UTICA ZOO: 2022 Marketing RFP

Thank you in advance for considering McGrogan Design for your design & marketing efforts. We are passionate about helping our local businesses and organizations thrive and grow, and we’re confident that we can play a pivotal role in the future success of the Utica Zoo!

Please see the responses to your RFP below.

Members of Company & Direct ContactS

Ryan McGrogan

President, Graphic Designer

315-292-2391
ryan@mcgrogandesign.com

Ryan McGrogan has worked professionally as a Graphic Designer for local agencies and larger businesses in the Utica area for over 15 years. Mornings and evenings outside of work hours were typically spent building a strong freelance portfolio, with a lifetime goal of starting his own business. By 2019 Ryan proudly made the (right) decision to officially branch out and start McGrogan Design.

Ryan is an outside the box, fast-as-hell, reliable designer with a great eye for an overall solid composition. With an obsession over great design, drive to always do better, and love for his local community, McGrogan Design is the perfect solution for businesses of any size for quality, reliable, and fast graphic design.

Meghan McGrogan

Marketing & Community Engagement

(Primary contact for finalizing contract)
315-796-2728
meg@mcgrogandesign.com

Meghan has been working in the world of marketing, public relations and business development for the past 15 years. Beginning her career at F.X. Matt Brewing Company in Marketing and Public Relations, she enjoyed working on their Saranac brand and representing the company both locally and nationally for nearly 8 years. She then moved on to the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce as their Director of Membership and Events, and shortly after was appointed as the Chamber’s Executive Director. In her 6+ year tenure, they relocated the Chamber’s offices, rebranded the organization, received a 3 star accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and after extensive strategic planning, they launched an all-new membership structure to lead the organization into the future and better serve their members and community. Before her departure, under Meghan’s leadership, the Chamber was able to launch programs and initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic that injected close to $195,000 into our area businesses. In February 2021, with McGrogan Design growing and an undeniable craving to become a full time entrepreneur, Meghan decided to officially join Ryan to expand the business. With her background, she brings a unique skill set to McGrogan Design.

To anyone who knows Meghan, it’s no secret that she has a bit of an obsession with our local community. She is proudly involved with several area organizations serving as the president of the Utica Children’s Museum Board of Directors, steering committee member for Mohawk Valley Health System’s Women’s Giving Circle, membership chair for Sadaquada Golf Club and media coordinator for the Boilermaker Road Race. She is also honored to have been previously appointed to the the City of Utica’s Local Planning Committee for New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, a $10 million award to develop a downtown strategic investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community’s vision for revitalization.

marketing services

We encourage you to view more of our work at mcgrogandesign.com

Our Approach

As we have grown and developed our business and worked with many amazing local and national clients, we have found that our sweet spot is working with companies that may not have a graphic designer or marketing professional on staff or with companies that need an extension to their smaller in-house marketing team. We’ve found it to be very beneficial for the client for both budgetary reasons and for a fresh perspective and approach to their marketing initiatives. Given the Zoo’s current team and staffing plans for the future, we feel we would be an ideal fit to help establish a strong and solid foundation for your marketing efforts moving forward.

We would start off by doing a thorough overview of the organization’s overall goals and operations, the project landscape, and the resources available to us such as current marketing channels and staff contacts. We love this part of the process, and believe it’s so important to establish expectations and manage deliverables moving forward.

From there, we would begin setting up a road map for the future that is executable based on your vision and available resources. We would approach this in a way that creates a well defined process with key elements and assets to deploy for each type of event or initiative, as well as overarching brand standards that would cover things like tone of voice/language examples, templates for social posts and blog posts, and other basic branding elements. We believe all of this turns into a great “plug and play” method that creates consistency and allows for continuity when bringing in any future staff.

We’re confident this approach will support the Zoo’s current goals and elevate its presence in the community and beyond.

PRICING Estimate

We try to keep things as simple and accurate as we can. We track all of our jobs and bill by the half-hour, at a rate of $80/hour and send a detailed invoice for all work that has been completed up to that point. If desired, a monthly retainer could be arranged.

Design completion of Zoo’s exhibit/interpretive sign project:
5-10 hours per template
Creation of individual signs using the template could vary based on quantity, or if photography is needed

Fundraising campaigns:
40-60 hours per campaign
Conceptualize, strategize, design, and implement 3 successful campaigns

Signature Events:
15-20 hours per campaign
Logo design & print/digital marketing materials for 4 standout events

Beaversprite Brand Awareness:
40-60 hours
Plan & execute marketing opportunities & ideas for Beaversprite and its Tentrr accommodation

Collaborate on Utica Zoo’s/Beaversprite’s Marketing Strategy:
60-80 hours
Establishing brand standards for future marketing efforts

Project Management
40-60 Hours
Initial discovery and implementation with staff

Our Hourly Rate: $80/hour

Total Project Estimate: 330-480 hours: $26,400-$38,400

Pricing Structure: Level of Effort (LOE)*

*These numbers are provided as estimates, and will be tracked based on hours spent on each element of the project.
Only hours spent will be billed.

We see zero obstacles working with the Utica Zoo and are eager to help elevate the overall visitor experience through our marketing efforts.

Thank you again for considering McGrogan Design for this RFP.

Sincerely, Ryan & Meghan McGrogan