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Mitch Vingle

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WC_Blog-TargetingWithFacebook

Wheelhouse Creative and Facebook advertising — a winning combo for businesses

The digital revolution is affecting all areas of advertising, marketing, web development, social media, and video production. Now more than ever, content and message are king, and the way you deliver that message is now of vital importance. It’s what Wheelhouse Creative specializes in. It’s where we rise above others.

Digital advertising can target your customers in ways that traditional mediums cannot, with more accuracy and measurable efficacy. Digital ads provide data — actionable data that can be used to further enhance and tailor your message to your audience.
And one of most effective tools in helping clients is Facebook advertising, which offers a powerful platform to reach a vast and diverse audience. With over 2.9 billion active users, Facebook allows advertisers to target specific demographics based on factors like age, gender, location, interests, and behaviors.

Wheelhouse helps businesses succeed on the platform with clear and defined objectives for campaigns. Whether you’re aiming to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, or generate leads, aligning your ad creative and targeting with your goal is essential. We work with Facebook’s ad manager to provide tools to optimize your campaigns and monitor performance, helping you adjust in real-time to achieve the best results.

One of the most effective tips for Facebook advertising is focusing on high-quality, engaging content. Wheelhouse can help craft that. Visual elements like images and videos are the most compelling aspect of any Facebook ad. Wheelhouse can provide those.

Ads that stand out in users’ crowded feeds tend to use bold, attention-grabbing visuals paired with concise and persuasive copy. We can test different formats, such as carousel ads or video ads, to see which resonates most with your audience. Additionally, keeping the message simple and aligning it with the audience’s interests increases the likelihood of higher engagement rates and conversions.

Our understanding and expertise with Facebook’s targeting capabilities – especially via Director of Media Ty Thorngate — is a crucial component for ad success. Beyond basic demographic information, Facebook allows us to create custom audiences, such as website visitors or previous customers, as well as lookalike audiences that mirror your most valuable users. By narrowing your focus, you can ensure your ads are reaching the people who are most likely to convert. Facebook’s “interest-based targeting” allows us to get even more specific by narrowing down your audience based on things like hobbies, pages they follow, or purchase behaviors.

However, it’s important to continuously refine and update your audience parameters to avoid wasting budget on irrelevant impressions. We’ll monitor that.

Lastly, optimizing Facebook ads for mobile is an often overlooked yet essential strategy. Given that more than 98 percent of Facebook’s user base accesses the platform through mobile devices, ensuring your ads are designed for a seamless mobile experience can significantly improve performance. We’ll make sure your images are the right size for mobile screens, and keep your messaging short and impactful, as users tend to scroll quickly through their feeds.

We help combine these strategies with ongoing campaign monitoring and performance analysis to unlock the full potential of Facebook advertising.

So, call us at 304-905-6005. Let’s get started today on your digital revolution. We’re here to help!

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How bad can blowouts hurt WVU’s fine NCAA resume? Let’s ask Mike DeCourcy

