WILMINGTON, NC, August 30 2010 — Sage Island is happy to announce the addition of four full-time employees to our team. “After a strong summer and increased demand in our services, we have decided to bring on additional staff to strengthen our team and better serve our customers,” said Mike Duncan, CEO of Sage Island.

Spike Bachman has joined the Graphic Design team at Sage Island. Spike has over 14 years in the design and marketing industry creating for print, packaging, environmental graphics and the web. His professional background includes positions as Associate Creative Director at Morvil Advertising + Design Group and Senior Art Director at D3, Inc. He has managed both regional and multi-national accounts with great success and specializes in corporate identity, new product initiatives and online business development. His experience and leadership make Spike an invaluable and complimentary asset to our team at Sage Island.

Matt Miller also joined the design team at Sage Island. Matt graduated from Radford University with a BS in Media Studies, Web Design Concentration and a Minor in Graphic Design. He gained his experience not only in school where he was awarded the Silver ADDY for packaging design among other graphic design awards, but also as a freelance designer providing art direction, branding, and consulting services for commission projects. Matt has quickly become an important member of the Sage Island team.

Patti Ginsberg joins Sage Island as Financial Analyst and brings with her a strong background in accounting and finance. Patti graduated from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia with a Master of Taxation and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Her prior experience includes Corporate Controller of Kempsville Building Materials Inc. in Virginia Beach, VA among other leadership positions. Her impressive background make Pattie a great fit at Sage Island.

Bachman, Miller, and Ginsberg each bring unique talent and experience to Sage Island. “We are fortunate to have such positive growth and are excited to continue providing our customers with the best service possible,” said Mike Duncan.

Shaping the Digital Customer Service Experience

The face of retail is changing and so is customer service— for the better. As featured on CNNMoney.com, Mike Duncan speaks to the digital age of customer service in specialty retail. By integrating social media, product recommendations, consumer reviews,  Live Chat, and more,  learn how to enhance your customer’s shopping experience and supersede any storefront customer service.

IASC, SIMA and BRA members confirmed for China Action Sports Retail Summit and CASE

(Hangzhou, China Aug. 2010) Yeah yeah, you’ve heard how big the China market is and how it’s growing. Yeah, it’ll take over as the worlds largest consumer economy inside of 10 – 15 years, BUT, what’s up with retail over there? Especially Action Sports retail!?! Because the market is still evolving (it’s a biiiiig baby) at retail, the opportunities are diverse and the need for dialog is critical. Early adopter companies will shape the landscape for their own as well as Chinas future Action Sports Market.

With this in mind Wabsono International, the guys that brought you Greg & Rusty Long, Mark Healy and Jamie Sterling surfing the Qiantang River bore and the Baby Dragon series Skate contests, is bringing together Respected U.S. Specialty Retailers, Surf/Skate brand executives and Chinese retailers in a forum to present and discuss the challenges and opportunities that this massive market has to offer.

Held on September 25th in conjunction with the three day Surfing China Tidal Bore Festival in the beautiful city of Hangzhou, the Summit format will include discussions and Q&A from US retailers on how they grew their business in the early years, Chinese retailers discussing how retail is evolving in China (25 yrs ago all retail was government owned) and US Brand leaders discussing how they grew their business in partnership with Independent retailers.

US retailers confirmed:

Mike Duncan of BRA
Todd Roberts of ZJs
Milo Myers of Hangar 94
RB Alexander of Hobie Sports

US Brands confirmed:
Cathey Curtis of Quiksilver
Frank Messman of Black Box
Tod Swank of Tum Yeto
Jenn Kong of Vans

China Retail Panel:
The Source
Sanfuhuwai
Eno
Fly

For additional Information, contact Glenn Brumage gbrumage@cox.net
or visit: http://www.surfingchinaexpo.com/

Buyers looking for the latest products for the upcoming season know exactly where to find them — at ASR. Twice a year the Surf/Skate Lifestyle and Fashion industries invade San Diego to conduct business and preview lines for the upcoming seasons. ASR tradeshow provides an authentic and efficient forum for buyers, sellers, media, and the investment community to conduct business and move the action sports industry forward. It’s the platform that unites brands of all sizes with an unmatched national and international buying audience.

Mike Duncan, Sage Island’s CEO, will be presenting three different seminars during the show.

The Board Retailers Association (BRA) hosts Survival of the Fittest – BRA Retail Certification Programs August 12th, 2010. Retailers are encouraged to take advantage of the trip to the trade shows by attending a full-day of certified retail education focused on current market issues facing specialty retailers.

