Meet the New Schafer Condon Carter

SCC's new executive leadership team (L-R): Kristin Galbraith, executive director, creative; Joe Raser, chief strategy officer; Amy Cesta, chief client officer; Craig Miller, chief creative officer; Jack Hennessy, executive director, media; Ben Behrman, president and CEO

Schafer Condon Carter (SCC), the 36-year-old independent agency based in Chicago, is wrapping up a banner year. The past 12 months have witnessed the installation of a re-energised executive leadership team, the production and distribution of multiple new advertising campaigns and the addition of close to a dozen new clients and business wins. In short, it was a full year of embracing SCC’s challenger brand mindset and delivering on its new agency promise to ‘Create.Impact.’ for its clients.

NEW EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

This past year, under the guidance of agency president and CEO, Ben Behrman, SCC completed its leadership transformation. Craig Miller joined as the agency’s new chief creative officer. Amy Cesta returned to the agency as chief client officer. And Joe Raser was promoted to chief strategy officer.

50 years of combined excellence and experience.

Outstanding talent, however, was not confined to the C-Suite as Matt Olsen joined as creative director and Tim Reardon came on board in the new role of group account director. Both hires were made necessary by the increased volume of new business.

NEW CAMPAIGNS

To ‘Create.Impact.’, you must first start with the work. And there was lots of it over the past year. New campaigns for existing clients such as Old National Bank, G.U.M., Solo and Tootsie Roll Industries. And new campaigns for new clients like US Highbush Blueberry Council, Giordano’s, Ferris Mowers, Ortega and Fusion Academy. And the work delivered: lifts in purchases, brand awareness and sales, to go along with industry recognitions such as ADDYs, Obies, Tellys, People’s Choice Awards and recognition from the Public Relations Society of America. Click here to view a sample of this work.

NEW BUSINESS

In 2025, SCC won the equivalent of one new client assignment per month in categories both old and new, from food to retail to tech to B2B and more. Among the list of new business wins: American Egg Board, National Heritage Academy, Giordano’s, Kemp Management Solutions and Toad & Co. New business was also powered by the agency’s additional service offerings such as its in-house media and public relations capabilities, combined offerings that have grown by double digits.

NEW AGENCY POSITIONING

At SCC, what matters most is creating work that contributes to the bottom line. That’s why the agency has fully embraced its new positioning of ‘Create.Impact.’ ‘Create.Impact.’ is more than a mantra: it taps into the agency’s roots as a fiercely independent, relentlessly curious agency with a challenger brand mindset. At the same time, SCC recognises that its success is powered by its people. More than 75% of its staff have been with the agency for six years or more. And that’s why nothing gives the agency greater pride than to wear its mantle as a ‘Best Place to Work.’

NEW YEAR

“As we look back and look ahead, we are proud of what we have accomplished in partnership with our people and our clients,” said agency president and CEO, Ben Behrman. “We may be 36 years old, but we approach every day as if we are a start-up. We recognise that we need to challenge ourselves to earn our client’s trust day-by-day, assignment by assignment, conversation by conversation. Only then can we truly say that we are turning words into deeds and delivering ‘Create.Impact.’”