If you’re a WVU basketball fan, watching the Mountaineer men (and women) has been a joy this season.
For the most part.
With the program still reeling from the Bob Huggins issues, new coach Darian DeVries pumped life into the team and fans with a stunning win over then-No. 3 Gonzaga and, after a nine-point loss to Louisville, an overtime victory over then-No. 24 Arizona, all in the Bahamas.
WVU also downed Georgetown in the Big 12-Big East Battle before shocking college basketball by going to Allen Fieldhouse and beating Kansas in Lawrence for the first time ever.
Yet there was also that Nov. 15 loss to Pitt. Well, it was more than a loss. It was a 24-point blowout at the Petersen Events Center. Then, in a rematch with Arizona this past Tuesday, Jan. 7, the Wildcats crushed the Mountaineers by 19 in the Coliseum.
Through it all, WVU stands at 11-3 (78.6 winning percentage) despite a brutal schedule that won’t be letting up. That’s terrific. At this point, the Mountaineers are definitely in line for the NCAA tournament.
But I began to wonder after the Arizona game if the blowouts will hurt the team’s resume. The NCAA selection committee uses a number of factors to rank teams for at-large berth and a biggie is the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool). Score differential is a component, although it is capped at 10 points per game. (Overtime games are capped at one point.)
Of course, the committee certainly can check out all the scores.
Anyway, I’m a naturally curious guy and, fortunately, friends with the foremost college basketball sports writer Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News. He’s a Big Ten Network studio analyst. He does NCAA brackets for FoxSports. In sum, he’s the man.
So I put it to him. I know WVU is in great shape re the NCAA tournament. But do the blowouts hurt? His response:
“When you’re processing the number of games the committee does — we’re talking about at least 80 tournament candidates, including those that enter through automatic bids, playing roughly 35 games each — how much of an opportunity is there for them to parse through the scores of individual games?
“All committee members are assigned a specific set of conferences to monitor. So, if that person happened to watch WVU get run out of the gym by Arizona, there might be a slightly negative impression gained that night. But if the Mountaineers are seriously a tournament team by March, as it appears they will be, then by definition there’ll be an overall positive impression of them when the members go into the room to make the selections and seed the bracket.”
He continued.
“One of the apparent secrets of the process is that seedings tend to align more closely with results metrics and quadrant records, which don’t factor in margin of victory, than predictive metrics that incorporate that data. Last year, Auburn was the No. 4 team in predictive metrics but 3-7 against Quad 1 opponents. They were a No. 4 seed. North Carolina had 2 seed numbers in predictive metrics but won 17 games against Quad 1 and 2. They were a No. 1 seed.”
In sum?
“It doesn’t feel good to get blown out, and it’s obviously not wise to make a habit of it, but I do think some who follow the sport get a little too wrapped up in that one factor.”
The quadrant system is the quality of wins and losses organized based on game location and the opponent’s NET ranking. The number of Quadrant 1 wins is incredibly important to the selection committee. So is the number of Quadrant 3-4 losses.
Anyway, thanks to Mike we have a clearer picture. Getting blown out by an opposing team is never good. But if limited, a few can certainly be overcome.
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.

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Training videos can cut cost, time and headaches

Perhaps the biggest headache for employers — aside from finding a great employee — is training those employees.

Do you know on average new employees receive over 60 hours of training per year? And a U.S. study found that approximately 84.4 percent of those employed at companies with 50 or more received formal training at work. Perhaps that’s because 68 percent of employees prefer to learn and train at their work.

Well, Wheelhouse Creative LLC can help.

Among the many services offered by our advertising and marketing firm are customized training videos to cut back on the time employers spend on training. We can work with you to provide an initial training video or an update of an outdated one.

“Training videos are a unique subset of what we do in that they can be incredibly elaborate or simple and straightforward, depending upon the company that wants them produced,” said Wheelhouse creative director Joe Monahan. “In general, they are used to train employees on procedures and processes, and sometimes they even include company policies.

“Some companies want to transform their training manuals into visuals, but to be effective, they need to illustrate what tends to be dry material in ways that can engage.”

That’s where Wheelhouse Creative LLC comes into play. We have the experience to help.

“We’ve done training videos for companies such as Ergon, Inc., to train contractors who might come in to do work at their facilities,” Monahan said. “Those tend to be straightforward, and we’ll use video to show areas of the facilities and simulations of procedures to be followed.

“Then you have training videos such as the Mock Prison Riot, which tend to be adrenaline filled displays of how to handle rioting inmates in a safe, effective manner. The content between the two is wildly different, but they are both training videos.”

The bottom line is we all respond better to seeing procedures in video than reading – especially in these days of shorter attention spans.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, then video can communicate info that would take a novel to convey, actually showing the viewer the process that is to be learned,” Monahan said. “Statistics show most people tend to learn more when they are shown what to do as opposed to reading about it which makes video a very effective training medium.”

