When you meet Charlie, it’s obvious where WTA gets its start-up spirit. An entrepreneur from a young age, he started an agency fresh out of college. Still in his 20s, he become managing partner and then sole owner of Walz Tetrick. Passionate about his clients and quick to adapt to new challenges, Charlie is always positive — positive he’ll get results. He’s the master of relationships, equally skilled at intimate exchanges and big-time pitches.
In Charlie, clients get a strong partner and ally who knows every idea must have a purpose and build business. Under his leadership, Walz Tetrick has grown in size, expertise and capability, winning prominent local, regional and global accounts. But he’s never lost the spark that first ignited his career: the thrill of turning a business challenge into a business win — for clients and the agency.
A steady force behind Walz Tetrick’s success, Eric enables everything we do. He’s an integral part of the leadership team, setting goals, matching operations to strategy and measuring results. As exacting and methodical as any CFO, Eric is also savvy and proactive, regularly asking questions and suggesting new ways of doing things. He wears many hats and is valued as much for his sense of humor as his calm advice.
Navigating between strategy and details, Eric gives us the support and tools we need to do great work. His work as a controller for a software firm and city finance officer prepared him well for advertising’s quick pace. You won’t meet anyone more passionate about our business.
Katy’s approach to business development is a collaboration of strategy, creativity, measurability and frivolity. A results-oriented evolutionary, Katy's goal is to take Walz Tetrick’s business to the next level by activating multi-level capabilities that take our clients to the next level. Prior to joining the torch-wielding mob at Walz Tetrick, Katy spent over two decades climbing the ranks in local and national broadcast sales and business development.
She has been recognized by Radio Ink Magazine, Kansas City Media Mix and Ingram’s Forty Under 40. Her leadership contributions have driven bottom-line growth through numerous acquisitions and mergers. Outside of the office, Katy has served on the board of directors for medical and educational foundations, as well as the Chairman’s Circle for the American Cancer Society.
With more than 25 years in media planning and negotiation, Blair believes in using media in ways that are just as creative and attention-grabbing as the advertising messages he’s placing. Whether it’s a national, regional or local campaign, Blair has designed our media department around his career principles of optimum consumer engagement with maximum efficiency.
Skilled at many things, Blair is first and foremost a media planner. And, lucky for our clients, he loves to plan. You might find him preparing channel recommendations for a QSR client one day and entertaining new promotional options for a sports team the next. His long tenure in the business means he’s proficient in just about every category, but a long-term stint as vice president of media planning for Sonic Drive-In created a special talent for moving brands from local to regional to national.
Solving tough business challenges in memorably surprising ways is what fuels Jeff’s fire. After more than 30 years in the business, he is even more excited about producing great work as he was on day one. His strategic, results-oriented approach makes it easy for clients to fall in love with our product. And his creativity ensures that consumers will be captivated by it.
Jeff’s work changes perceptions, inspires action and enables advertisers to cultivate relationships with their customers. From TV, radio and print campaigns to outdoor boards, corporate videos and mailers, Jeff always keeps one eye on the marketing goal and the other on consumer insights. A lover of storytelling in nearly any form, Jeff loves a good presentation and is a sought-after speaker.
Gabe leads our dynamic and fast-growing digital media team. A digital enthusiast who’s as competitive as they come, Gabe is passionate about building relationships with clients and getting results. He has spent more than a decade in digital media planning, buying and reporting. His experience includes managing an in-house programmatic trading team, executing campaigns with industry-leading Martech and social platforms. He even built and launched a digital department from the ground up, then led it — and his clients — through years of impressive growth. Gabe is both visionary and hands-on, always on top of trends and adept at translating the technical for clients and colleagues alike. His deep experience in digital marketing crosses almost every industry, including finance, higher education, healthcare, B2B, automotive and travel. When he’s not strategizing for brands, Gabe is often on the golf course. An avid player, he’s also been a college coach.
An accomplished executive with more than 20 years’ experience in brand strategy and marketing, Brenda is relentless about business results. Her calm, thoughtful demeanor belies a fierce competitiveness and sharp strategic mind. And she brings the same intense focus to each challenge, whether increasing sales for a small, local business or managing global brand identity for a Fortune 500 company. In fact, the word “challenge” lights a fire inside her. And she’s built an impressive track record of turnarounds, new launches and next-level growth.
