A MARKETING agency, which works with clients such as the NHS and numerous education providers, has moved to new, larger premises to accommodate its expanding team after receiving support from Sunderland City Council.
dodio, a full-service agency, was founded by couple Chris and Senga Kean in 2015, building on their combined experience of senior marketing roles in retail, transport & infrastructure and enterprise.
Since then, the company has grown exponentially, moving to new, larger premises three times in as many years and increasing its headcount from two to five.
Starting out offering predominantly stand-alone web design projects to small businesses, dodio has also increased its service offering as a result of this continued growth – delivering everything from marketing strategy to video.
The company has also secured contracts with the NHS, a number of local authorities and regional education trusts, while continuing to provide support and expertise to SMEs across the region.
As an official NBSL referral partner, dodio has helped numerous small and medium sized businesses access funding over the past few years as well as providing marketing expertise to support their business journeys.
Senga said: “The past year has been by far our busiest and most exciting. While our in-house skills mean we continue to deliver stand-alone website projects, graphic design and content generation – we’ve carefully maintained our focus on delivering strategically crafted, well-rounded marketing plans to our ever-growing list of clients.
“The team also brings a wealth of experience supporting business start-ups and SMEs as well as delivering marketing plans for large businesses. It’s this blend of experience and expertise that’s helped us to develop our own unique approach, enabling us to use the tools previously only available to large organisations and apply them to SMEs.”
Due to dodio’s continued growth and its need for larger office space, the company relocated to a more prominent position at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) earlier this year.
The move was supported by Sunderland City Council, which worked closely with the firm to identify the right premises, providing dodio with the space and facilities required to accelerate its ambitious plans.
“We’ve moved twice, each time to a larger and more prominent location as we’ve grown our team,” Senga said. “As a hub for business growth in the region, the BIC is the perfect place for us, so we’re delighted to take up such a prominent position on the site.
“The support we have received from Sunderland City Council has been critical to our growth. It gave us the confidence to take on new members of staff, invest in equipment and office space and ultimately improve the product and service we offer.”
dodio now has ambitious plans for the future, with plans to increase its headcount by a further three over the next 12 months.
Chris said: “We’re building our team patiently and carefully and we look forward to recruiting the best talent with the right personalities to fit our objectives and ethos.”
Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “dodio is a fantastic success story for the city and is a great example of what can be achieved through hard work and determination.
“To grow at such scale in such a short period of time, shows just how far Chris and Senga have come since launching the business.
“This latest move is sure to strengthen the business even further, and I wish them every success as it continues to grow and innovate from their base here in Sunderland.”
Paul McEldon, chief executive of the North East BIC, said: “We’ve been fortunate enough to witness dodio start out as a fledgling business to then expand into the full service, contemporary creative agency they are today.
“It’s been a privilege to work with them as they continue to win new and exciting contracts and we’re so pleased to have them at the forefront of the BIC’s and the city’s business community.”