As Monahan mentioned in the above example, Wheelhouse uses its staff’s inherent creativity to fashion just the right training video for your company.

“While training videos are all designed to do the same thing, the approach can certainly vary,” Monahan said. “My favorites are the companies willing to go beyond the simple narrative and create something compelling.”

So, if you’re ready to drastically cut back the time you train employees, give Wheelhouse Creative LLC a call today at 304-905-6005.

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Relishing WVU’s historic win at Kansas — and rating it all-time

Most WVU sports fanatics are sharp.
They follow the Mountaineers closely. They follow football, basketball, etc., closely. They get that wins over Kansas, Gonzaga and Arizona, like those posted by WVU this season, are special.
Yet as a former sports writer and columnist, I might have a special appreciation for the accomplishments. You see, I’ve been to Kansas. I’ve been to Gonzaga. I’ve seen intimidation close up.
And that’s why I can tell you unequivocally that what WVU pulled off on New Year’s Eve, beating Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse without Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry, must be the most impressive regular season Mountaineer victory of all time.
I know I wrote something similar last season when a decimated West Virginia team stunned Kansas at the Coliseum.
“If you’re like me you thought, ‘Are you kidding? After the implosion surrounding Bob Huggins’ departure? With a potential Final Four roster, including Tre Mitchell (now at Kentucky), Joe Toussaint (Texas Tech), Jose Perez (Arizona State), Mo Wague (Alabama) and James Okonkwo (North Carolina), shattered? After the earlier suspension of Kerr Kriisa, the health issue of Akok Akok, the late start by RaeQuan Battle and the injury to Jesse Edwards?’”
It was mind-blowing. That was Morgantown though. Winning at the Phog, with the historical setting, with the fans and, yes, with the officials, is akin to conquering Pythagorean theorems and Euclidian geometry. It’s like solving the laws of motion and harnessing electricity.
OK, maybe I’ve gone a BIT too far. But the atmosphere at Kansas, with the students passing beach balls hours before the game, with the “Pay Heed All Who Enter/Beware of the Phog” banner in the north end of the Fieldhouse (and yes, it is a fieldhouse), with Dr. Naismith’s original rules of basketball encased in the arena’s passageway, is something fans, announcers and, again, yes, officials get caught up in. The Mountaineers had been 0-11 vs. Kansas in Lawrence prior to Tuesday. The Jayhawks had won 33 consecutive conference openers. Bill Self’s record at Allen Fieldhouse entering the game was 321-18.
That’s special. WVU historian John Antonik said the win “approaches WVU’s win at Kentucky in the KIT with the late Jerry West on the floor for the Mountaineers.”
The KIT, as it was known back then, was considered college basketball’s premier holiday tournament and getting an invitation from Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp was a big deal. To beat the Wildcats, as WVU did in 1957 at Memorial Coliseum when Jerry West was a sophomore, was a very big deal.
It’s just different winning against those teams. I remember covering WVU and Kentucky in 2008 in Las Vegas over the Thanksgiving holiday. The place was packed with Wildcat fans. To heck with Thanksgiving. For them it was “Go Big Blue.”
I submit WVU’s win at No. 18 UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in 2006 was special. I was there – as was the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, perhaps the greatest coach of all time. He’d retired, but was watching with interest as Mike Gansey stole the ball and hit two free throws to seal a Mountaineer win with seven seconds left.
Keep in mind, the topic is regular season wins.
The greatest WVU game overall, at least that I’ve seen, is the 2010 NCAA Elite Eight win over a Kentucky team that could have been an NBA all-star team. And there are a ton of others in the tournaments, like the 2005 win over Wake Forest and Chris Paul, the 1998 Jarrod West miracle shot that stunned No. 2 seed Cincinnati – and Huggins. Of course, there was the run to the national championship with West.
Re regular season wins, you could point to Feb. 27, 1983, when WVU beat No. 1 UNLV at the Coliseum. But Jerry Tarkanian’s Runnin’ Rebels had just lost and were only technically No. 1.
After last season’s home win over Kansas, I pointed to the Mountaineers’ victory over No. 8 Florida at the Charleston Civic Center. It was set up as a 2002 homecoming party for St. Albans native and Florida guard Brett Nelson after new Mountaineer coach John Beilein had taken over after a disastrous 8-20 season.
But that was in West Virginia.
James Naismith’s rules weren’t in the Civic Center. There wasn’t a “Phog” hovering. Bill Self wasn’t coaching the other team.
I was blessed to visit many places in my former sports writing career. Gonzaga’s small, 6,000-seat arena may have been the neatest.
But nowhere is as intimidating as Allen Fieldhouse.
Nowhere is as historic.
Just like WVU’s New Year’s Eve victory there.
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.

