OUR STORY
Our team at Smith Kroeger is unique in the marketing space, bringing together a rare group of savvy creative experts and smart business leaders from a group of distinguished advertising agencies, publishing companies and digital development shops. Founded right here in Omaha in 1962 by Wayne Smith as Smith, Kaplan, Allen and Reynolds (SKAR), the agency celebrates a rich history while continuing to evolve rapidly.
In the past year alone, we’ve expanded our team by opening a new office in Auburn, Alabama, allowing us to work with literally dozens of new clients across the Southeast section of the country. Our new office offers us the opportunity to bring our business-centered communication model to new markets, diversify our capabilities and create valued future partnerships.
Today we are led by Terry Kroeger, the former president and CEO of the BH Media Group and longtime publisher of the Omaha World-Herald. Terry has assembled a superb group of art and creative directors, seasoned account executives with decades of combined experience, industry-leading developers and web designers, PR professionals dedicated to problem solving and crisis management, and digital marketers with thousands of nationwide campaigns under their belts. We specialize in a variety of industries and sectors, including automotive, education, consumer-packaged goods, finance, insurance, public utilities, government and more.
Our team’s primary goal is to look for the most efficient and original way to help organizations achieve their goals in this dynamic and ever-changing business landscape. Smith Kroeger cares about relationships that are built on trust and understanding — the kind where we speak the same language and have the same objectives. That’s what moves us to create powerful work and what accelerates our clients’ success.
SK VALUES
Always do the right thing.
Always treat our team, clients and vendors respectfully.
Foster new relationships and continually strive to help our clients prosper.
Use time wisely to deliver value for our clients and ourselves.
Support the community and do what's possible to make the world a better place.
Be a problem solver and bring ideas to the table.
Create opportunities for growth and leadership together.
MEET THE TEAM
CHAIRMAN & CEO
CAO, BUSINESS MANAGER
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Account Director
ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR
MEDIA DIRECTOR
SR ART DIRECTOR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ART
KEY ACCOUNT SPECIALIST
Accounting Specialist
MEDIA DIRECTOR
Copywriter
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Client Success Manager
SR Digital Strategist
MEDIA BUYER
Media Buyer
Account Coordinator
MEDIA DIRECTOR, Team Lead
SR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Senior Account Manager
Account Manager
Senior Account Manager
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Web Designer
DIGITAL CONTENT DESIGNER
Accounting Consultant
LATEST NEWS
We simply don’t have the bandwidth to list all of Terry’s accomplishments. Suffice it say he’s a leader in the Omaha community and was publisher of the Omaha World-Herald for more than 10 years. He also has the most incredible wine collection this side of a French restaurant.
Literally no one knows more about digital media than Dave. That’s a tall order, so he relaxes by painting (his work is beautiful), drawing and playing music. If you can catch him when he’s not on the phone with a digital supplier, ask him about the time he put out to sea on an aircraft carrier.
A master of all things accounting, you’ll usually find Julie with friends and family — her grandkids say she’s “the funnest grandma” — or headed on an adventure — she’s parachuted, bungee jumped and raced a Ferrari. Meet our CAO and business manager, Julie Engel.
Even though he’s led creative teams at agencies in Chicago, Louisville and Salt Lake City, Brad chose to be a fan of the sports teams of the Windy City. When he’s not cheering for them, you’ll find him riding his bike around Omaha (with a not-too-shabby average wind speed of 16mph).
A lover of advertising since a high-school drama teacher told him he was creative, Greg loves to kayak, fly planes (he has a private pilot’s license) and build his collection of more than 1,200 rare beer cans. He swears he doesn’t imbibe before flying.
Traveling with her husband is Jennifer’s true passion — highlights of which were a skydiving trip over Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and regular wine-tasting visits to Napa Valley, California. She’d take her beloved Wheaten Terrier, Bella, if she could.
Katie has three big obsessions — houseplants (she has over 50 in her home), concerts at Red Rocks in Denver and baking incredible cookies and cakes. Oops, we forgot the fourth — her new husband, Sean.
Originally from Minnesota and the sister of an identical twin, Alli’s favorite activities are knitting, baking and rollerblading (although not all at the same time).
