Explanation
BACKGROUND: The Columbus Department of Development is proposing to enter into a Columbus Downtown Office Incentive with RTTW, LTD dba treetree (treetree).
During the lowest months of the economic recession in 2009, Becca Apfelstadt and Tiffany Wise quit their jobs and started treetree. The day they started the company a dead bonsai tree that Becca had nicknamed “treetree,” came back to life. The two were inspired by this revived tree and made it the agency’s namesake. The company specializes in advertising, brand strategy and development, digital marketing, and qualitative and quantitative market research. In 2011, they decided to do for treetree what they do for their clients by developing a new market position and strategy. In formulating this new position, they recognized a need in the market that fell between design shops and larger agencies that are going after contracts to be the Agency of Record. The Agency of Special Projects was born, and it falls between the two ends of the industry spectrum (design shops and larger agencies). The company successfully carved out a unique niche in the industry that ignited the agency’s rapid growth. Treetree’s client roster includes well-known regional brands such as Alliance Data, Nationwide, and OhioHealth, among others. Most recently, treetree was named #506 on the 2014 INC 5000 list and was the fifth highest ranking Columbus-area company to make the list.
Treetree is proposing to invest approximately $270,000, which includes leasehold improvements, stand-alone computers, furniture and fixtures, to expand and relocate its corporate headquarters into a vacant office space consisting of approximately 7,900 square feet inside “The Battleship Building” on the corner of N. Front and Vine Streets. In addition, the company will retain 18 full-time jobs and create 35 new full-time permanent positions with an estimated annual salary of approximately $2.29 million within the Downtown Business District. Treetree...
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