Davenport, IA - The Ad Group is pleased to announce the creation of TAG Communications, an umbrella corporation that will serve as the parent organization for the specialized agencies working from the company's Davenport, Iowa, headquarters. TAG Communications will provide senior management oversight as well as shared technology and logistical resources to current divisions. The following entities, founded as The Ad Group, will continue to operate as divisions of TAG Communications;

The Ad Group will maintain the direction established over its nearly 20-year history, with efforts focused on service to local, regional and national retail and Business-to-Consumer clients. It will also provide an entry point for new ventures as well as offering marketing services to companies in all stages of development. (http://www.adgroup.biz)

 TAG Healthcare Marketing was formed in 2008 to serve the growing communication needs of The Ad Group's healthcare partners nationwide. Since its inception, TAG Healthcare Marketing has broadened its reach and service to include relationships with clients in Michigan, Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois. (http://www.taghcm.com)

TAG Yellow Pages is a Yellow Pages Association "Certified Marketing Representative" that places advertising for clients nationwide directly with the publishers of thousands of online and print directories throughout the United States and Canada. This allows TAG clients who rely on print and online directories to ensure cost-effective performance consistent with their marketing plan. Certification is given only to those select agencies that have met the industry's strictest qualifying criteria. (http://www.tagyp.com)

TAG Legal Marketing is a full-service marketing firm dedicated to providing state Bar Association-compliant advertising and communications campaigns to law firms nationwide. (http://www.taglegalmarketing.com)

According to TAG Communications President and CEO, Mike Vondran, a key to the company's reorganization was the ability to secure senior management for the new entity. He's pleased to announce the appointment of three new members of the senior management team;

Randy (RJ) Jacobs has been named Senior Vice President. He most recently served as CEO/partner of Jacobs Thoms LLC from 2007-2009, Vice President and Account Director for Charleston Orwig (Milwaukee) from 2003-2007, and President, Managing Partner with Henry Russell Bruce from 1991-2003. RJ has more than twenty-six years of leadership experience in marketing, sales and operational management from successful start-ups to turnaround companies. Throughout RJ's career, he has been instrumental in leading strategy and brand initiatives for clients such as global elevator and escalator manufacturer KONE, Trinity Regional Health System, national healthcare equipment leader Hill-Rom, Genesis Health System, General Electric Major Appliance and Amica Wireless.

Tim Crosby has joined TAG Communications as Vice President Creative/Brand Management. Tim has more than 25 years of experience as the principal creative and marketing strategist for a list of clients that includes Haworth, HarperCollins, John Deere, Rockwell Collins, and Amana. Over the course of his career, he has guided successful product launches for several clients in publishing, the hunting/outdoor industry, the automotive aftermarket, telecommunications and healthcare. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including a "Best of Show" Addy from the Quad Cities Ad Federation in 2001. Tim is the former owner of Crosby-Kirchhoff Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan and has worked with The Ad Group for several years as a consultant. Tim will oversee the creative and branding efforts of all TAG Communications divisions.

David Blake has joined TAG Communications as Vice President, Accounts Management. David brings a high level of strategic planning as well as sales and marketing leadership to the company. Being a proactive leader and coach, David has spent the last several years consulting for companies throughout the United States focusing on business development and overall business strategy.  He served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for i Wireless™  where he was instrumental in creating a pre-paid product as well as increasing the company's overall market share. David also brings experience as Operations Manager for a commercial real estate development firm along with a background in franchise management.

"Our common sense, results-oriented approach has become increasingly valuable to marketers in recent years," notes Vondran. "We're pleased and excited to find a management team that shares that commitment and vision, while providing seasoned, proven leadership. We believe we're building something special, both for our industry and the region. It is an exciting time."

TAG Communications is a complete advertising, marketing and public relations firm with divisions serving a variety of regional clients as well as healthcare, legal and Yellow Pages clients nationwide. TAG Communications is based in the Quad Cities, with offices in Cedar Rapids, IA, Rockford, IL, and Oklahoma City, OK. Founded as The Ad Group in 1990, the company specializes in strategic analysis and creative solutions that deliver results through creative, responsive and cost-effective communication for clients throughout the nation.

###

Annual village shindig will feature games, pet show, bake sale, hayrides, music, more

SCALES MOUND, Ill. - A wide range of entertainment and events will attract a wide range of ages to this little town's annual line-up of big festivities. Scales Mound, located in scenic northwest Illinois, will hold its annual Stagecoach Festival on Friday-Sunday, June 26-28. Most of the family-friendly goings-on will take place in the town's park and town hall located in the center of this rural community.

