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Women-Owned Cork Tree Creative Receives National and State Certifications as Veteran-Owned Business

September 7, 2022

Cork Tree Creative Now Certified Veteran’s Business Enterprise (VBE)

Sept. 6, 2022 . . . Cork Tree Creative, Inc., a full-service marketing and public relations firm, today announced it has been certified by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association as a Certified Veteran’s Business Enterprise (VBE) and the State of Illinois Veterans Business Program as a Veteran-owned Small Business (VOSB). In addition to recognizing the military service of company ownership, these certifications connect Cork Tree Creative to a vast network of corporations and organizations who look to support veteran-owned businesses when looking to outsource their marketing services. 

In addition to its veteran-owned status, Cork Tree Creative is also certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) by the Small Business Administration, and a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (WBE) by the State of Illinois. 

“The business landscape for women-owned and veteran-owned businesses has increased dramatically thanks to national and state-wide programs, like those in the State of Illinois, that provide designations for businesses that are owned, controlled, operated, and managed by women and veterans. We have worked really hard over the past 13 years to build our business and are grateful to add certifications to our growing list of benefits of working with our team,” said Laura Reed, co-owner of Cork Tree Creative.

Cork Tree Creative, Inc. was formed in 2009 by Jan Carpenter and Laura Reed as an all-inclusive marketing firm offering a full suite of traditional and digital marketing services. Located in Edwardsville, Ill., the company has clients ranging from big brands in energy and engineering to state-wide utility providers and leaders in healthcare and legal services. 

The company provides all services in-house, taking a hands-on, team approach to projects of all sizes. Services include public relations, website development, graphic design, branding, videography, photography, content development, digital advertising, reputation management, search engine optimization, and more.

“Our all-inclusive approach to marketing is a great asset to our clients as they can call us for all of their marketing needs instead of having to outsource to different vendors,” said Jan Carpenter, co-owner of Cork Tree Creative. “We have a great team and quality, reliable services that we can scale for organizations of all sizes.” 

For its work, Cork Tree Creative has received recognition from various industry organizations such as Hermes Creative Awards, The Communicator Awards, and APEX Awards. The firm has also been recognized as one of the Best PR Firms in St. Louis (2021, 2020, 2017 & 2016), Best Marketing Firms (2016, 2015), and Best in Reliability (2022, 2018) by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly. 

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