Once referred to as “the Uncle Fester of Midwest Advertising,” Mark has written and produced over 300 TV spots in his 43-year career. His hobbies include cooking, watching old Mel Brooks movies and searching for a cure for baldness
Kenzie’s passion for nonprofit marketing began with a college project and has grown into a career focused on helping mission-driven organizations tell their stories and make an impact. Outside of work, she can often be found exploring Tudor history, planning her next European vacation, or rewatching Twilight for the hundredth time with no shame.
Kevin’s eclectic resume includes waiter, bartender, house painter, lawn mower, voiceover artist, content creator, photographer and several others we don’t have time to include. The fact that one of his hobbies is building puppets seems to make perfect sense.
As a stockholder in the Green Bay Packers, Colin obviously cheers on any team from Wisconsin, has played hockey since the age of four and loves to spend time with his wife and golden retriever, Bronco. (Just kidding, his name is Lambeau.)
The proud mom of three very active sons, it’s no surprise that Lisa’s idea of heaven includes either relaxing on a beach, attending a great country music concert or watching Friends with the family’s black lab (preferably all three at the same time).
He’s a diehard Chiefs fan, enjoys classical music and is an accomplished woodworker. Oh yeah, he’s great at crunching numbers too. Meet the jack of all trades, Cody Culbertson.
Even though he’s an identical twin, Bob was born five minutes after his brother, Mike, making him the youngest of eight Duman kids. Although he prefers English Bulldogs, he loves just about every known dog breed and goes running to cuddle any puppy visiting Smith Kroeger.
19 years at SK
Mike and his identical twin brother, Bob, are both award-winning art directors at Smith Kroeger. They turned the living room of their house into a fantastic bar called the Brindled Bulldog Pub, named after their beloved, late, English Bulldog, Mona. At last count, there were over 89 bulldog signs, posters and figurines in the Pub.
A lover of baseball and reading, not only has Richard lived in five different states, he once won a geography bee. Since most American students can’t name five different states, that’s quite an accomplishment.
Renee has a resume as creative as any advertising art director. She’s been the event manager for Omaha’s Junkstock — a celebration of vintage goods and artisan food — for 11 years. She’s also the only woman on a 25-year-old fantasy football team. So, put that on your balance sheet!
Jake’s sister is a graphic designer, his father is a photographer and he’s certainly carried on the family tradition of creativity. He’s a talented cook, photographer, artist and an avid Twitch streamer — broadcasting live content on the Twitch platform. (We’ll admit it, we had to look that one up.)
Another Smith Kroeger team member with a diverse resume, Lauren has been to 47 states, many different countries, loves a good craft night and knows an astonishing amount about literary vampires. Wonder if Transylvania was on her itinerary.
Laura began her career in TV news and was even a morning anchor. She got into advertising copywriting to help brands shape their voice in more creative ways and incorporate her southern sayings into conversation — “If I was any finer, I’d be a frog hair split three ways.” There’s a unique selling point if we ever heard one.
You might think someone with Nate’s impressive academic accomplishments might be a bookworm, but his true passion is snowboarding — he has one on his office wall. In fact, he’s already planning his baby daughter’s career as a world-class snowboarder.
Creating pottery, drag racing, home remodeling and watching documentaries are just a few of Trish’s encyclopedia of amazing interests. This lady is so unique, they should make a documentary about her.
As a team member of Smith Kroeger, Paula is an avid Virginia Tech fan, hiker, sports enthusiast and also likes to … crochet. Hey, the most fascinating people have the most varied interests.
Kalli is the classic combination of left and right brain. She excels at translating complex data into actionable insights, but loves to attend live concerts and stand-up comedy when she logs off. She even reluctantly admits to binging on reality TV. Don’t we all.
Rylee and her husband are always the first ones on the dance floor at any wedding. At home, you’ll find her building movie-themed Lego sets and watching reruns of all 27 seasons of Law & Order. She proudly admits to being the biggest fan of Marisa Hargitay (as Captain Olivia Benson).
As Rylee’s license plate says, “DUN DUN.”
Like any great media buyer, Bobbi thrives on organization and can remember phone numbers and addresses from months or years ago. On weekends, she loves to binge on the latest streaming shows and will tell you exactly how long each episode is, if you’d like to know.
Casey is very goal-oriented. At just 27, he’s been to over 150 concerts (and counting) and is trying to visit every Major League baseball stadium in the country. He also has seven fish tanks. We hope his goal is not 150 of those, too.
1 year at sk
A lover of the outdoors, volunteering, photography, art history, and a cat named Fergus, Maggie has a closet full of clothes sourced from second-hand sellers. Her clients can tell you that her talents are definitely first-hand!
