For more than 10 years, the International Academy of the Visual Arts has hosted a competition awarding Communicator Awards to honor exceptional creative work in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio. Judging is conducted by field professionals and this year’s competition featured more than 7,000 entries from around the world.

David Neuger, president and CEO of Neuger Communications Group, said, “The recognition received from the International Academy of the Visual Arts is a nice honor. It underscores my assertion that our staff and clients are the best you will find anywhere, anytime. We are very pleased with the recognition.”

Founded in 2002, Neuger Communications Group serves clients in a wide array of industries across the nation, including financial services, construction and agriculture, non-profit, education and healthcare.

Each year the Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals hosts the international MarCom award competition in which agencies submit work samples for independent review. Judging is conducted by senior-level, experienced professionals and the most recent competition featured more than 5,000 entries from across the United States and several foreign countries.

David Neuger, president and CEO of Neuger Communications Group, said, “We are delighted to accept these awards. Recognition from the MarCom committee serves to reinforce the emphasis our team places on developing results-oriented solutions.”

While the MarCom awards acknowledge the firm’s accomplishments in the field of higher education marketing, Neuger Communications Group serves clients in a wide array of industries across the nation, including financial services, construction and agriculture, non-profit and healthcare.

President and CEO of Neuger Communications Group David Neuger said, “We are delighted to team up with Rick Esse and Esse Advertising. I have a lot of respect for Rick and the business that he has built over the years, and I’m thrilled that we can bring our two companies together. Neuger Communications Group’s core values of integrity, excellence and success are evident in the way Rick has conducted his business, and together we share a truly extraordinary commitment to producing results-oriented communications solutions that delight our clients.”

Esse Advertising, which was founded in 1993, has served a wide range of local and regional clients in a number of industries including healthcare, financial services, construction, nonprofit and education. Esse Advertising helped clients develop print and web communications, but is best known for its strength in the development of comprehensive advertising campaigns.

Neuger continued, “Rick’s extensive knowledge of the communications field and his strength in developing creative advertising campaigns that generate results complement our firm well. He has a great reputation and an extensive client network across the region. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be an excellent addition to our team, bringing valuable insight to a wide range of projects.”

In his role as a senior communications counselor, Esse will counsel a number of local and regional clients, managing both the creative and strategic communications processes. He will also be responsible for fostering relationships with prospective clients.

Esse said, “I’m pleased to be a part of the Neuger team. Our client service and creative philosophies are similar – we’re both dedicated to delivering communications programs that yield tangible rewards for our clients. The clients I’ve worked with will now have access to additional communications resources that may have been unavailable to them in the past, and I’m eager to add my advertising and creative background to what the Neuger team can offer.”

A graduate of St. Olaf College, Esse began his communications career as the director of advertising for the Northfield News where he was responsible for establishing and meeting sales goals, developing specialty publications and generating advertising. After a successful tenure at the Northfield News, Esse launched his own business – Esse Advertising – allowing him to broaden the communications solutions he could offer clients. Across a span of 15 years, Esse Advertising served more than 70 clients in Northfield and the surrounding communities, developing advertising campaigns and print communications solutions. Altogether Esse brings more than 25 years of communications experience to his role at Neuger Communications Group.

Esse lives in Northfield, Minn., with his wife, Pam, and their college-age son, Alex.

As a part of Neuger Communications Group’s senior leadership team, Hillemann counsels several of the firm’s local and regional accounts – developing communications solutions for clients in a variety of industries including healthcare, nonprofit and green building – while fostering relationships with prospective clients and helping to set the strategic direction of the firm.

President and CEO David Neuger said, “Penny has brought tremendous value to our team. Over the years, her responsibilities have steadily grown and she has proven to be a thoughtful and accomplished leader. The success she has helped her clients achieve and her everyday work truly reflect the firm’s values of integrity, excellence and success. We couldn’t be more pleased to have a person of her caliber representing the firm and serving clients on a daily basis.”

A graduate of Brown University in Providence, R.I., Hillemann holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and received her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Having served as a lawyer in Milwaukee and a web manager and communications associate at 89.3 WCAL, Hillemann brings more than 20 years of communications and related experience to her role at Neuger Communications Group.

Hillemann said, “Neuger Communications Group brings together such a wonderful fusion of talented, dedicated, nice people. It’s hard to imagine having colleagues who could be more rewarding or more fun to work with, and because of the variety of clients we serve, there is always a new challenge to keep things interesting. I’m looking forward to taking on new responsibilities, continuing to grow professionally and working hard to be successful for our clients.”

Hillemann lives in Northfield, Minn., and shares her life with her husband, David Keyes, and her three children. In addition to her work with Neuger Communications Group, Hillemann is a member of the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative board. In her free time she enjoys gardening, bird watching and choral singing. She is a strong advocate for sustainability and an avid reader.