About us
We’re small, we’re agile, we work fast and smart. We like it that way and when we find clients who appreciate it (they’re rare), we break our backs to expand the relationship.
Jack Burris
Partner
Marketing and brand strategist, idea generator, project leader and problem solver, Jack’s owned and invested in several small businesses, bought and sold advertising, managed teams, and, after 15 years, whittled his handicap to a single digit. Prior to merging his firm with the corporate event and entertainment company in June 2016, Jack was the owner of The Burris Agency, Inc., a 32-year-old advertising agency. In addition to working with clients, Jack has led projects on everything from international advertising campaigns to hyper-local social media promotions. When he’s not helping his clients engage with their customers and prospects, you can find him with his wife, Beth, and kids, Quinn and Lucy, as well as on the golf course or at UNC basketball and football games.
Jesse Cummings
Digital Director
Jesse brings a wide range of skills to the table that allow him to quickly identify challenges and solve them with elegant and functional digital solutions. Having previously worked at several startups, he understands that efficiency and quality are of the utmost importance. Jesse continues to adhere to those standards in his work at 54 Brands. He enjoys the challenge web development offers and is always searching for ways to push the limits. When he is not feverishly coding, Jesse enjoys spending time with his family, fishing the rivers of Northern Michigan and finding the perfect opportunity to toss out a good dad joke.
Ginny Gaylor
Communications Director
She looked up from a document and realized more than 15 years had passed. Where did the time go? It was just yesterday that she was wrapping up a MFA in Creative Writing, which led to writing about weddings, then furniture, next museums and, somehow, healthcare. No matter what the topic, she still gets excited about learning new things and thrives on the diversity of shifting between the worlds of writing and editing/proofreading. When she isn’t banishing serial commas, she enjoys even more reading, cooking and baking new recipes, taking in the latest animated flick or superhero epic with her son Jeb and sharing some laughs with her husband Joe.
Steve Peet
Strategy Director and Writer
Over a 30-year career Steve has written for newspapers big and small, directed creative at ad agencies small and medium and even — gasp! — worked on the client side as a brand manager and marketing director. He has shouldered a variety of responsibilities across multiple disciplines and numerous product and service categories, but what has always interested Steve most is crafting words and imagery into stories that connect people to brands. Nothing elevates his pulse like finding an essential truth and authentic voice for a client, and then helping them effectively express it. Although tailing bonefish and a well-struck long iron come close.
Suzanne Tormollen
Public Relations Director
Suzanne has more than 20 years of experience in corporate communications as both a consultant and in-house public relations manager. She’s helped more than a dozen early stage, venture capital-backed companies significantly raise market awareness across a variety of industries including biotechnology, enterprise software, education, healthcare, manufacturing, semiconductor, security and telecommunications. In addition to her corporate work, she’s engaged with several non-profit organizations helping with event management and publicity.
Dean Wagner
Creative Director
Dean has enjoyed a long track record of various creative pursuits with clients at 54 Brands, ranging from graphic design and illustration to photography and art direction. Previously he was creative director of the relationship marketing arm of a large regional agency that focused heavily on auto racing. After making the move to Burris, his sports marketing experience took an enjoyable turn into golf and resort work. Now 54 Brands continues the tradition of providing compelling and effective creative materials. Besides working the creative crack pipe at 54, Dean likes spending time designing and building things in his basement workshop.
Approach
It’s all about why you exist
TED Talks sensation Simon Sinek calls it “The Why” — because consumers today follow brands that know and authentically live their reason for existence. (We called it the “essential truth” back in the day.) Some clients know theirs and live it. Some need help finding it and inhabiting it. We see our jobs as giving your why a voice and making sure every execution across every media platform reinforces it.
Meaning
54 Brands stands for something
Our history is rife with golf. We love the game and what it stands for. If you play, you know that if you birdie every hole you’ve shot 54 — the perfect round of golf. It’s never officially happened in a tournament. But we like the idea of pursuing perfection for the brands we serve.
History
More than 30 years shaping brands
Like most we have gone through some name changes and renovations over the years. The key takeaway is this: Across every communication touch point, for every company event, we craft integrated programs designed to nourish brands, connect with customers and help our clients grow.
People
A small team who thinks big
We’ve all worked in big, lumbering shops, and we believe nimble is better. When client needs require specialized hands on deck, we can call on our national network of providers, groomed and proven over the years, to fill the need. Grant access to the right people, data and systems, and we’ll show you efficiency and collaborative results big shops can’t match.
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Jack Burris
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Jesse Cummings
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Ginny Gaylor
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Steve Peet
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Suzanne Tormollen
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Dean Wagner