Strengthening Your Website’s Presence through an Integrated Marketing Plan
Presented by: Mike Duncan, Sage Island Marketing Agency
10:00 am on August 12th

Your website is a critical component of your business. At a time when online competition has never been so fierce, it’s crucial to have a marketing plan for your website that drives results. This seminar, presented my Mike Duncan, CEO of Sage Island addresses the necessity of a well designed, innovative site, and how to properly market it through a hands on  approach of planning, analysis, and optimization. Mike speaks to the art of  SEO and PPC tactics and how to  expand your brand on the web to drive results.

Ten Ways for Retailers to Improve Website Presence
Presented by: Mike Duncan, Sage Island Marketing Agency
Saturday, August 14th at 11:00 am

In the ever changing world of retail, competition has never been more fierce. Your website is a critical component of your business. This seminar teaches a fully integrated marketing approach leading you through the basics of a well designed, innovative site, and how to properly utilize e-commerce solutions. Learn how to build and expand your presence on the web to drive sales and maximize your bottom line.

Leveraging the Power of Social Media
Presented by: Mike Duncan, Sage Island Marketing Agency and Danny Keith, Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop
Saturday, August 14th at 2:00 pm

Over the last few years, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have gone from college networking sites to marketing powerhouses. Businesses today tap into Facebook to reach their audience in more targeted, local, and efficient ways than ever before.  This seminar, presented by Danny Keith, owner of the Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop, and Mike Duncan CEO of Sage Island, teaches the latest tactics and applications that elevate social media from self promotion sites to professional lead generating tools.

Well, the Sage team, or should I say “Cow Crew”, couldn’t pass this opportunity up! Taking a moment to create our best last minute cow costumes, we attached spots, ears, noses and tails to ourselves and entered the CFA as proud as ever for lunch. The Wilmington herd of cows was all present, and Chic-fil-A did a fabulous job promoting this event. Complete with balloons, magicians, the CFA cow, spin the wheel coupons and much more, we at Sage Island feel this marketing tactic was a success and brought in a tremendous amount of foot traffic! Great job and thank you CFA! Always a pleasure to participate in the food, festivities and fun!

If you’re like me, you’re constantly learning something new when it comes to SEO.  Keeping up with the ever changing trends is hard enough, understanding exactly how search engines work can get overwhelming. Recently I stumbled upon what is now my go-to SEO Reference:  The Beginners Guide to SEO. If you haven’t read through this tutorial (which chances are pretty good you have, since it’s the world’s most read SEO guide)  I recommend you visit the site! You can read online or download a copy of this really helpful information.

This Graphic Designer will develop compelling print and website designs that effectively convey unique brand experiences and maximize online marketing.​ We are looking for a design “rockstar” to develop and execute award-winning creative from concept through design approval.​ This role will require an ability to translate business needs into actionable creative solutions that make use of web design and print best practices to drive consumer behavior.​ Exceptional creative conception and web/print ​graphic design skills are required.​ ​ Experience designing for content management systems is ideal.

Responsibilities

• Develops creative concepts and designs innovative website structures and graphical assets that convey unique brand experiences in a way that meets business objectives and drives online business.
• Delivers top-notch creative solutions that can be implemented within a content management system, and pushes the boundaries of what a CMS is capable of from a design perspective.
• Ensures all work incorporates defined requirements and employs best practices in creative execution and user experience design.
• Presents creative concepts internally to the creative director and other key stakeholders, as well as externally to clients.
• Collaborates with implementation managers, copywriters and production designers to ensure creative alignment and a smooth transfer of work between teams.
• Ensures all timelines and deadlines are met.​ Keeps implementation managers and creative managers informed of project status, and proactively brings issues/​problems to their attention.
• Adheres to defined creative workflow and contributes to the evolution of our overall creative process.
• Provides quality assurance on all creative deliverables.​ Ensures all files (and associated content) are accurate and accessible on the creative server.
• Participates in kick-off meetings, design reviews, department meetings and training sessions as requested.
• Keeps up to date on design and technology trends to ensure work remains fresh and relevant.

Skills

• Advanced knowledge of digital design tools, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and Dreamweaver
• Ability to quickly familiarize with brand goals and integrate brand experience into designs
• Ability to self-manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast paced environment
• Ability to generate, articulate and present creative ideas and strategies
• Strong interpersonal skills that encourage team cooperation,collaboration, promote enthusiasm, and motivate strategic thinking
• Experience with HTML, CSS and content management systems
• Working knowledge of video editing software and mobile platform design is a plus

Qualifications/​Requirements

• 3-5 years experience as a Graphic Designer (agency experience is a plus)
• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design/​electronic media preferred

Full-time with benefits package. Send us a cover letter, resume and an online portfolio. Specify Graphic Designer in subject line to jobs@sageisland.com.