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SPARK Publications of Matthews, North Carolina USA received a Stevie Award for Business Turnaround of the Year in the 2009 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
 Fabi Preslar started SPARK Enterprises in 1998 as a home-based, freelance design business. Six years later, it became a bricks-and-mortar firm. In 2005, Preslar expanded the company and hired her first employee. 2006 ushered in new clients and services, translating into a 14% increase in revenue. Then, in 2007—a year of projected financial growth—SPARK encountered some unexpected challenges. A series of setbacks necessitated Preslar going without a paycheck for five months. By the company’s ninth anniversary, Preslar had made her final loan payment but was wondering whether to close the firm’s doors for good. SPARK’s office lease was up; it would be easy to quit.
Instead, Preslar made a personal commitment to revitalize the company, to re-ignite SPARK.
Strategy for Success
Preslar realized that SPARK would need to change both its focus and its staff in order to become profitable once more. She therefore repositioned the company to focus on publication design, and renamed it SPARK Publications.
Preslar also sought to stabilize her company through product and revenue diversification as well as a broader client base.
One of Preslar’s first steps was to streamline her small firm’s operation by tactically replacing two mid-level design and production staff members with Mindy Kuhn, a seasoned art director. Next, Preslar created a new and needed position for a creative director and brought her talented husband, Larry Preslar, into the firm, thereby boosting design capacity. She also forged new strategic partnerships to provide value-added services to SPARK clients and to produce higher-quality work faster and on budget.
The result? Within a year, SPARK Publications realized an increase in revenue of 118% and an over 200% increase in profit.
Since receiving the Stevie Award, the company has had continued success. In Q4 of 2009, SPARK Publications began its third expansion. Amy Trainor was hired in a new duel position of Assistant to the President/Publications Assistant. In early 2010, a new production designer position was filled by Central Piedmont Community College design graduate Juliana Lievano.
The company realized 48% growth in the first quarter of 2010 compared to Q1 2009—a direct result of doubling capacity and personnel in their custom-publishing division.
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