Chicago area-based foodservice agency Esrock Partners announced that Kevin Wilson, President and Lead Strategist with the foodservice agency since 2012, will assume additional responsibilities as CEO and owner of the company.
Wilson succeeds current Esrock Partners owner and CEO Jack Coughlin, who is retiring in April after four decades of leadership of the agency he founded in 1978.
“I’m honored and humbled to assume ownership of this successful agency,” Wilson says. “It’s a really exciting time for Esrock as we continue to deliver on our promise of helping our client partners connect their brands to their target audiences in new and different ways.”
A 25-year veteran of results-driven marketing, Wilson joined Esrock Partners 18 years ago and has served as the lead strategist on major accounts including McCain Foods, Tyson Foods, Kellogg’s and others. His strategic client leadership, account service philosophy and unique insights into the foodservice industry have directly contributed to Esrock Partners’ success. Wilson also heads up Esrock Partners’ business development program and represents the agency on the committees of several prominent industry organizations throughout the country.
“With our expanding outlook for 2019 and beyond, the timing is right for dynamic new leadership,”Coughlin says. “Kevin is one of our industry’s best and brightest leaders. He has a passion for helping clients build their brands. With his unique vision for both the agency and the growth of our clients’ businesses, Esrock employees and our client partners are in very good hands.”
With the new ownership comes a new address for the agency. Starting in June 2019, the agency will open its doors at 60 N Frontage Rd., Suite 100, Burr Ridge, IL 60527. This centralized Chicagoland location is more geographically desirable to Esrock Partners’ current clients and will help the agency better serve them.
The ad agency Jack Coughlin built and ran for 41 years has enjoyed a unique place in Chicagoland history. Dedicated to veterans of the Vietnam war (Coughlin himself is a Vietnam veteran), the agency features the only privately sponsored veterans memorial affiliated with a for-profit business in the Southwest suburbs.
A leading agency working with the non-commercial, commercial and ingredients segments of the food and foodservice industry, Esrock Partners has a client roster that ranges from specialized, family-owned food related businesses to multi-national corporations with major retail and foodservice brands. Esrock Partners has specialized in food, foodservice, equipment and ingredient strategic planning, advertising and marketing communications since 1978.