Brenda’s diverse experience includes digital and traditional marketing, custom product development, consumer research and recruitment/team building. She has been honored for sales promotion kits, brand launches, consumer marketing campaigns and cause marketing/PR.
Discovering unique human insights that inform powerful marketing campaigns is a passion that has burned inside Bryan for more than 25 years. A research-driven strategic advisor with experience positioning large, complex organizations for growth, he remains laser-focused on building brand differentiation with a keen eye on business objectives. Bryan’s proprietary brand strategy process – Brand Ideal© – employs workshops, group discussions and interviews to develop a 360-degree perspective from an organization’s leaders, customers, prospects and influencers to clearly define the strongest brand position and messaging hierarchy.
Bryan’s category expertise ranges from retail, telecom, CPG and casual dining to automotive aftermarket, destination/entertainment, financial services, healthcare and senior living. When Bryan’s not hammering out powerful brand strategies, you’ll find him banging the drums in a rock & blues band.
Don’t be fooled by Debbie’s warm and upbeat personality. With an MBA and two decades of experience, she brings a relentless competitiveness and considerable business savvy to her work on behalf of her clients, many in the healthcare category. Working on both client and agency sides has contributed to her well-rounded, informed and solution-neutral approach. With Debbie, the best idea wins.
In her 20 years in the business, Debbie has developed and coordinated diverse marketing projects, including new branding and promotions of featured services and capabilities, and she has conducted deep-dive qualitative and quantitative research in the higher education realm. A respected, results-oriented change agent, she loves to laugh, loves people and has never met a person she couldn’t learn something from.
Nearly two decades of award-winning casino experience on both the client and agency side has taught Katie the value of knowing her audience and developing truly extraordinary guest experiences at every turn. Her diverse background, working with a wide variety of properties and markets, enhances her naturally adaptable temperament. She leads the way in finding key insights that influence customer behavior and drive profitability.
Katie has helped develop innovative programs in some of the most competitive gaming markets in the country. She has created and fostered third-party partnerships with sports teams, charitable organizations and local businesses. Her background in hospitality marketing includes launching new restaurants, bars and nightlife concepts. A successful and inspirational leader, having Katie on the job is a win-win for both client and agency.
Enthusiastic and accessible with an acute sense of urgency, Shannon works collaboratively with her clients to exceed goals, manage key projects and personnel and build strong working relationships. She is particularly adept at customizing her approach to a variety of team personalities and playing to everyone’s strengths.
Shannon’s 25-year career has always involved client service, brand marketing and strategic problem-solving. Whether it’s retail, construction, insurance, entertainment, quick-service restaurants or B2B, she has the expertise to help clients establish themselves as leaders in their respective fields. She manages day-to-day complexities with ease and provides seamless communication to the entire team — client, agency and vendors. She has been described as “professional yet genuinely personable, honest, tactful and motivating."
Jason is an experienced advertising and media innovator with a proven track record for delivering results through brand strategy and teamwork. He began his advertising career in media buying nearly 25 years ago before branching into client service and eventually ascending to the role of area vice president of field marketing for American Dairy Queen.
Here at Walz Tetrick, Jason’s diversity of experience has honed his integrated approach to client challenges, especially in the area of multi-unit restaurants. And his collaborative nature helps brands and franchisees identify opportunities and develop creative, results-oriented strategies. With a reputation for integrity and doing things the right way, Jason quickly earns the trust of clients, franchisees and vendors while moving the needle and growing the brand’s bottom line.
Sarah has nearly 30 years of media planning and negotiating experience. As managing director, she does a little bit of everything for the agency and the media department. She is involved with new business acquisitions and special projects, as well as training of new media talent.
Sarah brings valuable experience in many business categories, but her media specialties are higher education and casual dining/QSR. Her responsibilities include media planning and strategic marketing as it relates to the overall media plan, media launch programs for newly developed initiatives and overseeing all media placement. Sarah is an active member of Media Mix of Kansas City. She has served as president and been honored as Media Professional of the Year.
Melba is a Kansas City media icon. While she’s known for her warm and generous spirit, her negotiating skills have been called “fearsome.” Nobody’s more passionate about the business, and Walz Tetrick’s clients benefit from her experience and creativity every day. Melba is a major influence on the local broadcast buying community, with generations of new buyers learning principals of media buying from her.
