The Team
Bill Cross • President + CEO
Bill’s 39-year career in advertising and marketing has taken him from the design studio to the corner office. From kerning type with an Exacto® knife to guiding the marketing for a major regional bank for nearly a decade and then building a reputable agency over the past 16 years, his mantra remains that good things happen when you’re surrounded by good people (and C+A has some of the best). Mr. Cross is a 1973 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Radio-Television and Motion Pictures (and die-hard fan). He serves on several boards across the region and is also active in his downtown Raleigh church where he has become known as an authority on pipe organs… trust us, it’s a long story! Contact me bcross@cross-a.com
Juana Gustin-Quick • Vice President + Strategic Development
Juana boasts a rich background of 25+ years in marketing that includes such notable names as Neiman Marcus, Aetna and General Electric. She has worked for the past 10 years specializing in healthcare marketing. Helping hospitals understand and grow market share was at the forefront of her development efforts prior to joining C+A. Based in C+A’s Columbia, SC office, Juana is an active member of healthcare marketing associations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and is currently President of the Virginia organization. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from East Carolina University. Contact me jquick@cross-a.com
Katherine Costa • Vice President + Account Services
Kat provides leadership for the C+A account service team and sees that all aspects of a client’s plan are accomplished on time and within budget. And did we say she’s a talented designer, too? She is a seasoned veteran in marketing with more than 10 years experience in account service and creative direction roles. She is a graduate of Peace College in Raleigh with a degree in Communication and is currently on the board of the Triangle Ad Club. Contact me kcosta@cross-a.com
Jamie Holmes • Senior Media Director
Ms. Holmes is a long time veteran of advertising media having worked in the business for more than 20 years. She has implemented mass media campaigns on a local, regional and national basis for companies such as Embassy Suites hotels, the Alexandria Virginia Convention and Visitors Association, BB&T, and the College Foundation of North Carolina. Ms. Holmes is responsible for development of all traditional media plans and the supervision of all media buying. Ms. Holmes is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University. Contact me jholmes@cross-a.com
John Lucas • Copywriter
John has been in advertising and communications since the Coolidge administration (okay, that might be a slight exaggeration) with experience on both the client and agency side. His educational career was interrupted by his military career when he dropped out of college to enlist in the U.S. Army. The timing was somewhat inauspicious due to an unfortunate conflict in Southeast Asia. However, John was awarded the Bronze Star medal for being on time for the war every single day.
Originally from Charlotte, he moved to Columbia more than 30 years ago as advertising manager of South Carolina’s largest bank. After his stint in the financial industry, John switched sides of the desk to an agency position when he discovered his real talent was writing. His experience includes work in the financial, healthcare, higher education, retail, real estate, and manufacturing industries. John has been recognized with Gold and Silver Addy awards (AAF) as well as awards from the Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (CHPRMS). He is a former president and board member of the Columbia Ad Club and Columbia Communicating Arts Society.
When away from the Columbia office (which isn’t often), John is a voracious reader and bibliophile, an occasional gardener and is trying to learn to cook.
Oh, and he finally earned his degree from the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Contact me jlucas@cross-a.com
Kelly McSwain • Graphic Designer
Kelly’s diverse background in art combined with her ever growing graphic design knowledge makes her a valuable part of the Cross + Associates team. Though Ms. McSwain is new to the advertising game, she more than makes up for it with her smarts. This is not the kind of knife wielding, street-smart skills that most designers have, but the kind of strengths that are an asset to Cross + Associates’ creative family. She has an eye for design, and brings a fresh approach to idea development as a graphic designer. Contact me kmcswain@cross-a.com
Erica Strother • Traffic + Production Coordinator
Erica boasts being the youngest member at Cross + Associates but this doesn’t mean that she’s not well versed in the industry. Ms. Strother’s role has changed dramatically since she interned at the agency during her senior year of college. She began as a public relations intern and her acute attention for detail led to her current position of production coordinator. In this role, Strother oversees all traffic and production activity for the agency. Ms. Strother plays a key role in seeing that all creative deadlines are tracked and delivered on time during the production process. Ms. Strother is a graduate of Campbell University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication. Contact me estrother@cross-a.com
Lisa Blood • Operations Coordinator
As the newest member of C + A, Lisa takes on many different roles. A North Carolina native, Ms. Blood is a graduate of N.C. State with a B.A. in Communications. With a background in communications and a love for math, Lisa is in charge of managing client account payables, coordinating office logistics, implementing and improving office procedures and serving as a go-to for the production and media departments.
Lisa also works closely with Bill, president of C + A. Her attention to detail and visionary focus helps him keep C + A moving toward the future as the agency brings on new clients and works to (as “The Brain” would say) “take over the world”. Contact me lblood@cross-a.com
More bio’s Coming Soon: Nicole Eutsler + Gloria Guthrie