In her own words: Stephanie Kruse of KPS3 Marketing

Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about KPS3 and your position.

Stephanie Kruse: KPS3 is a full-service marketing, advertising, public relations and digital agency founded in 1991. Our clients are among the top brand names in the region, and in some sectors such as healthcare, development and real estate they are the tops in the nation.

My role is as chief executive, taking a lead role in organizational strategy and business development, but I am also the chief strategist for clients in the marketing, branding and communications/PR realms. I am in essence the agency "planner" for our own firm and our clients.

NNBW: How did you get into this profession?

Kruse: When I graduated from high school I had fully intended to go to the University of Iowa, had a journalism scholarship, the whole shebang. I took a detour for family reasons and instead went to nursing school, and in three years I was an RN instead of a budding journalist. Nursing taught me a lot about human nature, psychology and about being a bit more patient than I was previously, although most people who know me would have a hard time believing that. So I don't regret it, but I just didn't stay in the profession.

I finished nursing school and 10 days later entered the journalism program at a nearby liberal arts college and loved it. I worked in a nursing home as a charge nurse nights and weekends to help pay my way through J-School. However, when it was time to do my "journalism" internship at that college, I found myself missing the healthcare environment and hospitals. So I contacted a large hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D., and "sold myself" to them as a free intern. I worked for the person who would eventually become my mentor, the head of PR at that time, John Jacobsen. I loved working in a hospital PR/marketing department. After I graduated, I immediately got a job in a sister hospital in Aberdeen, S.D. as director of public relations, and three years later was recruited to come to Reno as head of the public relations and marketing department at Saint Mary's. Shortly after receiving my MBA, I started my own firm in 1991.

NNBW: What are the major challenges the last few years have presented, and how has your firm overcome them?

Kruse: Because we served so many clients in the real estate, building and development industries, we were able to foresee the recession coming a bit sooner than other marketing firms. We were able to proactively make adjustments on both the expense and the revenue side. We implemented a proactive and formalized business development program long before other agencies figured out they needed to do so when the recession hit. We also as a company shared the pain, in order to keep as many staff members as possible during the depth of the recession. But probably most importantly, even when everyone was at the top of the bubble, way before the recession, we foresaw that the future would be in the digital realm, and invested in staff, technology and training to focus on digital media, social media channels, Search Engine Optimization strategies for web development, digital advertising, and so on. We were able to effectively differentiate ourselves even once the recession hit. And now the digital sector is a large segment of our business, but we are still able to apply our sound marketing, branding and communications principles to this new space.

NNBW: What are your favorite hobbies or pastimes? How do you spend your time away from work?

Kruse: I truly enjoy a number of things that all call to me ... international travel is a true love of mine, especially to roads less-traveled. I enjoy learning about how people live, work, survive or thrive in various cultures, particularly in Asian countries.

I love to read, from business titles and "how people think" books to a good mystery, which for me is an excellent distraction.

I enjoy working out; I've been boxing for about four years for fun and an intense workout that really makes you focus if you don't, you can get popped.

NNBW: What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Kruse: The best business advice I ever received was from my dad, who was an independent businessperson himself it just happened to be in the business of farming. He taught me that when you leverage your business, be sure to only do it with revenue-producing debt service.

NNBW: What is more important to you: the money or the work?

Kruse: Definitely the work. I enjoy life and things that money can buy, but I love the work itself, the joy it brings me to do great quality work, as well as to do the type of work that benefits the common good.

NNBW: If you had enough money to retire right now, would you? Why or why not?

Kruse: I would not retire now, for three BIG reasons:

* I'm having too much fun.

* Our firm is involved in assisting so many organizations that are doing GREAT things for our region and for humankind in general: for people's health and well-being, for quality of life, for job creation ... why on earth would I want to stop being in the thick of all these great efforts?

* This is one of the most exciting times in our industry technology has made so many things possible for our clients, and us, but now is the time when full-service agencies can differentiate themselves based upon the ability to apply technology in intelligent, creative and strategic manners. That's where I think our world is going, and I believe KPS3 is already poised to be able to do this very, very well.

The basics:

Name: Stephanie Kruse, President and CEO, KPS3 Marketing

How long have you been in this job? 20 years

How long in the profession? 31 years

Education: Retired RN, with a BA in journalism/theater and an MBA with an emphasis in marketing and organizational strategy

Last book read? "Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow" by Chip Conley

Favorite flick? Just about anything from Mel Brooks, the Zucker Brothers or Quentin Tarantino

Spouse, kids, pets? Three cats: Twitch, Mama's Boy and Neux Kitty