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Business: A marketing, branding and public relations firm, Grapevine survived the recession in part from adherence to an old business rule: Maintain a diversified customer base. Grapevine's clients range from nonprofits to health care companies to construction businesses. John Fain, who runs the 11-employee firm with his wife, Angela Massaro-Fain, says revenues are up 35% this year, and will likely be up at least 40% next year. The company had $10.1 million in revenues in 2011. One positive sign for 2013, says Angela Massaro-Fain, is Grapevine is responding to more requests for proposals than in previous years.
Industry: Certainly more clients, or potential clients, is good for the entire advertising and marketing industry. Still, those clients seek more services and attention than ever before — at the lowest possible price. It's a do-more-with-less mantra found in many other sectors. Says John Fain: “People are looking to get a lot of return on investment and creativity.” Another trend in the industry, say the Grapevine executives, is a continued interest in trying to improve social media outreach efforts.
Region: The spouses, prominent networkers in the Sarasota-Bradenton community, hear one word more than any other in terms of the economy: uncertainty. “I still think a lot of people are waiting to see that happens in November,” says Angela Massaro-Fain. John Fain adds that the certainty of any president would be an improvement from the current limbo. John Fain also says that despite the surge in business in Grapevine, the local economy is tough to project. Says Fain: “I'm still very cautious and certainly not very optimistic that the market is back.”
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