When Jeff Snyder jumped off his career path to start his own marketing agency in 2008, he drew inspiration from one person: His daughter.
“Kennedy was diagnosed at an early age with a really rare form of spinal cord tumor,” Inspira”™s chief inspiration officer told the Business Journal of his then-2-year-old daughter. “The first few years were surgeries, chemotherapy protocols, blood transfusions, physical therapy, occupational therapy, rehab to get her through all the physical limitations. But at the end of the day, she just wanted to be a kid, to go out and play, to be normal.”
As Snyder watched his tiny child battle, he started to think about his own life trajectory.
“To see her come through all of those hurdles and obstacles, it was just like ”” ”˜Wow, if she can do that, what”™s holding me back?”™” he said. “She was my inspiration. Hence the name.”
Today, Kennedy is a junior in college, and South Norwalk-based Inspira Marketing has an impressive list of high-end clients for whom Snyder”™s team has designed experiential marketing programs. Jeep, Life is Good, Geico and National Geographic are just a few whose case studies can be found on Inspira”™s website.
But that is only half of its success story.
“It was always in my mind that yes, we want to do great work. Yes, we want to work with great brands,” Snyder said. “But what kind of impact could we make that really utilizes our strengths to make a difference in this world?”
Snyder first channeled his efforts toward his personal mission of eradicating pediatric cancer. During the time of his daughter”™s illness, he had connected with Alex”™s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer ”” a nonprofit focused on funding research, raising awareness and supporting families that was started by a family who lost a child. Snyder pledged that Inspira would contribute to that legacy.
“We get involved in a lot of different levels,” he said. “As a creative agency, we have top-notch designers and thinkers and strategists so we can find out what their needs are and how we can help them grow. We can identify potential sponsors and partners to see how they can become part of something bigger.”
One initiative of Alex”™s foundation, The Million Mile childhood cancer awareness challenge, invites people of all ages to walk, ride or bike throughout the month of September with a goal of collectively moving 1 million miles. Snyder said he tries to get the word out around lower Fairfield County any way he can.
“September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month,” he noted, “so that”™s when you”™ll see me running around town in the lemon suit, rallying people for the Million Mile.”
Expanding outreach
Building upon the success of its efforts for Alex”™s, Inspira expanded a few years ago to include other worthy causes, chosen from employee proposals.
“Once a quarter, we”™ll pull in the whole company and create almost a ”˜Shark Tank”™ experience,” Snyder said. “Groups will pick a cause and present their ideas. Then we have a whole panel of judges who will evaluate five or six different groups”™ pitches.”
Each charity proposed will receive a financial donation, while the winner gets the power of the whole team.
One project focused on a school in Norwalk that needed supplies for students. The Inspira team rounded up donors to fill hundreds of backpacks, which were distributed during a full-scale festival day it produced at the school.
Inspira has also partnered with Wilton-based Circle of Care, an organization that provides financial and emotional support for families of children with cancer; together, they have designed and completed full bedroom makeovers for kids undergoing treatment.
But it”™s not always fun and games. Sometimes what”™s required is a lot of sweat equity.
“There was one school in Norwalk that was just getting a bit rundown, and in talking to some of the people in the area, they were troubled by it,” Snyder said. “So we called and asked if we could use some of our connections to help. We ended up with 70 or 80 people out there ”” employees, former employees, clients, friends ”” we descended on the place.”
The crew spent hours planting shrubs, shoveling mulch out of a truck, replacing old soccer goals with new ones and even bringing in an ice cream truck for the kids in the neighborhood. Everyone was a sweaty, dirty mess when the school”™s principal came over to the team.
“He was crying. He said, ”˜I can”™t believe this. We”™re three weeks away from opening and this is so impactful”™,” Snyder recalled. One mother with two students at the school said the day had restored her faith in humanity.
With an eye on the future, Inspira recently partnered with Junior Achievement, an organization dedicated to educating K-12 students about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy through hands-on programs. Collaborative efforts will be focused on schools in underserved communities and will feature mentorship opportunities, job shadowing, career guidance and entrepreneurism studies.
Though the camaraderie built through community projects is a bit stifled in the Covid era (the team normally likes to celebrate a successful day by raising a pint at O”™Neill”™s), Snyder said their shared philosophy is what keeps the positivity running full circle.
“I look at it from a value standpoint. The people we”™re able to attract here just gravitate towards this. It”™s what lights them up,” he said. “It”™s incredibly fulfilling to use your time, your effort, your brainpower, your energy towards doing good in the world.”