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The importance and strategies of video marketing on social media platforms

One of the strengths of Wheelhouse Creative LLC is its outstanding video marketing work.

Video marketing on social media platforms has become an indispensable tool for brands looking to engage with their audience in a more dynamic and immersive way. The rise of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube has shifted consumer behavior toward preferring video content over static images or text. Videos can convey emotions, demonstrate products, and tell stories in ways that other formats struggle to match. This shift is backed by data showing higher engagement rates for video content, which can lead to better brand recall and customer loyalty.

Strategically, the importance of video marketing lies in its versatility and reach. Videos can be tailored for different stages of the customer journey, from awareness to conversion. Short-form videos, like those popularized by TikTok and Instagram Reels, are perfect for grabbing attention quickly, often going viral and reaching a broad audience. Longer-form content, like product demos or tutorials on YouTube, can educate and persuade, guiding potential customers towards a purchase decision. The key is to create content that resonates with your target demographic, using humor, education, or storytelling based on audience analysis – a Wheelhouse strength.

Effective video marketing strategies also involve optimizing content for each platform’s unique algorithms and audience preferences. For instance, while YouTube favors longer, in-depth content, TikTok thrives on creativity and trends, encouraging brands to stay culturally relevant and agile. Moreover, incorporating SEO practices within video titles, descriptions, and tags can significantly boost visibility, especially on platforms like YouTube, which is the second-largest search engine. Additionally, leveraging features like Instagram Stories or LinkedIn’s native video for professional content can cater to niche audiences more effectively.

Finally, engagement is at the heart of successful video marketing. Encouraging user interaction through comments, shares, and likes not only boosts the video’s reach but also fosters a community around the brand. Live streaming on platforms like Instagram Live can create real-time engagement, offering a raw, unfiltered look into events, product launches, or behind-the-scenes content, which can humanize a brand and build trust.

The integration of video marketing within a broader social media strategy should aim for consistency, quality, and relevance, ensuring that every piece of content adds value to the viewer’s experience while aligning with the brand’s identity and goals.

So, give Wheelhouse a call today at 304-905-6005. We’ll show you how it’s done!

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Putting a bow on WVU’s season/Neal Brown era and looking at the Rich Rod hire

