Ed W. Rhodes, President

Currently, Rhodes focuses advertising acumen, marketing strategy skills and creative solutions on fast-growing Wilmington-based businesses while serving as the advertising/public relations/strategic planning arm of entrepreneurial companies in North Carolina, Charleston SC, Washington DC, Minneapolis MN, as well as offshore in the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Rhodes spent 16 years as account executive/supervisor at BBDO, one of the largest Madison Avenue advertising agencies, where he directed strategic planning, award-winning advertising campaigns, and integrated promotional programs for a host of multinational blue-chip package goods, communications, manufacturing corporations, including industrials like the 3M company, Honeywell and the National Flaxseed Association. The latter included such well-known names as Cargill, Sherwin-Williams, and ADM.

Additionally, In Minneapolis/St. Paul he served for 17 years as Corporate Vice President of Advertising, Strategic Planning and Public Relations for National Car International at their world headquarters.

Before moving south, he was President of Damart Advertising, specializing in “niche” creative advertising and specialized media placement for companies like Household International, Eljer Plumbing, Mud Cat Dredges and a hardware chain.

A business graduate of Washington University, Rhodes took his post-grad Masters of Marketing Science at the University of Illinois, later completing the UCLA Graduate School of Marketing Management Science.

Nationally, he is a past recognized member of the American Management Marketing Council. Rhodes has served for 11 years on the Advisory Board of the International Institute for Effective Communications.

Locally, Rhodes is active in the community, having served on the Board of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, now active on the Wilmington Symphony Board, as well as on the officer Board of the Cape Fear Navy League. With is wife Mary-Lou, his clubs include the City Club de Rosset, the Cape Fear U.S. Power Squadron and the historical Carolina Yacht Club (where Ed is a helmsman with the ocean racing fleet).