Each business is different, and a “one size” marketing strategy does not fit all. Located in downtown Valparaiso, Indiana, JCMA helps small and medium-sized businesses throughout the region find their voice and reach their customers by building a digital presence that outshines the competition in today’s online world. Focusing equally on the left and right sides of the brain, we create compelling, powerful content, then measures the results of our efforts, adapting to make clients’ results as strong as possible.
Joseph C. Markovich
President + CEO
Born and raised in Northwest Indiana, Joe’s grandmother and father first introduced him to technology at the age of five. By the time he was 16, he was teaching people to navigate this newfangled “internet” while working an after-school job at the Whiting Public Library.
With 20 years’ worth of expertise to his name, Joe directs and manages all technology projects for our clients. Joe graduated from Purdue University Northwest with two Bachelor’s Degrees: one in Computer Information Systems Technology and the other in Organizational Leadership and Supervision with a concentration in Human Resources.
To disconnect, Joe renovates a historic 1900 house and wrangles his two cats, Ernest and Bill. He loves to escape to a secluded cabin on the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan with (thankfully) spotty cell reception.
Sean Hay
Chief Many Things Officer
Everyone pokes fun at the vegetable cans on his desk used to store pens and pencils. Sean brought these cans to his first “office” job in 2002 at Sears HQ as his little way to stand out in a sea of cubicle drones. These good luck totems, though a little faded these days, have followed him to every job since.
After holding different incarnations of marketing and branding roles for almost 20 years, Sean found his way into ecommerce and website design when consumers started shifting from stores to online. As Chief Many Things Officer, Sean passionately helps small and medium-size businesses achieve their goals by helping them create and market a brand that reaches and connects with people.
With a soft spot for environmental organizations, Sean sits on the board of the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, which protects and restores natural land right here in Northwest Indiana. He also tries to keep a little polish his public speaking skills as a member of the Singing Sands Toastmasters club in Michigan City.
Renea Gallagher
Creative Director
After working in Chicago marketing agencies for several years, Renea decided to start her own business so she could spend more time with her two sons. Since she joined us here at JCMA, we’ve learned two important things about Renea: she never hesitates to tell us exactly what she thinks about a design, and nothing – not even us – stands in her way of dark roast coffee.
When she’s not working at JCMA, Renea researches design and fashion trends and creates textile collections for the activewear market. She believes having a pulse on what’s going on in several areas of design makes you a stronger overall creative.
Time and time again, Renea reaches for Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert as a reminder to not stress over the “empty canvas” she faces daily. In her limited free time, she enjoys taking barre classes and listening to live music.
Haleigh Vander Vinne
Content Marketing Strategist + Email Marketer
After three years pursuing her passion playing soccer at Holy Cross College, Haleigh returned home to focus on her career at Purdue University Northwest. A big decision. Unable to decide between her two loves — writing and designing — she chose both, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in Visual Communication Design.
Starting out at a newspaper like most writers, Haleigh wanted to interwine her two loves into one career. She searched for creative writing outlets at Lakeshore Public Media as a grant writer, Shirley Heinze Land Trust writing blogs, and JCMA for social media. In 2019, Haleigh found a combination of writing and design as a social media and content marketing specialist at JCMA.
To escape from reality, Haleigh reads fantasy and sci-fi books, transporting her to entirely new universes. With her wealth of reading, she can recommend a good book to anyone who asks. In her free time, fitness and nature are her other passions.
Drew Benner
Multimedia Designer
Inspired by his love of music and movies, Drew Benner has been designing movie posters and album covers since he could walk. At 19, he started his own side hustle creating logos and illustrations, relying on social media to help him grow his business.
Before COVID, Drew worked at a print shop in Michigan, designing graphics and illustrations for apparel and screen printing. Landing at RE/MAX Lifestyles in Valpo, he started tinkering with Adobe’s Premiere Pro to create more engaging marketing material (aka videos). Seeing firsthand how popular video is, he’s continued building his video editing and motion graphics skillset, and today turns out exceptionally engaging video content for a range of JCMA’s clients.
During the summer, Drew enjoys bike riding, hiking and traveling. He’s been up and down the East and West coasts and almost everywhere in between, but his favorite vacation spot is the Rockies in Colorado.
Katie Bieber
Copywriter + Web Developer
Pre-COVID, Katie spent her days and nights singing opera at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. Since then, we’ve been lucky to have her putting her writing and web design talents to good use here at JCMA. Not that we don’t try to get her to belt out the occasional aria…
Ever since taking a HTML and CSS course in her undergraduate years at the University of Kansas, she’s been hooked on web design and continued learning on her own over the years. When Katie first moved to Chicago, she revamped a small, family-owned business’s online presence to showcase their skilled, artisan services and integrated an online appointment feature that skyrocketed their sales.
For so long, Katie has worked in an industry that bred, and frankly encouraged, constant comparison. Eleanor Roosevelt’s words, “Comparison is a thief of joy” taught her how to appreciate her unique qualities, as well as finding joy and gratitude in the present moment. In her free time, you’ll find Katie practicing yoga, reading narrative nonfiction, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her four siblings.