In 1997, when Carmen Jones was Vice President of Marketing for Evan Kemp Associates, she and her team devoted much of their energy to creating promotional programs for companies that manufactured and distributed products for people with disabilities. One afternoon, Carmen made a sales call to the marketing director of an insurance company. When she presented him with demographics about the disability market, the message became clear: He saw how extensive the opportunities were to reach an untapped market and make money.

While driving back to the office, Carmen was struck by the thought that very few mainstream companies actively marketed to people with disabilities. As she reflected on her personal experiences as a woman and a person of color, she thought about the numerous marketing messages and advertisements that permeate society. Carmen recognized that whether a person with a disability makes $100,000 per year or lives on a fixed income, that person still has the same basic needs for food, clothing, housing, recreational opportunities, and a myriad other consumer products.

As the vision for the Solutions Marketing Group began to take shape, Carmen decided to strike out on her own. Armed with her marketing expertise, her understanding of the disability culture, her husband's support, and a lot of prayer, she cashed in on $2,000 from an investment club and started the firm in 1998.

Since then, SMG has developed disability marketing strategies for clients such as Darden Restaurants, American Express, Universal Designers and Consultants, America Online, JPMorgan Chase, the National Disability Institute, Visa, WellCare Health Group, Questex Media, Major League Baseball, AT&T, Bank of America, al Punto Advertising, CESSI, Abilities Expo, Sodexho USA, Fleishman-Hillard and ESPN. The results have transformed organizations, impacted the bottom-line, and have gotten the disability perspective on the radar screen of corporate America.

And that's just the beginning. We welcome the opportunity to add your success to our ongoing story.