Partnership includes new three-year, $1
million investment plus new scholarship program in
Milwaukee
SUSSEX,
Wis., Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
Quad/Graphics, Inc ("Quad"), a global marketing experience company,
and the Harry V. Quadracci family's Windhover Foundation today
announced a new three-year, $1
million commitment to The BrandLab, a non-profit dedicated
to changing the face and voice of the marketing profession by
creating career opportunities for young people from diverse ethnic
backgrounds. Additionally, Quad and The BrandLab have created a new
scholarship program to support students pursuing a degree in
marketing or advertising. These actions build on an initial
three-year, $1 million commitment
that helped The BrandLab extend its presence to the Milwaukee market in 2021.
"Quad and the Windhover Foundation are committed to this work
because it is deeply connected to our values and reflects our
long-standing commitment to invest in the future of the
Milwaukee community through
programs that grow human capital," said Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President and CEO of
Quad. "The BrandLab is helping drive a meaningful difference for
young people by providing access and opportunities to careers in
the marketing and advertising profession. The BrandLab is
purpose-built to help achieve that reality."
The $1 million investment will
bolster The BrandLab's programmatic efforts and help accelerate its
growth. Specifically, it will help:
- Enhance and expand The Brand Lab's Fearless Workshops, which
challenge marketing professionals to consider how their
organizations can adopt more inclusive practices.
- Support events and programming that introduce high school
students to marketing careers. The BrandLab seeks to increase
overall program exposure of BIPOC youth by 20% through
2027.
- Improve access to marketing careers by continuing to provide
internships and facilitate new marketing partner connections to
help increase internship placements by 40% through 2027.
- Provide annual co-branded scholarships to promote continued
education in marketing.
Said Kelli Williams, CEO of The
BrandLab: "Quad's ongoing partnership has been essential to our
work, which not only helps team members bring their full selves to
work, but diversifies the creative field to ensure agencies and
corporate marketing departments are representing a broad range of
communities accurately and authentically. Quad and the Quadracci
family have committed their financial resources, along with their
time and talent, to advance our mission and we could not be more
grateful."
Quad is also supporting The BrandLab's new Future Innovators
Scholarship, which provides Milwaukee youth with funding to pursue an
education in marketing or advertising. The 2024 scholarship
recipient, Cristal Ortiz, is a
rising junior at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree
in marketing. "Receiving support from groups like The BrandLab
means a lot," Ortiz said. "They not only help fund my education,
but they provide me with access to resources like networking and
internships. Being a first-generation student can be difficult, but
groups like these provide a point of contact for people that are
rooting for you."
Since its founding 15 years ago in 2009, The BrandLab has
introduced thousands of students to creative careers, placing more
than 500 interns in corporations and agencies in Minneapolis, Kansas City and Milwaukee, with 94% of recent program
graduates hired into the industry full-time.
In the last three years alone, Quad has helped The BrandLab
establish 35 partner relationships and place 81 interns in
Milwaukee agencies and
companies.
About Quad
Quad (NYSE: QUAD) is a global marketing experience company that
helps brands make direct consumer connections, from household to
in-store to online. Supported by state-of-the-art technology and
data-driven intelligence, Quad uses its suite of media, creative
and production solutions to streamline the complexities of
marketing and remove friction from wherever it occurs in the
marketing journey. Quad tailors its uniquely flexible, scalable and
connected solutions to clients' objectives, driving cost
efficiencies, improving speed to market, strengthening marketing
effectiveness, and delivering value on client investments.
Quad employs approximately 13,000 people in 14 countries and
serves approximately 2,700 clients including industry leading
blue-chip companies that serve both businesses and consumers in
multiple industry verticals, with a particular focus on commerce,
including retail, consumer packaged goods, and direct-to-consumer;
financial services; and health. Quad is ranked among the largest
agency companies in the U.S. by Ad Age, buoyed by its
full-service Rise media agency
and Betty creative agency. Quad is also one the largest
commercial printers in North
America, according to Printing Impressions.
For more information about Quad, including its commitment to
ongoing innovation, culture and sustainable impact,
visit quad.com.
About The BrandLab
The BrandLab (TBL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in
Minneapolis, Minn., and has a growing presence in the Midwest. The
mission of The BrandLab is to change the face and voice of the
marketing and advertising profession. For more information, visit
thebrandlab.org.
About The Windhover Foundation
Established in 1983 by Quad founder Harry V. Quadracci, The Windhover Foundation is
a private foundation supporting organizations dedicated to meeting
a pressing, unfulfilled social need. Named after "The Windhover," a
poem written by Gerard Manley
Hopkins, the foundation over the years has helped a wide
variety of groups and initiatives including homeless shelters,
hospices, women's programs, libraries, playgrounds, parks and
arenas, and food pantries.
Media Contact
Claire Ho
Director of Corporate Communications, Quad
414-566-2955
cho@quad.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quad-and-the-quadracci-familys-windhover-foundation-deepen-commitment-to-the-brandlab-302250829.html
SOURCE Quad