"This year's event features a lot of new activities, while still keeping tradition with many of our signature fun," said Joann Schultz, one of the festival organizers. "Rain or shine or heat, the Scales Mound Stagecoach Festival is great family fun with something for everyone. It's an easygoing day with a wide variety of things to do."

The fest will once again feature favorites such as an old time tractor pull, 5K and 10K runs, children's games, a bake sale, a town musical, bingo, a strip steak sandwich dinner, a dance and the return of a "Festival Feud" type game show.  Pet lovers will also be able to enter their favorite pets in the "Amazing and Unusual Pet Show." And custom designed commemorative crocks, sporting a rendition of the United Methodist Church by Scales Mound artist Randy Schultz, will be on sale all weekend for $30 each.

The festival will officially kick off Friday evening with the town musical, "Stagecoach Jamboree," performed by "Our Little Community Group" of Scales Mound actors.  Curtain time is 7 p.m. in the Scales Mound School gym; admission is $3 at the door. Friday evening will also feature professional wrestling in the town hall at 7:30 p.m., presented by R and R Wrestling. Tickets are $7 in advance for adults and $8 at the door; for kids 12 and under the ticket price is $5. Tickets can be purchased at Schultz Appliance in Scales Mound or by calling Chris Schultz at 815-541-1392.

The annual 5K and 10K runs will open Saturday's activities. Line-up is at the east end of the park at 9 a.m.  For more information or to enter, contact Jim Davis at jimcdavis@dellmail.com or 815-541-2061. Pre-registration is encouraged. Saturday will also feature an all-day crafts fair in the park. Interested people can call Laura Duerr at 815-297-4152 for more information or to reserve a space.

The town park will also come alive with a wide assortment of kid's games and rides, bingo, a bike rodeo safety program and obstacle course, children's comedy skit, stagecoach rides, horse-drawn shuttle rides, a bake sale by the Ladies Home Extension, a Jo-Carroll Energy Hot Line Demonstration and the Scales Mound Protection District's Safety House. The Community Band will entertain in the bandstand starting at 12:30 p.m., followed by local musician Garrett Hillary. And the local 4H chapter will also serve root beer floats all day. 

Saturday will also see a bean bag tournament, a firefighter competition and water fights in front of the town hall, all at 1 p.m.; the Lil' Cowpoke Contest at 2 p.m.; a cupcake eating contest at 2:30 p.m.; and a tractor rodeo in front of the town hall at 5 p.m. The High Point Cruisers car club will line up at 5 p.m. on the street around the park, with the cruise scheduled for 6. The Scales Mound Recreation Association will sponsor food and beverages, including a beer tent, all day Saturday. Crocks, T-shirts and festival information will be available at the info booth near the center of the park.

A new event called "Cowboy Poetry Around a Campfire" will be held north of the park at 8 p.m. Also new will be a guided Cemetery Walk, which will run every 30 minutes from 8 to 10 p.m.  The event is $3 and includes a hayride to the site. The evening will wrap up with a dance in the park pavilion at 8 p.m.

Sunday will dawn with a breakfast sponsored by the local 4-H group in the town hall from 7:30 a.m. to noon, featuring a heaping country breakfast of eggs, sausage, assorted rolls, coffee, milk and juice. "Old tyme" gospel music will help kick off the morning at 8:30 a.m., followed by an Old Tyme Community Church Service (non-denominational) at 9 a.m., with music by local musicians. A final performance of "Stagecoach Jamboree" will be held at 2 p.m. in the Scales Mound High School Gymnasium.

For more information, visit scalesmound.com or contact Joann Schultz at 815-845-2691 or Sheila Ohms at 815-845-2370.

Moline, Illinois? The Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce and Genesis at Work are proud to present the 2009 State of the Community Address. This year's event will take place on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 12:00pm at the i wireless Center in Moline.

East Moline Mayor John Thodos and Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Rick Baker will deliver this year's address. Listen to the local economic factors and learn about exciting economic developments that are underway in the Quad City area. The State of the Community Address will also serve as the Chamber's Blueprint2010 update.

The Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce is currently accepting reservations for the 2009 State of the Community Address. The cost to attend is $15 for Illinois Quad City Chamber members and $25 for guests. Registration is through the Chamber's website at www.quadcitychamber.com or by calling (309) 757-5416.

###