When Memphis’ Elijah Herring intercepted a Garrett Greene pass and the Tigers ran out the clock late in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, it was a wrap for the WVU football season.
So (yes, since it’s Christmastime), it’s time to put a bow on both the Mountaineer season and the Neal Brown era.
As for the former WVU coach, well, it was time for a new direction. Every Mountaineer fan could feel it after the regular season finale, a 52-15 blowout at the hands of Texas Tech. It was nice some of the WVU players wore the “Neal Breezy” T-shirts at the bowl in support, but most saw this coming from the Aug. 31 loss to Penn State, the 38-34 loss to Pitt until the very end.
As I’ve told friends, there should be no animosity toward Brown. Great guy. Hard worker. Great with the media. Great representative of the university. It just didn’t work out. End of story.
I remember once talking to Buckhannon native Chris Wallace, who was the general manager of both the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies. He spoke of the carousel of coaches and players on teams. In the end, he said, it’s entertainment. Fans get tired of the same cast. Change is welcomed.
That’s certainly the case here. John Lowe of Gold and Blue Nation pointed out this was the fourth seven-loss season in a six-year span – a first in program history.
And this team? A glance at the stats will tell you all you need to know.
Rushing offense? 27th nationally at 195.1 yards per game.
And it just goes downhill from there.
Passing? No. 87 at 210.3
Overall offense: No. 52.
As for the defense, shield your eyes. In rush defense, WVU was 58th, allowing 144.5 yards a game.
In passing defense, it was No. 125, allowing 270.8 per game. (There are only 134 FBS schools.)
Overall defense? No. 111.
So, yeah, not a pretty package. For me, the highlight of the season was Wyatt Milum’s recognition as one of the nation’s top offensive linemen (and possible first-round NFL draft pick), Greene’s feistiness and, I don’t know, maybe the away beatdown of Oklahoma State and victory at Arizona.
Of course, now there’s a ray of hope. Or, a Rich of hope, if you will. AD Wren Baker went to the Way Back Machine and grabbed Rich Rodriguez, who once brought Mountaineer Nation glory – and a heartbreak like no other.
I was in the middle of the Rich Rod years, covering WVU for the then-Charleston Gazette as a columnist alongside beat writer Dave Hickman. We also broke stories of his not-good departure.
Yet I’m inclined to think the hire was a good one. Probably the best option for Baker. Rich Rod has a “name” a la Bob Huggins back in the day. That worked well for a long time until it didn’t. Also, Rodriguez has support from media mogul Pat McAfee, who has been shining the TV lights on the coach, and Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick. The former players all seem on the bandwagon as well.
Now we’ll see if there are some nice recruiting presents to be unwrapped during the holiday season. The hope is all the exposure from McAfee, etc., pays off in the form of elevated recruiting. Forget sugar plums, thoughts of Sugar Bowls are dancing in our heads.
WVU fans are not only filled with the Christmas spirit but, once again, hope. As always, time will tell.
Whatever the case there, though, please have a Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year’s!
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.

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Wheelhouse client spotlight: The Moundsville Pharmacy group (Pharmacole)

