Penn Yan citizen consortium competed against 18 other upstate locations to host the planned new $50 million Finger Lakes Cultural & Natural History Museum. Heritage Marketing designed and wrote their proposal in just a few days over the ’09 Thanksgiving holiday. The Yates County Keuka Lake bid prevailed over Geneva’s lakefront bid in the “finals”—a victory worth millions of tourism dollars annually. Click here to learn more about our work.

Heritage Marketing Is:
A marketing and leadership consultancy that specializes in brand campaigns for historical and cultural tourism in upstate New York and the northeast region. We also work with entrepreneurs to develop branding strategies for business start-ups and turnarounds. Heritage is also interested in promoting causes that benefit the community. Finally, we are trained in helping individuals accelerate their personal growth and development. In other words, our work is simple: we help organizations and people accomplish more. Heritage began life as a division of Roberts Communications Inc, one of Rochester’s oldest and most successful advertising agencies.

Our Philosophy:
History is marketable, but it must be boldly branded, packaged, and merchandised. Imaginative site development, events, alliances, co-promotions, and co-branding are requisite activities. Marketing dollars and human capital must align behind bold, focused plans. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Successful businesses require distinctive, disruptive strategies—not just cosmetic makeovers (e.g. new logo or ad campaign) but more importantly an organization aligned around distinctive operational excellence that creates compelling customer experiences.

Our Personal Philosophy:
The most successful people are usually those who are curious to learn more about life, business, but mostly themselves. Personal and business leader growth can be accelerated through coaching and self-discovery.

Heritage Marketing Team:

Don Hudson, Chairman & Managing Partner	A founder of Heritage Marketing, Don is currently an executive with Sysco Foods, Syracuse NY in marketing, sales and operational management. In his career Don was also Director of Business Development at Roberts Communications, and interim President and Chief Operating Officer of Sonnenberg Gardens, a major tourist attraction in Canandaigua, NY. Don took his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from SUNY Geneseo and an MBA in marketing from RIT. Don oversees administration for Heritage when he is not driving daughters to sporting events.
Paul Hudson, President & Creative Director	A founder of Heritage Marketing, Paul enjoyed 35 years at Roberts Communications, one of Upstate’s leading advertising and PR agencies, as creative director and then CEO. Paul founded the Squaw Island Preservation Society (1999) and has served on many boards including: Rochester Red Wings; Thompson Health System; Ontario County Historical Society; NYS Commission of Parks, Recreation & Historical Preservation; Bloomfield Central School Board. In 2010 he and Floyd Rayburn formed Citizens for a People’s Convention. His professional expertise is branding and direct marketing.
Karen Strapp, Art Director	Karen has 20+ years of experience in graphic design, art, animation, and web site development. A freelance designer in her own right, she is a virtual associate of Heritage Marketing. Karen is a graduate of RIT and has worked in corporate and agency environments providing graphic design for print, web and multimedia. Look no further than the Heritage logo and materials for an example of her professional eye.
Marcia Layton Turner, Public Relations Director	Marcia is an MBA-turned-freelancer with more than 20 business and consumer books to her credit, plus dozens of articles in magazines including BusinessWeek, Business 2.0, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Health, and Parenting. Marcia wore several marketing and communications titles at Eastman Kodak Company before leaving to consult for big brands like Hallmark, Blue Cross Blue Shield, iVillage, Cornell University, and McGraw-Hill. Marcia is an award-winning publicist who handles PR and business writing for municipalities, colleges, and any size business—case studies, crisis communication plans, websites, direct mail, brochures, corporate bios, speeches and more.
Sarah Hudson Williams Graphic Designer	Sarah graduated magna cum laude from SUNY Fredonia with her BA in Art. The busy mother of three talented children and a Jason Bourne-like husband who works on secret missions for the U.S. government, Sarah specializes in bringing a skilled eye and strong sense of design to cultural, not-for-profit, and community service projects with modest budgets—posters, brochures, tickets, programs, publications, and staging for plays and recitals. She is also Program Coordinator at the West Bloomfield Congregational Church.