Who We Are
At Cahoon & Cross, each of our principals and senior managers has a breadth of experience in advertising, marketing and public relations. We work directly with clients, combining what we’ve learned with an in-depth understanding of your business, your market, your audience and your goals. Together, we’ve helped organizations like yours handle a wide range of marketing challenges – from launching or re-launching a business, product or service to creating integrated campaigns that talk about specific social issues.
When we think marketing, we always think results. That’s why you should think about calling us.
Margaret K. Cahoon, Partner
“When you start on a trip, you need to know where you are, where you’re going and how to plan to get there. The same is true in marketing – but you’d be surprised how many full service agencies forget the map when they take you for a ride.”
Margaret grew up in Norfolk, Va., and graduated from the College of William and Mary. She has directed work in advertising, public relations, research and related industries, beginning her career as production manager for the Richmond-based Brand Edmonds Bolio Advertising.
When Margaret returned to the Norfolk area, she headed up broadcast advertising for Sears and Roebuck Norfolk Group Advertising. She then served as vice president/comptroller of Seamark Advertising in Norfolk, where she met Nancy Cross. In 1987, they founded Cahoon & Cross.
For the firm, Margaret has developed multi-state advertising and public relations programs for clients in healthcare, insurance, public transportation, the petroleum industry, banking, retail, financial services, sports marketing, non-profit organizations, communications and economic development.
She also has served on the boards of the Portsmouth Service League, the Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Lung Association and the Portsmouth/Western Branch Red Cross.
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Nancy J. Cross, Partner
“Over the years, I’ve learned that you can give your client what they tell you they want, and that’s fine. Other agencies do it all the time, and they get along. But if you listen to your client, hear their dreams and then give them what they never dreamed possible – that’s being creative.”
Nancy started her career in television as the community affairs and promotion director for ABC affiliate, WGHP-TV in High Point, N.C. She left television to become the administrator of the Commission on the Status of Women for the City of Greensboro, then joined the Babcock Advertising Agency as a partner.
Returning to Hampton Roads, Nancy became vice president of client services at Seamark Advertising in Norfolk. That’s where she met Margaret Cahoon, with whom she partnered to create Cahoon & Cross in 1987.
At Cahoon & Cross, Nancy leads the agency’s team in service to the Nationwide Insurance Cooperative Advertising Program, representing nearly 800 agents in North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic region. She has managed regional, state and international advertising and public relations programs for clients in economic development, insurance, financial services, retail, healthcare, real estate, automotive and business-to-business.
Nancy grew up in Suffolk, Va., and graduated from Greensboro College in North Carolina. She was honored in 1995 as the recipient of the Athena Award by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Chesapeake Division. She is a member of Rotary International and serves on the board of Chesapeake Alliance and the Chesapeake Advisory Board of Branch Bank & Trust.
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Vicki Townsend, Media Buyer/Planner
“New media isn’t so new anymore! Online media advertising plays just as big a role in a smart media plan as traditional print and broadcast advertising. The idea is to develop a hard-working media mix with maximum results. And that’s what Cahoon & Cross does best.”
Vicki began her career 22 years ago in Chicago at Ogilvy & Mather and then Bozell, Inc. In the spot broadcast and the planning departments for these respective agencies, she worked on such accounts as Brown & Williamson Tobacco, Sears, Ross Perot for President, Long John Silver, Illinois Lottery and American Airlines. Vicki moved to the Norfolk area in 1993, where she served as the media director for several different advertising agencies. Most recently, she was at DIA, Inc., an agency she helped to start and grow. Vicki holds a bachelor of science degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.
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Elizabeth Evans, Director of Public Relations
“For every dollar a client spends on public relations, we produce a return on investment that is far greater – while creating the kind of buzz that only an article, interview or Web feature can deliver. We specialize in strategic public relations campaigns that can really make a modest budget sing.”
Elizabeth has staged media events at the famed Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center; obtained coverage for clients in the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, The Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune and on NPR’s “All Things Considered”; and was part of a public relations team for Ketchum Worldwide Public Relations that received the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) prestigious Silver Anvil Award.
She has supervised national campaigns for the Virginia Beach Department of Convention & Visitor Development, the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel, The Lost Colony outdoor drama and travel promotions for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown Victory Center, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
For Cahoon & Cross, Elizabeth is spreading the word that Elizabeth City, N.C. is a great place to visit, of economic development successes of the Albemarle Economic Development Commission, how Family Care Senior Solutions helps caregivers and their families and why you should support the Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Virginia.
