April Williams McCrory - President & Visionary
April develops cost-effective marketing and public relations strategies that provide measurable positive ROI’s. She has led one of the largest qualitative and quantitative studies in company history for Princess House, a nationally known direct selling company. For ESP, an auto emission testing provider and equipment manufacturer, April lead them in developing internal communications for 3,000 employees, heads corporate PR efforts for the company, and assists with product launches. When two companies merged together to form PAI Group, Inc., the largest payroll provider in the U.S., April was at the head of the team. Her work with ChemArt, a nationally recognized designer and manufacturer of collectibles, resulted in a complete rebranding effort that increased targeted communication for their customers. She then integrated the plan across all channels to develop campaigns to reach their non-profit sectors. ChemArt also benefited from her ideas to use email to build brand awareness among their customers. April became part of the team to help RIDOT create awareness of Mission 360°, a program that helps Disadvantaged Businesses build their business skills and attain more work from prime contractors. Willow Tree, a provider of chicken pies and chicken salad, saw a 10% increase in sales in Boston, New Hampshire and Connecticut due to the PR efforts put forth by April and her team. She also helped Interpay, formally one of the nation’s largest payroll providers (purchased by PayChex), develop a CPA referral program, resulting in a 10% increase in referrals in their first year.
Previously, April spent time as the Marketing Director and Portfolio Manager of Van Liew Capital & Van Liew Trust Company in Providence. A $300 million investment firm, she implemented a full-scale marketing plan for the company. She created, prepared and formally presented marketing plans and budgets to increase the company’s dollars allocated to marketing, proving her cost-effective strategies useful. April established ways to better serve the clients and created a tracking system to ensure Van Liew was accomplishing their objectives. For two years, she worked as an investment broker for A.G. Edwards & Sons in Providence, establishing a client base of over 300 individuals. She also owned and managed The Inn at Danbury in New Hampshire for seven years.
April is a member of the American Marketing Association, the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, and the Public Relations Society of America. The Business and Professional Women’s Foundation of Rhode Island awarded April with the Young Careerist of the Year award in 1996, an award that recognizes the accomplishments of young, upcoming leaders. She also served as the organization’s former Vice President.
A graduate of Wheaton College, April received her BA in Political Science and Sociology.
To contact April, email April@fortheloveofmarketing.com.
|
April created North Star Marketing in 1997 and has led the company to become known as one of the most creative and innovative marketing and PR companies in the state. With over 20 years of industry experience, April provides out of the box strategies and encourages her team to be creative and innovative day in and day out.