Name: Venture Connectors | Build it and they will come
Start: 2016-10-05T11:30:00+00:00
End: 2016-10-05T13:15:00+00:00
Location: Muhammad Ali Center, 6th Floor

Are you building your business today as if you plan to sell it tomorrow? Join us for Venture Connectors' Oct. 5 luncheon to hear from Chuck Patton, co-founder of Louisville-based Traffic Builders Inc., who will share how he successfully positioned his communications firm for acquisition by Houston-based direct marketing company GS Marketing Inc. in August 2015.

Patton will discuss how he boosted the value of Traffic Builders’ intellectual property, despite declining sales, to make it an attractive acquisition. GS Marketing is a single resource for high-impact lead generation campaigns, one-to-one communications and results-driven loyalty/retention programs. As a preferred vendor for Toyota Motor Sales, GS Marketing specializes in marketing solutions for Toyota and Scion dealerships across the country. Patton and his wife, Tricia Patton, founded Traffic Builders in 1998 as a direct mail company. It later evolved into a multi-channel communications agency that included e-mail, web and mobile app channels, integrated on one comprehensive platform. Traffic Builders was a niche marketer within the automotive industry, specifically assisting service departments of new car dealerships. With sales of just under $6 million and 30 employees, Traffic Builders was a Greater Louisville Inc. Gazelle company and was named to Business First of Louisville’s fastest growing companies list four years in a row, topping at No. 6. The purchase of Traffic Builders has allowed GS Marketing to gain a new print and digital marketing technology platform to strengthen its data-driven direct marketing solutions for the automotive industry and expand its customer base within the automotive and recreational vehicle industries. Patton now serves as director of marketing for GS Marketing and is based in the company’s Louisville office. He is a Northern Kentucky native and graduate of Western Kentucky University. Early in his career, he worked part time staffing promotional events for the automotive sector across the United States. He also did a brief stint with a startup company that he bought out a year later for $2.

---------- An important purpose of our organization is to help facilitate and encourage the expansion of business and commercial investment activities in the Kentuckiana region. Our events include monthly luncheons and our annual Venture Sharks™ competition. And, we participate in many other regional, entrepreneurial events such as the Idea Festival, Startup Slams, and the Vogt Awards. If you are interested in making valuable contacts, exchanging information, or pursuing mutual business opportunities, please join us at one of our events or our monthly luncheons. Luncheon meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month in downtown Louisville from 11:30 to 1:15 PM EST. Each meeting features:

30-second open mic announcements by about upcoming new companies, activities, and programs relevant to our members.
Five-minute presentations by entrepreneurs interested in obtaining capital to start up or support growth and expansion of their businesses.
A guest speaker with an entrepreneurial success stories or one who discusses venture or financing issues or trends affecting today’s entrepreneurial climate.

Membership is open to business professionals, venture capitalists, private investors, attorneys, accountants, consultants, and students who are involved in the entrepreneurial community. We offer Corporate Memberships, Full Memberships and Associate Memberships.