“It’s about telling stories,” Gregg Smith says, describing his work as a partner in a communications and marketing firm. “We raise public awareness of an organization—which is challenging because there are so many forms of media.”
Media is something Gregg knows well because he grew up in a newspaper family in Boyne City—and managed the business for years. Even now, he is passionate about newspapers.
“They are the community watchdog,” he says, “keeping a finger on the pulse of everything that should be of public interest. Today people have so many sources of information, yet they are less informed.”
Informing and engaging people is still Gregg’s passion and now he and his wife, Dee, run the Lawton Gallagher Group. “Our goal is to build visibility for the client,” he says, “through communications initiatives, multi-media, advertising, social media, websites—all of it.”
“We select clients who have a cause that resonates with us,” he says. “Success is measured by statistics and also by feedback from the community.”
“We do things quietly,” he adds, “and try to over-deliver. My dad said you need to be as accessible to the town vagrant as to the mayor. If you call me, I’ll answer the phone.”