When you walk in the doors of Wheelhouse Creative client Moundsville Pharmacy, you immediately notice it’s not your typical drug store.
There’s a certain hominess to it. Instead of the distant feel of some corporate pharmacies, there are cozy offerings to go with your health care. There are books and knickknacks. You might even find a jar of locally made hot peppers.
Yet what makes Moundsville Pharmacy and its sister stores in New Martinsville, Pine Grove and Sistersville special are the people, the warm receptions, and the way they care for their friends that walk through the doors. That’s why Wheelhouse Creative so loves working with the group.
“Moundsville Pharmacy has been in business since 1981,” said Pharmacole CEO Jason Turner. “It started as a Medicine Shoppe under the ownership of Roger and Elaine Cole. In 2003, I graduated from the WVU School of Pharmacy and Roger hired me as a pharmacist and future partner in the organization.
“Roger always believed if the pharmacy takes good care of our patients, they will take good care of the pharmacy – and they did! We continued to grow with the support of the community.”
Thus, the name of Pharmacole. It’s the umbrella over Turner’s stores, the thread that provides such personal care.
“In 2012, I became the sole owner of the (Moundsville) pharmacy with a goal to continue the goals Roger and I made together,” Turner said. “Our leadership team was focused on growing the business and developing innovative services to meet the needs of the community. In 2014, the Moundsville Pharmacy invested in a new location with modernized workflow, two-lane drive thru, and space for expanded services.
“Over the past 10 years, we’ve expanded the business with the addition of Sistersville Pharmacy (2014), Pine Grove Pharmacy (2017), and New Martinsville Pharmacy (2018), including a move to a newly constructed New Martinsville location this year.”
Actually, Turner and staff have been expanding more than via store locations.
“While we were expanding our locations, we were also expanding our services with the SyncRx program, Medication Packaging, expanded home delivery, long term care services, modernized compounding lab, immunizations and more.”
Pharmacole has become an Ohio Valley leader in both innovation and efficiency.
“Our Mission is to be the preferred pharmacy in the community by offering the highest level of customer service,” Turner said. “That means pharmacy services to meet patient needs, to be solution finders for our patients and providers, and to demonstrate our passion and commitment with every interaction. We believe the key to achieving this is in the culture of the team, the organization’s philosophy on patient care, and our team training on the execution of processes.”
Oh, and don’t think for one second Turner is ready to rest on Pharmacole’s success.
“As the CEO and visionary for the organization, my goal is to always be making the best decisions to support our patients, create stability for our staff, and security for the organization,” he said. “Our organization has been in the community for over 40 years, and we believe the community deserves a pharmacy that is laser focused on providing the highest level of care. We are always looking for our next opportunity for a new service, a new relationship, or a new location.”
That’s why Turner turned to Wheelhouse Creative – to help create more opportunities through marketing, through social media graphics, through advertising.
“Early in 2023, we started our relationship with Wheelhouse with a laundry list of marketing ideas we could never find the time to accomplish,” Turner said. “We were able to prioritize our goals and get started quickly. Since then, Wheelhouse has helped us develop dozens of key pieces for our organization that’s allowed us to serve our patients better and market our business.
“Their expertise allows me to focus on generating marketing ideas and Wheelhouse the seeds it needs to develop polished and impactful marketing pieces for print, social media, or television. The relationship has been outstanding! I appreciate their commitment to our business.”
It’s been a great relationship. And if you’d like that same sort of commitment to your business, be sure to reach out to the fine folks at Wheelhouse Creative today at 304-905-6005.

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Private equity seems like the move for the Big 12

When I read that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was stumping for his league’s football champion to receiver a first-round College Football Playoff bye last week, I had to shake my head.
“The committee continues to show time and time again they are paying attention to logos versus resumes,” he said.
It smacked of desperation.
As we know now, the champion, Arizona State, did receive the desired bye. But in a college football world now solidly dominated by the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences, you can feel the distress.
“The one thing I am concerned about, candidly, is I need to better understand what the key metrics are being used with the rankings each week,” Yormark said of the CFP. “Strength of schedule was something identified early in the fall as a very, very critically important metric – and I’m not sure that has happened to date.”
He’s a fighter, we know. With a diverse background in sports and entertainment, he single-handedly saved the Big 12 by jumping the line and agreeing to terms on a new media rights deal with ESPN and Fox. His move sunk the Pac-12 and expanded the Big 12 to 16 schools. He’s served up many ideas, like partnering with the WWE, etc.
But Yormark’s biggest challenge, now that the league has been saved, is bolstering the talent within the football league. You watch the SEC. You watch the Big Ten. You watch the Big 12. The last – as well as the ACC – doesn’t compare to the first two across the board.
Yormark has to help. The Big 12 has to stay at least within shouting distance of the Big Two conferences talent-wise. And we all know what that’s going to take: more money.
Thankfully, he’s had a solution in mind for a while now: working with private equity. A firm, for instance, could invest close to $1 billion into the league. The Big 12 needs to stay competitive in the new Name, Image and Likeness world and so far, the talent gap is only widening.
Yormark and the Big 12 need to act now. And now is the time because of the House v. NCAA settlement that opened the door to the influence.
For the first time in history, the NFL has allowed private equity firms to buy into league ownership. Check out the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
Now, the Big 12 must jump as it did with the media rights deal. The SEC and Big Ten are already taking 58 percent of the CFP media revenue. It’s time for Yormark and the schools to move.
Of course, there are terms to examine, and risks involved. But Yormak and the schools have to do SOMETHING. It was good to read YahooSports’ Ross Dellenger tweeting on Wednesday, “Sign of the times here in Las Vegas. Big 12 held AD meetings here that featured presentations from several big brands, including Verizon, PayPal and New Era, related to revenue-generating partnerships & commercial deals.”
On the (sort of) flip side, CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello tweeted this on Wednesday:
“NCAA prez Charlie Baker on private equity in college sports: ‘What the schools really have to figure out …: How does that relate to their donor and booster community? Are donors going to write big checks to schools if a piece of that is going to go back to private equity?’”
That reads like hesitation. That reads like an opportunity for the Big 12.
I know from talking to at least one higher-up at WVU there’s hesitation on private equity. But, man, just watch and compare the leagues, look at the NFL drafts, check the top 100, 200, 300 mock drafts to see the disparity in talent.
It’s time for the Big 12 to act. Yes, the other leagues may then act too.
But it certainly wouldn’t hurt to get a head start once again.
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.

