The year was 1994. Entrepreneur Mark Stevens had just completed a business deal and was thinking about the next chapter of his life. He knew he would start a business but what form that would take, was up in the air.

And then it hit Stevens: oven the years, he was never satisfied with the marketing firms he hired and saw in action.

As he thought about it, it struck him that most marketing people were completely focused on aesthetics as opposed to business strategy/lead generation/ driving sales and ever higher levels of Return On Investment.

It was to fill this void, to build a marketing firm focused on client growth, that Stevens launched MSCO in 1995.

The market responded strongly from the start, with the firm growing rapidly, serving a wide range of clients from the Fortune 500 to startups and Main Street businesses.

MSCO was early to the digital age, launching its own site in 1997 (two years ahead of Google) and building the first sites for a series of businesses including the powerhouse mutual fund firm Strong Funds (later acquired by Wells Fargo).

Joined by PR VP and wife Carol Stevens, the firm was also a first mover on social media and became one of few marketing firms to effectively harness the power of radio advertising for its own growth, as well as that of its clients.

In 2003, Stevens shook the marketing establishment by revealing his philosophy in the global best selling book, Your Marketing Sucks (published by Random House/Crown). It would sit atop many best seller lists including Amazon and Business Week.

Today, MSCO is approaching its first quarter century in business.

In 2012, Jonathan Soniker partnered with Mark Stevens to ensure that the MSCO legacy of ROI focused marketing continues on through the next quarter century. Before joining MSCO, Jonathan Soniker spent 7 years managing the Business Development department at a leading brand management and licensing company in New York City. Jonathan helped establish relationships and partnerships with a number of leading companies including Time Inc., FremantleMedia, CVS, Macy’s, QVC and BJs Wholesale Club.