Growing online marketing company receives support from Blackstone’s Maine initiative
Brunswick, Maine – Blackstone Accelerates Growth today announced the newest company to be selected for its Accelerated Venture program in Maine. Dream Local Digital based in Rockland, Maine has joined six other Maine companies to benefit from the Blackstone Accelerates Growth initiative designed to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in Maine. Shannon Kinney founded Dream Local Digital in 2009 to help local businesses use social media and other online marketing to communicate with existing customers, find new customers and increase sales. The company employs 26 people and with the assistance of Blackstone Accelerates Growth is poised to grow even more. Dream Local Digital is the first Accelerated Venture to join the Blackstone Accelerates Growth initiative from the Midcoast area of Maine.
Dream Local Digital is a digital marketing agency that help small to medium-sized businesses and large media companies achieve their online marketing goals. The company also works with media organizations and other partners to offer these services in their markets. The largest market opportunity is with newspapers and newspaper groups who are struggling to reinvent themselves and grow their digital revenue channel. According to Kinney, the company currently counts 15 partners among its clients, with more than 20 “in the pipeline.” The company expects to grow in excess of 100% annually and to increase employment from the current level of 26 to 60 in 2014.
Kinney who worked with major online marketing firms in Chicago and Silicon Valley knows
what it takes to launch and build a successful digital company. “The company has a strong culture that enables people from very different backgrounds to integrate and deliver on time and on budget,” said Kinney. She continued, “the end result is a high-touch, high-quality service offering to small businesses at an affordable price.” Don Gooding, Executive Director of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development and a member of Maine Angels (an Angel investing group in Maine) believes Dream Local Digital has “the right stuff.” According to Gooding, “Shannon and Dream Local Digital have been able to create a ‘special sauce’ – a carefully tuned and well-tested process with staffing that enables the company to tightly manage efficiency and service delivery costs.” Kinney has worked with Gooding at MCED to refine Dream Local Digital’s business strategy and presentation.
Bob Martin, President of the Maine Technology Institute, and a key partner in the Blackstone Accelerates Growth initiative in Maine said “Shannon and her team have shown what a focused approach to business can achieve in a short time.” He continued, “We are delighted to bring Shannon and Dream Local Digital into the Blackstone Accelerates Growth Accelerated Ventures community and to help her and her team continue their growth and success.”
Blackstone Accelerates Growth is a three-year initiative of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. Its goal is to accelerate the growth of innovative companies in Maine, to accelerate the next generation of entrepreneurs in Maine, and to connect companies and entrepreneurs to build successful businesses. For more information visitwww.blackstonegrowth.com.
Dream Local Digital is a start-up company founded by Shannon Kinney in Rockland, Maine providing digital marketing services to large publications and other media outlets. For more information visit www.dreamlocal.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
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