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Our Company Company News 25 YEARS LATER, SCHLANSKER EXPANDING, NOT SLOWING BY AMBER LEE LETSCHE Fort Worth Business Press While celebrating its 25th anniversary, InterStar Marketing and Public Relations, with a staff of 12 employees, is growing strategically for future growth. Two new divisions have been established, as well as a new office in New York City. InterStar president Jane Schlansker said, "What we wanted to do was figure out the best way to use our best talents and build on our strengths at the agency." One of the new divisions is InterStar Creative Services. By creating this division, Schlansker said, the agency is clearly able to more completely address its clients' needs. In addition to offering traditional design services such as advertising and collateral materials, InterStar has expanded capability in the specialty areas of trademark and package design. The other new division is InterStar International. This was established to be able to compete at the mid-size business level in the global market. "We work with a lot of clients who are international companies or companies wanting to do international business and we want to be able to serve those clients," Schlansker said. InterStar has dealt with international marketing through its work with the U.S.-Argentina Chamber of Commerce, Sister Cities International and the North Texas Commission. Schlansker said the firm has done large amounts of media relations work in foreign countries. "We hope to use that experience to be able to help those companies that want to be in the U.S rather that be making profiles for different countries, setting up meetings or making contacts." In order to develop corporate and public-sector business as well as providing corporate design services to new clients in the Northeast U.S region, InterStar has been operating in New York since late fall. Kathy Korge Albergate, senior vice president, is heading the office. Schlansker said that by spring InterStar will have an office. "We've done a lot of work in New York and for New York clients. We have seen that possibility for a long time." The New York office will have at least one additional employee by the end of the year. Throughout the years Schlansker has faced many challenges. She said the biggest has been the roller coaster economy. "We've been through several cycles over the 25 years," she said. "It never gets entirely easier, but when it happens the second or third time, at least you know more of what you are dealing with." Another challenge the firm has faced is the technology. Schlansker says it has been difficult to get ahead and stay ahead with all the technology. To overcome challenges, InterStar has made an effort to diversify the company in terms of the types of business it handles. "We do both corporate public relations work and public information projects and accounts. We also continually try to look for ways to work smarter and stay lean as a company in terms of staffing-staff and outside resources we can call on, people we can trust with specialized skills," she said. Like many other business owners, Schlansker said the hardest part about being in business is finding the right people for the long-term. "From a historical perspective, its really kind of fun to reach this kind of milestone because it forces you to look back and see what has happened and look at the fun people you have worked with," she said. InterStar's oldest clients include Morrison Milling Co. in Denton, the city of Fort Worth and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Schlansker started her business because she needed a new challenge. She said she had gone as far as she could go with the company she worked with and decided to go out on her own. "At the time, I wasn't sure it was the right thing for me, but I thought I would try it," she said. "It turned out to be pretty exciting." She founded the company, which was then called Jane Schlansker & Co., with emphasis on commercial broadcast production services. In 1981, the company incorporated and in 1985 changed its name to PR/Texas to recognize increased demands for public relations, marketing and other public information consulting services. The company in 2000 assumed the name InterStar to reflect corporate growth and better enable the company to market its services internationally. Schlansker said the most memorable event for the firm is celebrating its 25th anniversary. They celebrated with a dinner at Lonesome Dove in the Stockyards, which she said was special because one of the first projects the company ever did was a marketing study for the Stockyards. "It was kind of like going to back to our roots," she said. Schlansker says the reason the company has lasted is the good people who have worked with her and to the loyal clients. Patience, consistency and flexibility are all major factors of running a business, she said. Contact Letsche at aletsche@bizpress.net.