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Wheelhouse Creative client spotlight: Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley (CFOV)

Wheelhouse Creative is not only proud of our marketing work, but also happy working with the quality of people and businesses with which we work.
A shining example is the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley (CFOV), a nonprofit organization created to facilitate philanthropy in the Upper Ohio Valley region.
The CFOV works in grants and scholarships. It employs long-term investment strategies to protect charitable funds. It, well, just does a bunch of good for our community.
Allow Susie Nelson, Executive Director since 2007, to help explain.
“The (CFOV is one of more than 900 community foundations across the United States,” she said. “Community Foundations are 501.c.3 charitable organizations that work in a specific, defined geographic area with a mission to facilitate philanthropy. A simplified way to understand community foundations is to compare them to modern-day crowdfunding programs. Community foundations have many donors who create individual funds for the greater good.”
Susie said the CFOV was established in 1972 by a group of prominent local businessmen who heard about a community foundation being started in Charleston, WV. The first CFOV fund was a scholarship for the Ohio County Fraternal Order of Police Association -– a fund that’s still held and managed today. The CFOV service area includes Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler counties in West Virginia and Belmont and Jefferson counties in Ohio.
“Since its founding, CFOV has grown to more than 300 individual charitable funds and more than $96 million in assets,” she said. “We work with donors of all types to help them achieve their charitable goals. We offer different types of funds: Scholarships, Donor Advised Funds, Donor Designated Funds, Agency Endowments, Unrestricted Funds, and Special Project Funds. Many times, donors leave a portion of their estate to CFOV to leave their legacy on the community in a way that is important to them. We work closely with professional advisors –- accountants, lawyers, trust officers and financial advisors — to help them create a charitable plan for their clients.”
You can see why Wheelhouse is proud to work with CFOV. The foundation has many competitive grant programs for a variety of causes. For instance, the Community Impact Fund is a grant program that’s open to all eight counties. Other competitive grant programs include the River Valley Health Foundation, Stealey Community Fund, Belmont County Enrichment Fund, the Women’s Giving Circle, and the Barth Charitable Trust. They also work with Expand Energy (formerly SWN) to make minigrants into classrooms for STEM programming.
“All combined, the community foundation makes more than $4 million in grants and scholarships every year into the Upper Ohio Valley,” said Susie. “This amount grows annually as more donors learn about the benefits of partnering with CFOV to reach their charitable goals.”
Great stuff, Susie. And Wheelhouse Creative is proud to be helping.

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Building the perfect WVU football candidate for AD Wren Baker

As a West Virginian, I always try to be a friendly, helpful guy. I hold open doors. I say hello on the street. And if you need help moving, hey, I’ll help you find someone.
So, consider this a helping hand for WVU athletic director Wren Baker. He’s tasked with finding the next Mountaineer football coach. And since I spent 38 years covering WVU before joining America’s marketing agency Wheelhouse Creative, I saw what worked and what didn’t regarding the program.
You must learn from the past, right?
So, I put together this de facto blueprint of the perfect WVU candidate/coach for Wren. (You sir are very welcome.)

