Local Lights up the Skyline-
Acumen Taps into Local to Brand Big
Reimagine. Educate. Empower.
Three words local employee benefits consulting firm Acumen has built their business structure around, not only for their clients, but for their vision in supporting the community they’ve grown in.
“When we got the email (from the Economic Alliance) about taking the Buy 319 pledge, we really had to think about what else we could switch to a local provider, as we already utilize many local businesses in our day to day operations,” shares Ali McLaughlin, director of marketing operations at Acumen. “We sat down as a team, and really thought about what we could still switch or what new relationship we could build in our Cedar Rapids location.”
Acumen has had their home office planted on the twelfth floor of the downtown Cedar Rapids building since 2012 but has never had their company identity visible from the exterior.
“Initially, we weren’t sure where we would reach out to find a partner that could support a project that involved creating 7-foot tall letters that had to be hung 12 stories high,” shared Ali. “But we did find that Cedar Rapids offered a company that would help us achieve this monumental ask. And so, working with our downstairs neighbor, RSH Legal, we began the project of getting signage outside of our building.”
The list of beneficial reasons to keep business and projects local is solid, including easy access to a team, close vicinity, direct contact information, quality, and service that goes above and beyond. All of these attributes helped lead to a beneficial and impactful local relationship that Acumen created with their signage partner.
“There were so many crazy logistics that went into this project. There were street closures involved so that the cranes could maneuver the pieces of the sign up one-by-one on the day of installation. Everyone had to be on the same page, including RSH Legal as their signage went up over the same time frame.” said Ali. “We were all SO excited about it. It was just a sense of pride for us to see our name on the side of the building. And now when people drive by on the 380 interstate, they can see it in the skyline. Even our kids are like “LOOK mom, there is your sign!” You can see if from a concert at the McGrath Amphitheater. It’s just really cool to be a part of the Cedar Rapids skyline.“
Acumen’s employees pride themselves on reimagining, educating and empowering their clients through their employee benefits plans. When 7-foot letters were raised and placed on the top of their Cedar Rapids office building 12 floors up, Acumen’s employees had yet another reason to be energized about going to work.
So next time you are driving on 380 through downtown, or sitting at a concert at the McGrath amphitheater, take a glance up at the Cedar Rapids skyline, and see all the local that lights up the sky.
—
Full article from the Cedar Rapids Gazette, July 31, 2023.
Acumen strives to do business locally whenever possible. We proudly support the Buy 319 efforts led by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance!
