Meeting All Marketing Needs
Ken Leslie ’00 and Gillian Chavez-Leslie ’00 often crossed paths at Westmont. They both felt called to Latin America and traveled to Ensenada three times with Potter’s Clay. Ken took classes in Spanish (his major) at the University of Costa Rica, and Gillian helped develop Westmont Bethel Hospital in Guatemala City, spending four summers working with Don Salomón and Doña Mery Hernández and other students.
They also sang in the Westmont College Choir together. Gillian produced CC’s Café, a fundraising show for the annual tour. A sociology major, she interned as a chaplain at San Francisco General Hospital during the San Francisco Urban Semester. She joined sociology professor Thomas Jayawardene on a Mayterm trip to his native Sri Lanka.
Ken ran Westmont’s low-power radio station, hosting two weekly shows and overseeing all operations. “What an incredible experience to get a small budget and make it my own,” he says. “Westmont encouraged me and gave me the freedom to be successful.” He found an internship at Clear Channel Radio, which included two Spanish-language stations, publicizing and setting up events, writing on-air promotions and interacting with DJs.
Good friends at Westmont from neighboring Southern California towns, Ken and Gillian started dating about a year after graduating and married in 2002. “We realized we had so much in common,” Gillian says.
She began working in direct marketing, first at Russ Reid Company and then at Primedia Enthusiast Media. Ken handled workers comp claims for Spanish-speakers at Select Personnel before doing financial analysis of stocks and mutual funds. “The firm needed someone bilingual, and I was willing to learn and do anything,” he says. “I developed skills in web programming and design as well as print design, working on both the technical and creative sides of the business.”
Gillian and Ken had long wanted to start a business with his sister and brother-in-law, their close friends. The four listed their skills and experiences and decided to found Imagen Promotional Marketing Agency in 2009 to provide a wide range of customized swag such as branded apparel, glassware and pens as well as printed business cards, brochures and banners. They also do direct mail, graphic design and web development.
The team of 21 employees includes the four founders with Gillian and Amy Bower serving as directors, Paul Bower as CEO and Ken as president. They set up booths at conferences to attract new business and also reach out personally. “We like to work with Christian organizations,” Ken says.
At an admissions conference, Irene Neller, vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications, connected with an Imagen representative when she asked about their impressive products. Learning about the Leslies’ history with Westmont convinced her to work with them on swag for the college, including confirmation boxes sent to incoming students. “We helped develop them, which became a special and meaningful job for us,” Gillian says. Each box features a personal message from the couple.
“Our college education and leadership training have made a direct impact on running a business.”
“Our college education and leadership training have made a direct impact on running a business,” Ken says. “Westmont helped develop us as people and Christians.”
“Westmont’s integration of faith and learning taught us to be focused on Christ while working,” Gillian says. “God has established our business, and we look for ways to bless others through it.”
“I made great friends at Westmont,” Ken says. He has met for 26 straight years on Memorial Day weekend with his 12 roommates from Cold Spring Lodge. The guys take turns fi nding a place to stay where they can hang out and catch up — without wives or kids — and enjoy adventures such as river rafting, golf and scavenger hunts.
“I absolutely loved my time at Westmont,” Gillian says. “It was the best four years of my life: pure learning, lots of growing and so formative.”
They live in Glendora, California, with their daughter, a college student, and their son, a high school sophomore. They got involved in their 20th and 25th college reunions and want to help Westmont any way they can. “We share the same memories with some of our best friends, and that commonality is a huge blessing we can pass on to future Westmonters,” Gillian says.