Coopwood Communications
expands to Jackson with new office
DBJ sister company sees opportunity in Capitol City

By ROBERT MCFARLAND JR.
DBJ Contributing Writer

Twelve years ago, Scott Coopwood left the publishing business in Jackson packing up his family and returning to the Delta in order to enter a family business in the small town of Shelby. A few years after coming home to Shelby, the publishing bug hit him again and he started the Delta Business Journal, a venture that many encouraged him not to try for fear that such a publication would not be a success in the Delta.

“It was a huge risk, no doubt about it,” says Coopwood with a laugh. “But, we made it and I hope that we have made a difference here in the Delta with the publication. We are not afraid to raise a pro-business flag over the Delta in each and every issue.”

Now, the DBJ has just celebrated its sixth year in publication – a great achievement in any part of the country, but especially in the Mississippi Delta in a venture as tough as the newspaper business.

A year after creating the Delta Business Journal, Coopwood started a full-service advertising agency in Cleveland calling it Coopwood Communications. Today, Coopwood’s firm represents some of the largest corporations in the Delta. Last year, he started another business, Delta Magazine, one of the state’s premier lifestyle magazines. And last month, he expanded his ad agency to downtown Jackson, a move that had long been planned.

“About a year ago, we opened a small office in Ridgeland and sent our main graphic designer at the time, Greg Pevey, down there to run it,” says Coopwood. “Because we had also just started Delta Magazine, our focus shifted from building that office to making sure that Delta Magazine was a success. This past summer when Delta Magazine reached the one-year mark, we felt that it was on solid ground and now we could turn our attention once again to building the ad agency office in Jackson.”

Located next to the Governor’s Mansion in downtown Jackson in the Plaza Building, Coopwood Communications occupies half of the ninth floor and according to Coopwood the Jackson office will also be a huge addition to the Cleveland office in the way of being able to offer more services and talent.

“We have been extremely lucky to hire several people in the Jackson office who come to us with years of experience at other Jackson ad agencies,” says Coopwood. “While we are blessed to have a great team here in the Cleveland office, the new talent in the Jackson office will be a great compliment to our company overall.”

Heading up the Jackson office is Chip Mabry, former public relations manager at The Cirlot Agency in Jackson. Mabry, also the former spokesperson for the Metropolitan Crime Commission, will be the Chief Operating Officer.

“I was completely happy creating my own freelance practice,” says Mabry. “But when I saw Scott’s concept and vision, I knew this was a rare opportunity. I have led the effort to staff the Jackson office and when doing so I wanted to keep the staff in the state, I believe in the creative talent of Mississippians, we don’t need to go to St. Louis or L.A. to find a creative director like others often do.”

The creative director of the Jackson office is Sid Scott who comes to Coopwood after six years with GodwinGroup also of Jackson.

“An agency’s creative output is its calling card,” says Scott. “My vision is creative that reaches audiences, triggers emotions and changes minds. We’re going to make a difference with our product in Mississippi and across the Southeast.”

“We plan to stay lean, efficient and productive,” says Coopwood. “We don’t care to be the next big agency in Mississippi and we plan to handle our growth very carefully. This industry can be very volatile and the norm is to staff up and lay people off as needed. I am committed to a more stable business model.

“We will not only offer traditional ad agency services, we’ll also offer many cutting edge services through technology and other sources that we have at our disposal,” says Coopwood. “That and our efficient size will separate us from other agencies.”

For more information, visit their web site at www.coopwood.net or call 662-843-3432 in Cleveland. In Jackson, call 601-352-5308. DBJ