EnTrends

Jo-Anne Dressendofer started
IMEDIA, Inc., eleven years ago
when she realized that a majority of
marketing agencies lacked the
expertise to translate the technical
terms that were a part of many
products and services. Companies
had previously given their products'
technical information to marketing
agencies. The job of the agencies was
to package the product and make it
appealing. The media was the only
source with a staff that could translate
the technical terms into plain English.
Imedia reversed this process.

With a background in marketing
various technologies, Dressendofer
started IMEDIA with the idea that it
would be one of the first companies
to provide full-scale marketing
communications all under one roof.
One of Imedia's attractions is that it
utilizes new and emerging technology
that aids in marketing products and
services. Her company offers
Marketing Consulting, Web
Technologies, Creative Marketing,
Public Relations and Interactive
media.

IMEDIA is not an agency-it is a
"marketing technology center." In
addition to personal services,
IMEDIA offers a virtual marketing
center online. Clients can access their
own custom area and see the
progress that Imedia is making with
their campaign. Dressendofer says
that this feature speeds up the
approval process.

Not only does the staff at IMEDIA
have sufficient knowledge about
marketing, they also have an insight
into the business issues that are
associated with each of their client's
industries. This sets IMEDIA apart
from its competitors and gives it an
edge in the marketing communications
industry.

Since IMEDIA's inception, Dressendofer
has helped launch numerous companies,
product services, and software products
into the consumer, networking, services,
and telecommunications and Internet
applications industry. Some of IMEDIA's
clients have included AT&T Solutions,
EDS, Lucent Technologies, Sony, Nabisco
and Sharp.

Dressendofer told EnTrends that she
knew her company would be a
success from day one. Although she
didn't have a penny to start with, she
has had over $2.2 million in sales at
one point. Ironically, one of her
challenges has been convincing
customers exactly what her company
can do. "People are used to one area
of marketing. When you have several
lines of business in your organization,
they want to know what you can do
for them." With the success of
Imedia, it appears that Dressendofer
is doing a good job of convincing her
clients.

EnTrends asked Dressendofer what
she likes to do in her free time. She
said, "Time is a precious commodity
to me. I try to take short trips now
and then and I enjoy going to
Mexico." Dressendofer says that her
business has given her a rare
opportunity to work with top
industry officials. "The chance to
work with people like Bill Gates and
the President of AT&T has been
thrilling."

When EnTrends asked what advice
Dressendofer would give to other
entrepreneurs starting out she stated,
"Do not take your dreams with you
to Heaven. Act on them. Many
people hold their ideas in the thinking
stage and never cross over that first
hurdle. There is no real right or
wrong as an entrepreneur. Not
everything has to be lined up. It is
better to have tried than never tried
at all."

In 1994, Dressendofer won the prestigious
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Award and the Blue Chip Enterprise
Award. She also won an Inc. 500 Award
and, in 1995, IMEDIA was named in the
list of the top 20 fastest growing
companies in the State of New Jersey by
Governor Christine Whitman.
Dressendofer has been featured in such
publications as Forbes, PC Week, The
New York Times and Cosmo. In addition,
she has been featured on the television
networks ABC, CBS, and CNBC.