‘Un-agency’ to double office space following 60% revenue, 100% staff growth

Kansas City, Mo. — A local marketing firm is on the move – again – following a year of wins and exponential business development.

Effective May 1, Crux KC (Crux) will relocate from its current 3,000-square-foot office space at 2100 Central St. to the iconic midcentury office complex at 2345 Grand Blvd., an upgrade which will provide 7,300 square feet of space for the company to comfortably house and expand its surging team of talent.

A self-described “un-agency,” Crux disrupts the traditional agency model by providing clients fractional CMO services and business strategy at an affordable rate. Crux client Copaken Brooks, a commercial real estate firm, helped locate the new space, represented in the leasing process by Vice President of Brokerage Molly Crawford Munninghoff.

“We love when we can partner with our clients for our business needs in return, and Copaken Brooks has been a true strategic partner on both sides of the equation for four of our five years in business,” said Crux Founder & CEO Melea McRae. “It’s been so rewarding to grow our business while helping their business grow and prosper, as well.”

Crux’s upgraded office space is reflective of its flourishing success over the past year, comprised of wins that include increasing topline revenue by 60% and more than doubling its staff since January. Since August, Crux has hired 10 people in various account and strategic roles to deepen the team’s performance marketing capabilities, including VP of Strategy and Analytics Ryan LeCluyse, who brings a strong background in marketing strategy, technology, data science and analytics. Crux has also recruited account services talent with the goal of launching a new internal team focused on the restaurant and hospitality sector.

Crux has accrued several accolades throughout the year, including recognition as a KC Chamber 2021 Top 10 Small Business and Kansas City Business Journal’s Best Place to Work in the Extra Small category. McRae was also nominated to the Kansas City Business Journal’s 2021 Women Who Mean Business class and was selected as an Enterprising Woman of the Year by Enterprising Women Magazine. Crux celebrated its five-year milestone in July.

Crux has additionally expanded its services within the restaurant and consumer marketing space. While the firm has serviced primarily B2B and nonprofit clientele in the past — including clients in the AEC, financial services and technology industries — Crux’s heightened focus on B2C  brands has resulted in new clients such as Q39, Lifted Spirits Distillery, PB&J Restaurants and KBP Brands.

“It’s been a tremendous year of growth and recognition for the Crux team, which has been incredibly validating in that we’re onto something truly unique; it shows that the ‘un-agency’ model is resonating with our clients and target markets,” McRae said. “It feels good to disrupt the traditional ad agency model and to bring our clients something that aligns better with their expectations, budgets and business goals.”

In step with its business development, Crux has expanded its platforms and capabilities to support performance marketing and marketing automation, building out and solidifying new operational processes to support future growth. The firm has cultivated partnerships with HubSpot, Sprout Social, Function Point and Onclusive. These tech-stack investments will give Crux clients access to the industry's best platforms for performance marketing, full-funnel engagement (CRM), sales enablement (ABM), marketing automation, personalization, search optimization, social media management, earned media intelligence and monitoring, analytics, and marketing workflow.

“From the moment I joined the team, we hit the ground running in preparation for this future growth that we’re anticipating,” said Crux President & COO Ethan Whitehill, who Crux recruited to its C-Suite in July. “We’re fortunate that we’ve been able to find and retain great talent in a competitive market and during a period of massive change. Our new office space will position us for strategic growth in the next five to seven years.”

About Crux KC

Founded in 2016, Crux KC is Kansas City’s “un-agency,” combining executive-level marketing and business strategy to provide a simple, smart and affordable marketing solution for our clients. Because when you’re a business leader looking for growth, you’d rather just get to the point. Crux is your in-house marketing department—outsourced. Everything you need, nothing you don’t. Learn more at cruxkc.com.