Melba’s relationships and clout enable her to stretch media dollars to unbelievable lengths. Her radar is always on. She has a knack for knowing what the competition is planning and trumping it for her own client’s sake. In fact, National Pizza Hut created the Agency Media Buyer of the Year award to honor her heroic efforts. Like Madonna and Prince, the name “Melba” is a brand in itself. She’s the stuff of legends. And has the award to prove it.
Dawn’s infectious personality and sense of humor are unmistakable. Above all, though, she’s known for getting results. Dawn is skilled at building relationships and negotiating value for her clients. A trusted partner, she acts as an extension of their teams. Her responsibilities include media planning and buying, partnerships with local sports and entertainment organizations, strategic marketing and account management.
Dawn brings more than 30 years of media planning and negotiating experience in all categories. Her current clients include AdventHealth, CBIZ and Papa Murphy’s. She previously worked in travel and tourism and higher education. Dawn is past president of KC Ad Club, as well as Member of the Year. She’s been honored by Media Mix, including with the Diane Freels award for her contributions to the community and the advertising profession.
Natasha is all about building relationships with her media partners and having open communication that builds trust and respect. Internally, she appreciates the culture of collaboration that exists at Walz Tetrick between the media, client service and creative teams.
Natasha started in radio at Entercom, processing commercials and preparing them for air. She served a short stint with Katz Continental TV Sales, managing orders and sending out creative to stations, before joining Walz Tetrick. For more than a decade, Natasha has been an integral part of our media team, working with QSR, education, healthcare and casino brands. Today she helps lead strategy, planning and buying for our casino clients, with a laser focus on constant communication to ensure clients’ goals are met. Natasha is a longtime board member of Media Mix of Kansas City.
With nearly 25 years of data-driven marketing experience, Kristi leads a team of experts in a variety of areas including email, web development and analytics. She believes in partnerships and teamwork to connect the dots across all marketing channels, leading to measurable results and insights for clients. She is thoughtful, deliberate and precise, with an eye for managing the kind of detailed initiatives that her work requires.
Kristi’s experience ranges across multiple industries including CPG food brands, retail, healthcare, higher education, entertainment, engineering and manufacturing. When she is not hard at work for clients, you will find her assisting with her kids’ activities and sports. She has also been known to hit it out of the park during the Queen of the Diamonds charity softball tournament.
With a deep background in marketing strategy and data analytics, Brian’s oversight and leadership has spurred significant agency growth and led to effective, leading-edge marketing solutions in multiple industries. Brian has diverse brand-building experience ranging from local to international. He understands the nuances of today’s ever-changing marketing landscape and brings a powerful balance of brand strategy combined with laser-focused, results-driven marketing communication solutions.
At the core of Brian’s approach lies an intense focus on understanding the audience to deliver relevant and effective messages. As head of research and analytics, Brian delivers on a simple philosophy: Successful, impactful marketing begins with the brand and ends with analytics, Beyond his marketing expertise, Brian takes great pride in building his team and creating a culture of ideas and innovative thinking.
Leanne is passionate about developing lasting client relationships and leading strategic planning initiatives for a wide array of brands. With more than 25 years of experience working in both agency and corporate environments, she truly understands how to communicate targeted messages through a variety of media — on the local and national level. Leanne has an extensive background in advertising, digital marketing, public relations and direct marketing in industries including healthcare, financial services, construction, heavy equipment, telecommunications and legal services.
In addition to her command of all things account management, Leanne has a penchant for organization and bringing order to chaos. She has applied this skill throughout her career and has improved efficiency, productivity and has generally made things run smoother whenever she’s involved. As a member of the leadership team, Leanne drives operational excellence across the agency, aligning resources with priorities. In this capacity, she uses her ability to develop effective and scalable processes to build an agency that is prepared and able to deliver powerful and effective marketing solutions.
More than two decades ago, Ron Berg clicked the shutter on a Kansas City photoshoot, and the creative community has never been the same. Ron began as a commercial photographer, turning his talent for visual storytelling into a national reputation rivaled by few others. Over time, his ability to direct talent led him to branch into video production. And as his client roster grew, so did the shelves required for his industry awards.
Today, Ron shoots both video and stills with an attention to detail and steady demeanor that instill confidence in clients, agencies, talent and crew members. Ron leads TorchHouse Studio, a fully independent production house backed by Walz Tetrick’s resources and award-winning talent.