From the beginning...
Senator
Kemp (right) introduces LBJ on the "WhistleStop Tour" in 1964
By the time he was 35 years old, Ed Kemp had experienced a lot in his life. The youngest of 10 children, he graduated from High Point High School, joined the Marines and spent 4 years in the South Pacific, attended High Point University, graduated from Duke University, married Jessie Dean Kemp, served another 2 years in the Marines during the Korean War, and had worked as a reporter and editor for the High Point Enterprise and Southern Furniture News. He was also the youngest person to be elected to the N.C. House of Representatives and went on to serve 3 terms in the House and 2 terms in the N.C. Senate.
THEN, he started an ad agency. Early on, Ed Kemp demanded that his company would maintain the highest standards of honesty, integrity and quality of work when dealing with employees, suppliers and clients. Today, EKA has evolved into one of the most dynamic and creative agencies in the country, his son Jon adheres strictly to the same business principles his father established years ago.
Principles
Jon Kemp, President
Jon
literally grew up in marketing and advertising, coming to work at a young
age for the agency his father founded. He learned the family business from
the bottom up, hands-on. When he took over as President of Ed Kemp Associates,
the digital technology that would revolutionize our industry was already
making its presence felt. Jon's broad experience and openness to change
enabled him to engineer EKA's smooth transition from traditional, mass media-focused,
top-down marketing to today's integrated, highly personal, customer-controlled
model.
Under his leadership the agency continues to offer a full array of services, from branding and strategy to production and implementation, including the effective and award-winning work of our New Media division. However, Jon believes our success comes primarily from honesty, service and results, fundamental elements of the family business model that do not change with time or technology. He's also carrying on his family's tradition of community service, actively supporting such worthy causes as the Boys and Girls Club, Communities in Schools and the MDA. He's a graduate of High Point University.
Tony Faucette, Vice-President
Tony
is responsible for New Business Development and Account Service. His goal
for each prospective client is to present a strategic blueprint so accurate,
it can be put into immediate action once we join forces. He also oversees
"quality control," ensuring that our work is effective and the
level of service for our current clients remains high.
Since his graduation from UNC-Wilmington, Tony has been involved in sales, marketing and promotions for retail, service and business-to-business outfits. Early in his career he and his brother opened a sporting goods store, where he learned on a very personal level what it takes to build a business from scratch. He gained further experience in a variety of sales environments with companies such as Spa Health Systems, Pitney Bowes and Landmark Communications, rising quickly to management wherever he worked. He was often called upon to develop and implement sales training programs, several of which have won awards.
Today, as a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador, Tony promotes and recruits Chamber members, helping new businesses, especially, get a strong start in the community. He also has a passion for mission work and has traveled to rural communities in several Central American countries as part of a construction team, laying the foundation for a better life, one home and one family at a time.
Community Involvement
Ed Kemp Associates continually gives back to the community through pro bono graphic design, audio/video projects, PR and brand development for non-profit agencies including:
- Boys & Girls Clubs
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters
- Communities In Schools
- High Point Public Library
- Ad Club of the Triad
- Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC)
- Guilford County Humane Society
- High Point University Panther Club
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
EKA Culture
