team

Jennifer Sopczak

Managing Partner, Houston

Jennifer began her advertising career in broadcasting as an Assistant Producer for the local CBS affiliate, KHOU Channel 11 after graduating from the Art Institute of Houston with a degree in Visual Communications. In 1990, she was recruited by Harger Howe to service key accounts and due to her enthusiasm, media negotiation and excellent customer service skills, she was promoted to Account Director. In 2000, Jennifer left to pursue a career at an international recruitment advertising agency overseeing, preparing and implementing recruitment advertising campaigns for local and national clientele in the health care and energy industries. In 2003, Jennifer was recruited back to Harger Howe to manage the agency’s major healthcare accounts. Today, she is a Managing Partner and is able to utilize the knowledge she obtained working side-by-side with Harger Howe’s principal owners offering touchpoint advertising and marketing solutions to clients.

Mike Walsh

Managing Partner, Boston

Impressed with Harger Howe’s "customer first" ideology that confirmed his belief that strong client/agency partnerships drive great strategies and creative work, Mike joined us in June of 2003 to open and lead our Boston office. His ability to evaluate an organization's strengths and weaknesses to build sound creative, media and process strategies add value to every client’s program. With a Bachelor's in English from Providence College, Mike likes to apply his creative writing skills to his client's projects.

Mark Wedes

Managing Partner, Detroit

After earning his Bachelor's degree in History from Wayne State University, Mark began his career in 1978 with the Detroit recruitment
advertising division of J. Walter Thompson where he wrote copy, serviced accounts and later headed up the account management team. In 1987 he opened and managed the Detroit office of Bentley, Barnes and Lynn, and after its purchase by TMP in 1993, joined their national sales team as Director responsible for the automotive and transportation markets. In 1997 he opened the Detroit office of Bernard Hodes Group as VP/Strategic Consultant, developing business and providing sourcing and retention consultation. Nearly 5 years later a “leap of faith” led him to become a Search Consultant with the Fortune 500 Spherion, where he learned the search business and created an exclusive health care practice. In 2003 Mark was recruited to open yet another office, for Harger Howe, where he developed Search Innovators, our direct sourcing and ancillary service division now called Harger Howe Direct. Today Mark leads a team of search professionals with combined expertise in direct search and recruitment communication services.

Michelle Swarts

Managing Partner, Houston

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Business from Sam Houston State University, Michelle pursued her passion for advertising and in 1990 was hired as Media Buyer for Metro Traffic Control (Metro Networks). Here she learned the art of negotiating media buys, as well as handling high volume scheduling and trafficking for the entire West Coast region. With her exceptional media negotiation and management skills, Michelle was quickly promoted to department manager where she controlled the inventory and scheduling for over 1300 radio and television stations, including managing a number of “A” accounts. In 1997, Michelle was recruited to Harger Howe as a key member of the account services team. During the past 13 years at Harger Howe, Michelle has managed some of the agency’s largest accounts in the health care, high tech and energy sectors as our Director of Client Services. Michelle’s hands-on approach to customer service, coupled with her media strategy, research skills, creative problem solving and negotiation savvy, has garnered strong client reviews and agency loyalties. Now, as a Managing Partner at Harger Howe, Michelle offers a foundation of more than 20 years of recruitment marketing expertise to develop and implement best practice solutions for clients.

Catherine Ellett

Senior Creative Director

After a stint as an Art Director Saatchi and Saatchi in New York City where she developed television spots for Oxydol, Royal Crown Cola, Yoplait Yogurt and Bubble Yum, Catherine moved to Van Brunt & Companies in 1989, gaining print experience designing for Advertising Age, Barbados Tourism, and Street and Smith’s Sports Magazines. Returning to her Houston home in 1991, she freelanced with Black, Gillock, Langberg and McCann Erickson before accepting an Art Director position with Harger Howe in 1992. Catherine has brought to Harger Howe a broad wealth of experience in a wide array of broadcast, print and interactive design media. Her excellent conceptual talent, design skills, and drive to find the right design solution each time, has resulted in the award-winning creative work that supports Harger Howe’s claims to superior creative solutions.