Entrepreneur Cotton Rohrscheib announced today that he was stepping down from Pleth, an agency he co-founded a decade ago, to pursue other opportunities.
“This is something I’ve prayed about for a while now and I think it’s the right time,” said Rohrscheib.
Since 2000, Mr. Rohrscheib has been active in the expansion of the web in Central Arkansas, when he launched his first firm, Powersite. Just two short years later he acquired one of his competitors, Webworks. With business booming and the industry on an upswing he brought on partners to form Pleth in 2004. The company has enjoyed tremendous success over the past ten years expanding their operations to include three offices in Arkansas.
“I can’t say enough great things about my partners. Greg and Stephen Smart are like brothers to me and I wish them nothing but continued success. Our partnership over the past 10 years has been a lot of fun and I’m extremely proud of our award-winning body of work,” said Rohrscheib.
Rohrscheib will initially assume the role of CEO for Rohrscheib Capital, a relatively new startup he is in the process of forming.
“I’m not one of those guys that just sits around, I really wish that I could do that. Just ask anyone that knows me! I love technology. Seeing an idea come to life that solves a problem or simplifies a process is one of the most rewarding experiences in the world. As of today, I’m a shareholder in three startups and have an advisory role with two others, so my motivation for forming Rohrscheib Capital is to provide a structural foundation for all of my current projects as well as any other opportunities that might become available in the future.” he added.
Just a few of the startups that Rohrscheib hopes to launch this year include; Discountabetes™, SafeKeep™, searchmyinventory.com™, RESQ International™, myarkansasadoption.com™, and startup.buzz™. However, he might have to re-evaluate his schedule a bit because he has a pretty significant role as COO (Chief Operating Officer) for another popular startup, Grainster™, that he admits is his passion.
“I grew up on a family farm in Eastern Arkansas, I’m third-generation and love farming almost as much as I do technology, so when I started working with Layne Fortenberry, Grainster’s CEO and founder, I think I knew in the back of my mind that this was going to be the next chapter of my life. My wife and I have prayed about this and we feel so strongly that positioning myself to help bring this product to market is where I’m supposed to be right now,” he admitted.
“It’s not like I’m completely going away from the agency world though, I plan to continue my working relationship with many clients that I’ve worked with for several years, again, I’m not one of those guys that can just sit around!” he joked.
“In fact, we are launching another agency, Cotton & Company, very soon! This is a much different endeavor than what I’m walking away from though, on a lot of levels! I won’t reveal any of our team members just yet, but we are all looking forward to our shared vision of providing comprehensive representation to a smaller client roster. I’m definitely not interested in building another agency that has hundreds of clients, deadlines, or any of the other challenges that go along with that fast-paced environment.” he added.
The new agency plans to continue providing services to several clients that Rohrscheib has provided web design & management services to for the past 10 years, but they also plan to offer a lot of new services such as branding, consulting, market strategy, interactive design & development, traditional advertising, graphic design, inbound & outbound digital marketing, and social engagement, something Rohrscheib is very excited about. The new agency will be making announcements regarding their management team in the near future on their website, cotton.buzz, that is currently in production and should be online August 1st. As for Rohrscheib’s newest venture, Rohrscheib Capital, you can find out more information on their website, rohrscheib.net.
In addition to his entrepreneurial efforts Mr. Rohrscheib will also be one of the speakers at TEDx Markham Street this year in Little Rock, Arkansas. The inaugural event will be held on July 24th and features some of the leading thought leaders in the state. Tickets are available online at tedxmarkhamst.org for the event. Other guest speakers include; Charles Morgan, Erica Swallow, Epiphany Morrow, Barry Goldberg, Lynette Watts, Reese Rowland, Celia Anderson, Stephen Canon, M.D., P. Allen Smith, Skip Rutherford, Karama Neal, Chris James, Curtis Lowery, M.D., and Anthony Johnson. For more information about this event, please visit: tedxmarkhamst.org.
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Download: Official Press Release (PDF) 47kb
Download: Cotton Rohrscheib (Updated Contact Information) 26kb
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