Launch Team provides keen marketing vision to photonics industry

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For the past 40 years, Launch Team Inc. has been a part of the business landscape in Rochester, a milestone the marketing firm recognized at the end of March.

But like the corporations the firm originally served, namely Eastman Kodak Co. and Xerox Corp., an ability to adapt and pivot was necessary in order to maintain relevance and continue to grow.

Sheila Hosenfeld and Roger Hopkins founded Launch Team sin 1986 as PublishEase, Inc. The firm provided clients with digital publishing, training and documentation for new product launches. Kodak and Xerox accounted for around 80 percent to 90 percent of the work.

But as Michele Nichols took the reins of the company in 2007, she realized it would be necessary to change the focus, without abandoning its roots. Since the PublishEase team had always had some involvement with photonics through their work with Kodak and Xerox, she believed it made sense to specialize in the sector.

The mindset: Be all in on the still-expanding industry, be a go-to firm when it comes to bringing products to market.

“Photonics was one of the fastest growing markets, and we’d always been doing that type of work, so it made sense to create a competitive advantage,” Nichols said.

The decision turned out to be wise. Launch Team has created a niche within the marketplace, helping firms at home and abroad launch new products, enter new markets and reposition their brands.

Along the way, they also have added new areas of expertise, including the life sciences, semiconductor, quantum and veterinary technology sectors.

It also helps to be in Rochester. The city has always been a hub for optics, thanks to Kodak, Bausch & Lomb and Xerox.

“Rochester is a real selling point for us,” Nichols said.

Photonics, however, isn’t exactly a field that marketers know inside and out. Truth be told, the term can be a little intimidating; just what is it?

In reality, though, the team at Launch Team doesn’t need to possess intricate knowledge of the sector. They’re not here to design products; they’re here to ensure products get to market and that potential buyers are informed.

It’s far more important that the folks at Launch Team have relentless curiosity and aren’t afraid to ask a dumb question, according to Nichols.

After all, clients don’t expect them to have PhDs in optics; instead, clients need marketing expertise from Launch Team’s 10-member staff.

“We’re helping them bring products to market, determining which markets to enter, teaching them what they should spend their money on,” Nichols said.

Their ability to provide the proper guidance is why they’ve worked with some clients for better than a decade, Nichols said. Some staff members also have been part of the team for more than 10 years, including Aimee Schenck, director of client success, and Madison Jacobs, creative director.

And while Launch Team’s name and focus may have changed over 40 decades, the principles established by Hosenfeld and Hopkins have not.

“I believe,” Nichols said, “we have stayed true to the founders’ original vision: work with great people, be good to our word and help clients get the right things done to achieve their goals.”

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