Tired of feeling like an ant ‘marching one-by-one’ in the world of corporate America, April decided to make a right turn and begin her dream of starting her own marketing firm. Today, many of the North Star team has followed April’s footsteps to find the flexibility and “fun” work environment, which motivates us to do our best work. Here’s a quick look at our past, and stay tuned for more exciting news in our future!

1997 – April Williams starts North Star Marketing working out of her home.

 

1998 – North Star hires its first employee.

1999 – After repeated client requests for affordable public relations, North Star develops the PR side of their business.

2000 – North Star develops Reality Check to ensure that small companies market their products and services to their targetmarket.

2001 – September 11^th brought tough economic times. North Star creates the Friday Afternoon Email Survey to cost-effectively stay in front of its customers, prospects and referral sources.

 

2002 – North Star quadrupled in profit, which left no time to network. North Star creates the trademarked World’s Smallest Newsletter to continue virtual networking with its customers and referral sources.

 

2003 – Clients wanted North Star to create a marketing tool so they could initiate dialog with their employees, prospects, clients or referral sources. North Star builds eGlue, a proprietary email marketing tool.

 

2004 – North Star gets healthy! We hire a personal trainer to work out with us. April is asked to be the keynote speaker at the National Work and Family Seminar in Providence, speaking on the importance of balance in the workplace.

 

2004 – The World’s Smallest Newsletter wins a Gem Award from the RI chapter of the American Marketing Association.

 

2005 –April’s attention to work-life balance was recognized nationally with the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.

2006 – Adding to its overflowing list of credentials, the agency is certified as a Women's Business Enterprise.

 

2007 – North Star moves to a beautiful new suite of offices that gives the team expansive room to work, be creativeand meet with clients.

 

2007 – To accommodate our fellow marketing and PR junkies, North Star launches “The Compass”, an email of marketing tips sent every Friday that can be read in 60 seconds or less.

 

2008 – In one of our most successful and exciting years of business, North Star receives the Newport County Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Business Award in the Women or Minority category.

 

2008 – North Star is selected by global shipping giant UPS for a one-year long business mentorship program, sponsored by Boston’s Center for Women in Enterprise.

 

2008 – On a mission to support cancer research and awareness in the State of Rhode Island, North Star partners with the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation to provide marketing and public relations services for the foundation’s Third Annual Flames of Hope Waterfire event.

 

2009 – In an effort to help local businesses through trying economic times, North Star launches the seminar series, “Happy Hour: A one-hour seminar worth getting up for,” to advise business leaders on how to best market their businesses.

 

2009 – North Star gets social! With a Facebook page and Twitter account, North Star joins the web 2.0 revolution and starts connecting with customers, prospects and referral sources in a whole new way.