Elizabeth holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is a member of PRSA.
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Reneé Noble Nolan, Creative Services Manager
“At Cahoon & Cross, we offer our clients turn-key creative solutions — from developing concepts to final placement and collateral delivery. We focus on quality and strive to exceed our customer’s expectations on every project, every time.”
Reneé’s previous professional experiences in both the corporate and private sectors serve Cahoon & Cross well. With an eye for detail, she manages all creative materials for our clients in coordination with the media department.
Reneé was formerly with The Parks at Monterey Bay in Monterey, Calif., where she directed marketing, communications and public relations programs for a $355 million project to renew and rebuild military housing on the Monterey Peninsula. She has managed communications for TSYS, the second-largest global payments processor, based in Georgia. As a public relations specialist for the U.S. Navy at Rodman Naval Station in the Republic of Panama, Reneé developed and implemented a marketing plan for three military bases within the United States Southern Command.
She holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Morehead State University.
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Joan Mann, Advertising Account Manager
“Part of the agency’s job is to keep our clients’ messages on target and their projects delivered on time. That’s where I come in. As advertising account manager, I interface with the media, creative, production and public relations teams from the start of a campaign to its completion. Guiding our clients through this process is what I enjoy most, and I take pride in the results we deliver.”
Joan brings a wealth of marketing experience to Cahoon & Cross in the promotional allowance field. Previously, she was the cooperative advertising coordinator for Office America, in Glen Allen, Va., where she developed a national cooperative advertising department for the chain’s 22 stores. Joan held a similar position at Volvo Penta of the Americas, Inc., as the corporation’s dealer development coordinator working with dealers in North America and Canada. Most recently, she was a merchandise planner for NEXCOM and a control buyer for Lillian Vernon.
For Cahoon & Cross, Joan keeps projects on track for clients such as the Elizabeth City Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Family Care Senior Solutions, Nationwide Insurance’s N.C. agents, National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative and Universal Service Administrative Company.
Joan holds a bachelor of business administration in marketing from James Madison University.
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Jennifer Tracy, Media Buyer/Account Coordinator
"I've learned, over the years, that a company cannot properly service a client unless all of its employees are working together as a team. In my work with Cahoon & Cross, I always strive to be a team player so that we can get the best possible results for our client."
Jennifer Tracy is the former marketing and research director for WTVZ-TV in Norfolk, where she managed viewership research and developed client presentations. She has extensive experience in the Hampton Roads media market, having held sales positions with WVEC-TV, Daily Press and Trader Publishing. Previously, Jennifer was an assistant account executive with Moroch, a Dallas-based advertising agency with offices nationwide. There, she worked on the Virginia co-op account for McDonald's. Jennifer has an associate's degree in business administration from Tidewater Community College.
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Jennifer Wargo, Advertising Account Coordinator
"Nothing pleases me more than creating a strategic marketing mix that will help our clients reach their desired target market."
As advertising account coordinator for Cahoon & Cross, Jennifer is responsible for planning and implementing multi-media advertising for the agency's Nationwide Insurance cooperative advertising account in the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition, she develops and executes social media advertising campaigns for other Cahoon & Cross clients. Jennifer began her career in the advertising industry in 1999 at The Daily Press newspaper, where she first handled classified and recruitment advertising sales, and then was promoted to classified advertising sales manager. During this time, she helped develop advertising technology projects and worked on the integration of print and online advertising for www.dailypress.com and www.careerbuilder.com. Prior to joining Cahoon & Cross, Jennifer was an admissions advisor with ECPI University. She holds a bachelor's degree in business management from Christopher Newport University
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Kerice Boothe, Accounting Manager
“We take our role in financial management on behalf of our clients very seriously. For every dollar our clients pay to provide services, we guarantee those services are rendered through a streamlined accounting system. Representing our clients’ good reputation is our business.”
With a background in communications, finance and accounting, Kerice began her career in New York where she worked for two financial institutions, and later joined Katz Communications, a national rep firm for cable, television and radio. After moving to Virginia, Kerice continued in advertising at Barker Campbell Farley & Mansfield (now BCF) in Virginia Beach where she served as media invoice auditor/accounts payable manager. Prior to joining Cahoon & Cross, Kerice was staff accountant at The New York Times Company in Norfolk.
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