If it’s 5:00 a.m., you’ll find Emerson at the gym lifting weights. She also has a side gig as a bartender and loves to unwind by rereading Harry Potter books and taking long walks with her dog, King (who does not have three heads).
As gracious as she is accomplished, Lisa has always had advertising in her blood. But she does take breaks from it, by reading 36 books a year, baking sourdough bread and making pies — one of which won a purple ribbon in the Iowa State Fair.
Starting out as a freelancer in commercial production (even writing and producing his own movie, 2000’s excellent Shakespeare’s Coffee), Mike joined a small startup ad agency and learned he loved the industry. Today, he’s still involved in production as the “fastest disclaimer-reader west of the Mississippi.”
Having climbed nine 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado, no mountain is too tall for Morgan. She could listen to Christmas music all year ‘round and live on Ethiopian food. It’s hard to find injera and wat on Long’s Peak, but if anyone can, it’s Morgan.
A born organizer, Maddie never misses an episode of Dancing With the Stars or her morning coffee. Her love of marketing began in high school where she ran all the student council’s social media programs. An internship at an ad agency in college sent her joyfully dancing into the industry.
Every company has a devoted animal lover. At Smith Kroeger, that’s Erin. She has three chickens, one lizard, a tank for tropical fish and a tank for shrimp. After taking care of this menagerie, it’s a wonder she has the time to coach soccer and learn how to use her new sewing machine.
Family, music, autos and websites are Robbie’s passions. On weekends you’ll find him with his wife and daughters at a car show or other community event. If there was such a thing as a model-car-building convention, you’d find them there, too.
What does Ken enjoy? Take a deep breath — death-metal concerts, retro gaming, board games of any kind, Husker football, Legos, chess, anything having to do with Lord of the Rings … and building Excel sheets. Hey, you do the math.
Fueled by Diet Dr. Pepper and a steady stream of true-crime podcasts, Amanda believes most problems can be solved with logic, sarcasm, or both. (Probably more on the sarcasm side.)
While many Smith Kroeger team members certainly have interesting hobbies, Molly takes the cake — figure skating. Most weekends you’ll find her at skating competitions around the region. When she has time off, her and her husband watch Korean dramas. Like we said, Molly has interesting hobbies
Another Smith Kroeger workout enthusiast, Alison attends a dance-fitness class every morning at 5:15am … so she’s having a dance party while most of the world is still asleep. After such energetic mornings, she spends her off-time with calmer endeavors like cooking and baking.
Jennifer is equal parts creative and analytic. A hunter of unique antiques and photographer of abandoned houses, she also loves to crunch numbers that improve her clients’ sales goals. Her current personal project is to read 300 books a year. Impressive, since most people don’t read that many books in a lifetime.
11 years at sk
If you have a kid who plays high-school football in Omaha, there’s a good chance Randy has officiated at one of their games. It’s one of his favorite hobbies. His second favorite is relaxing on his new deck and watching birds while sipping a bourbon and enjoying a good cigar.
Jack is a huge Nebraska football fan and lets it dictate his emotions week to week, so you may not want to meet with him after a Husker loss. But when that happens, he cheers himself up by watching sci-fi movies, golfing, bowling and going to concerts.
Not only does Brett look like a country music star, he plays guitar and sings beautifully. He also once won a car by hitting a hole-in-one in a golf tournament. By the way, the hat he’s wearing in the photo above costs more than most people’s cars.
Angela runs on Diet Coke, which she uses to fuel her obsession with true crime books/podcasts, travel, designing beautiful websites and convincing her rescue dog, Josey, that life’s really not that scary.
Alisa adores the outdoors and spends as much time as she can hiking and camping. She’s a creative at heart, which accounts for her moustache tattoo. She also spent two years in the events industry managing venues (sadly, all of them indoors).
Another Smith Kroeger lover of the outdoors, Rod and his wife spend a lot of time in Colorado hiking, trail running, skiing (downhill and Nordic), off-roading, fishing and taking scenic drives.
If I-80 West ever closed, Rod would be traumatized.
Kelli is a classic sports mom, cheering on her two sons, who consider baseball to be life. Her new baby girl is too young to wear cleats, but if they made them in her size, who knows? Kelli also boasts of watching every episode of Friends, Gilmore Girls and the Big Bang Theory. We wonder when she found the time.