• Find a coach who can recruit and be a quarterback whisperer. That’s true at any school, but especially WVU. Consider when Don Nehlen jump-started the Mountaineer program: Oliver Luck and Jeff Hostetler, both future NFL QBs. He had Marc Bulger, an NFL quarterback. Bill Stewart and then Dana Holgorsen had success with Geno Smith, now leading the Seattle Seahawks. There was Will Grier. Yet perhaps the most success came from running quarterbacks, Major Harris (national championship game) and even Darren Studstill (who, rotating with Jake Kelchner, led the team to an undefeated regular season) with Nehlen and Pat White (four bowl victories) with Rich Rodriguez.
• This is a MUST. He absolutely, positively must embrace pepperoni rolls, our state food (it really is officially the state food, if you missed the announcement).
• He should have a unique offensive philosophy because of the state’s small recruiting base. Rodriguez offset the disadvantage with the no-huddle, spread offense, born out of Mouse Davis’ Run and Shoot. Dana Holgorsen had early success at WVU with the Air Raid. Just be different.
• Learns how to say the town of “Hurricane” and spell “Colasessano’s.”
• Has adaptability, flexibility. Nehlen had the most success when he moved from drop-back passers Browning Nagle and Mike Timko to Major Harris. The coach and QB both knew how to scramble. Rodriguez flexed by not only using Pat White and Steve Slaton but fullback Owen Schmitt. Bill Stewart and Dana Holgorsen used Tavon Austin as a wide receiver, runner, punt returner, kick returner, you name it. Be flexible, innovative.
• A southern drawl, by the way, is a plus. Just make sure it’s not too southern. (See Bobby Bowden and that hung in effigy ordeal.)
• Ability to spot and develop “projects.” This is huge. Nehlen was the master of that. Consider the paths of players like Bulger, Darryl Talley, Renaldo Turnbull, John Browning, Chris Henry, Anthony Becht, Mike Fox, Mike Compton, John Thornton and Barrett Green. Important: Have the strength to guide and hone unbridled talent like Pac-Man Jones, Jerry Porter, Reggie Rembert and Bruce Irvin.
• Definitely, definitely, definitely know all the words to “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
• Have serious connections and be able to recruit West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Perhaps NIL and the transfer portal have made that less of a necessity but considering the prices for top-shelf players and WVU’s coffers perhaps not. Prioritizing those areas for young (and junior college) talent more than other Power Four schools will always be a path for the Mountaineers.
• Say “y’all” a lot.
• Know how to find fast guys. See Austin, Tavon and Devine, Noel.
• Have the ability to spell Monongahela and Monongalia and know the difference between the two.
• Be able to spot and secure the line talent that does come through the Mountain State. Signing guys like Rich Braham, Zach Frazier, Dante Stills and Wyatt Milum are top priorities. It’s inexcusable to let a guy like Darnell Wright escape (thanks Dana!) as he did to Tennessee. The man is now starting for the Chicago Bears.
• Have a Walmart Plus membership and learn how to explain West Virginia with a bird flip hand map.
• Little known point of success: Be kicker keen. WVU has had great success with kickers and punters. Kids, look up Todd Sauerbrun. Look up Paul Woodside, Mike Vanderjagt (aka known in NFL lore as that “idiot kicker,” according to Peyton Manning.) Oh, and there was that Pat McAfee guy. (Wonder whatever happened to him…)
• Know that “creek” and “crick” are interchangeable.
• Can sell recruits on the fact they can visit Booger Hole, Left Hand, Looneyville and/or Big Ugly, WV.
• Oh, and understand the real No. 1 selling point of the Mountain State comes down to two words:
Yann dogs.

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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.

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