Jim Kohlhardt from Saturn Lounge joins us this week as we discuss how to successfully tell your story. Jim has worked with many clients over the past 25 years, helping their businesses grow by telling effective and engaging stories. He and Dave talk about reaching new customers through different strategies and by using effective calls to action. They touch on the importance of your website and how that assists in making a good first impression. Looking to grow your business by reaching new customers? Want to know more about video marketing? Wondering how to engage your customers? This is the episode for you!
Bio:
Jim Kohlhardt, President of Saturn Lounge and Digital Color, Inc., took an interesting career path to business leadership. It all started when he helped out at his family’s business, Bobke Paint, while he was in middle school. He so enjoyed helping customers pick out supplies that in 1984 he decided to attend UW-Whitewater’s School of Business, focusing on sales and marketing. Jim graduated Summa Cum Laude in May1988.
After college, Jim began his professional career in sales with Harris/Lanier but quickly moved into medical sales with Waukesha-based Innovative Control Systems. After a four-year career traveling the U.S., selling to hospitals and long-term care facilities, Jim accepted a position with Agfa, calling on hospitals, medical centers and clinics in Wisconsin and Michigan. SC Johnson then recruited Jim to sell chemicals for their Professional division in 1996. Jim expected to stay at SCJ for his entire career in large part because his wife Amy had
already been at SCJ for 5 years when he started with the company. However, life had other plans. Amy’s parents, who were running Menomonee Falls-based Digital Color, Inc., a prepress company specializing in offset color separations and high-end photo scanning and image manipulation, reached out to Jim for help. Significant changes in the industry pushed their business to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and they hoped that Jim
could lead them to rebound. He started with Digital Color on January 2nd, 1996, with a focus on developing both new clients for the business and a long-term diversification strategy. That diversification strategy began by opening Saturn Lounge in 2002, a commercial photo studio that would also feed work to Digital Color. Under Jim’s leadership (he was named President of Saturn from day one) and through his talent for sales, Saturn
Lounge grew from a startup to one of the leading photo studios in Wisconsin by 2010. And that’s about the time that video became a viable and impactful marketing tool. Of course, Saturn Lounge dove in headfirst, and soon, the company was producing as much video and broadcast content as still imagery.
By 2017, Jim’s in-laws had retired, and it was up to him to pick a long-term strategy for both businesses. He decided to evolve Saturn into a full-service marketing agency that provided strategy and produced deliverables for a variety of audiences. After years of focusing on sales, Jim was excited to return to his marketing roots and combine both disciplines in the most effective manner possible. He recruited a strong digital and design team focused on creating impactful websites, marketing content and digital campaigns for a variety of clients. Today, Saturn Lounge and Digital Color operate in a 20,000 square foot studio and agency in Waukesha, WI. Jim leads a team of thirty-five talented creative and marketing professionals, working together to serve clients of all sizes with marketing strategy, content creation and execution. Kalmbach Media Co. approached Jim with an interest in purchasing Saturn Lounge in April 2021. While Jim was not thinking about selling the business, he agreed to listen to their offer. Kalmbach Media’s acquisition of Saturn Lounge and Digital Color closed on
November 1st, 2021. Today, Jim is President of both Digital Color and Saturn Lounge and an Executive Vice President at Kalmbach Media.
Jim and his wife Amy met in January 1987 and married on March 2nd, 1991. They are blessed with three children: Bennett, 27, Ray, 25 and Maggie Rose, 22. Jim and Amy live on Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc and love spending time with their children and friends in Lake Country. Jim and Amy also enjoy outdoor activities and their travel destinations typically feature warm weather along with one of the planet’s oceans. Jim is also an avid sports fan and follows the NBA and NFL seasons closely.
Get In Touch:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkohlhardt/
Offer from Jim: Free, no obligation marketing ecosystem assessment performed by Saturn Lounge.
E-mail Jim at jim.kohlhardt@saturnlounge.com to learn more!
Tip of the week:
Tip #1 from Jim: Read your Bible every day!
Tip #2 from Jim: If you do these two things, you will succeed:
#1 Find a reason to like everyone you meet.
#2 Be mindful of what you say to people.
