Leadership
Empower’s leadership guides the company through good times and bad–with an eye on the future.
Jim Price, Empower MediaMarketing President and CEO
Jim Price leads Empower MediaMarketing and pushes the agency to integrate and innovate for its clients in a new world where brands must not only talk to consumers, but with them as well.
Jim is part of an executive management team that has navigated Empower through one of the toughest periods in advertising history—increasing revenue and profitability. A more than ten-year veteran of Empower, he founded Empower’s Innovation team. When the Internet was still considered an emerging advertising medium, he built the team to include digital creative and development, search engine marketing, word of mouth marketing, social media and analytics.
Jim has a passion for branding and entrepreneurism having recently created and launched a new beverage brand. He previously held roles with ABC Radio, Beyond Interactive and Bush-Cheney ’04. He was named a “40 Under 40” award recipient by The Cincinnati Business Courier and frequently speaks on digital media trends at industry-leading conferences such as AdTech and iMedia. Jim is an instrument-rated pilot and very active in his community, mentoring with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and serving on several non-profit boards.
Lynne Veil, Executive Vice President and COO
Lynne Veil ensures Empower has a clear vision, strong leadership at all levels of the company as well as a clearly-stated strategic plan and an unwavering commitment to carrying it out. She has been with Empower for more than twenty years—all as COO. Lynne is responsible for the Client Strategy, Media Strategy and Consumer Insights divisions of the company in addition to her operational and corporate duties.
Lynne ensures that real innovation—not “me too” reactions are incorporated into each client’s strategic plan. She fosters a results-driven culture, having teams set Return on Objectives measures in order to constantly analyze and assess our clients’ growth.
Prior to joining Empower, Lynne spent ten years at Procter & Gamble in Brand Management and Media positions. Lynne has been recognized as an “Advertising Working Mother of the Year” by Working Mother Magazine and Advertising Women of New York. She is active in her community, currently serving on advisory boards at several schools, including the University of Cincinnati.
Joseph Lowry, Chief Financial Officer
As Empower’s CFO, Joe is responsible for the agency’s finance and accounting, management information systems, media finances and compensation as well as employee benefits trends and plans. This “numbers” guy is also a creative thinker, constantly encouraging fresh thinking throughout the company.
Joe motivates people to come up with ideas that not only contribute to Empower’s ongoing growth and success but also that help build our clients’ business. His team monitors and measures Empower’s performance on behalf of our clients so the entire agency is aware of the company’s impact.
Prior to Empower, Joe worked at Deloitte Touche and Kao Brands and has a Master’s in business from Xavier University.
Mary Beth Price, Founder & William “Billy” Price, Chairman
EmpowerMediaMarketing was founded by Mary Beth Price in 1985 with four employees and billings of $2 million. 26 years later, Empower employs 175 employees and has $300 million in billings. This can all be traced back to Mary Beth and her husband Billy.
The vision to see a need, the guts to execute against it and the nurturing leadership to bring others along with you is one attempt to encapsulate their achievements. They have infused the entrepreneurial spirit and a family atmosphere into the organization. This translates into a culture that challenges and encourages each employee and client to make things happen – working and playing hard.
Mary Beth stepped down as CEO in 1997 to pursue other interests. Bill stepped down as CEO in 2010 to do the same. Both remain active in the industry and the local community while consulting for Empower. Their work ethic, integrity, friendly style and gracious sophistication have left the company with a rich history, a powerful legacy and a promising future.