Bentonville-based Collective Bias continues its rapid growth trajectory which again has garnered it national recognition. The local social shopper media firm ranked No. 18 on Forbes' latest list of "America's Most Promising Companies." The 2014 class of 100 privately held, high-growth companies features organizations across a wide number of industries.
In addition to being named to the top 25, Collective Bias co-founder Amy Callahan was recognized as one of 13 female entrepreneurs who helped build companies on this year's list.
The Forbes ranking comes on the heels of a banner growth year for Collective Bias in 2013. The company doubled sales year-over-year and signed major global brands to its roster, including: Nestle, Kraft Foods and T-Mobile. This marks the third consecutive year of at least 100 percent revenue growth for the company.
The firm also expanded Into Europe in 2013, as demand for global social shopper marketing campaigns led Collective Bias to open its first office abroad. Located in London, the new space is the headquarters for European operations, while supporting future expansion in the region.
"When we started Collective Bias (2009) we knew we had a unique vision for how social would transform brand marketing. Yet, I never imagined we'd achieve such success on a global scale," said Amy Callahan, chief operating officer. "Being recognized by Forbes for these breakthroughs is a testament to the creativity and hard work that our people do every day."
Collective Bias specializes in helping brands create authentic stories that resonate with consumers and motivate them to share their own experiences and make purchases. The firm uses paid bloggers who connect with brands and report their stories via social media sites.
"It is a great honor to be recognized by a respected institution like Forbes," said Bill Sussman, CEO of Collective Bias. "It helps us maintain our focus on delivering top-notch content for our clients while re-writing the book of the modern media company."
Last week Collective Bias announced four new hires to its growing executive management team.
• Charles Shapiro, joined Collective Bias as SVP of sales, from a similar position at Workplace Media. He will lead sales initiatives with marketing agencies.
• Aileen Burke is the firm’s new VP of business development. She was formerly with Valassis and will head up all business development for the Northeast region including many health and beauty and consumer packaged goods firms.
• Dana Verdeja is the director of business development and based in Minneapolis / St. Paul. Verdeja will work with clients and team with partners to proactively create new business opportunities.
• Tom Balla is the director of business development based in Bentonville. He will be focused on entertainment categories.