Staff
Matthew F. Baffington
President
Matthew F. Baffington left the town of Oak River with a pen in one hand and demonstration-only “negative-airflow” device in the other. Learning that the banking industry was centered in Charlotte, NC—an industry that is as solid as Uncle Sam himself—he set sail for Queen City in search of capital fortune in advertising. Soon, he asked Earnest Sellers to accompany him on his journey and Baffington & Sellers was born.
After many years in the business, there is not much Matthew Baffington has not seen. He has watched all fads come and go, to the point that he trusts none of them.
“I trust in people,” says Matthew. “People—like our children—are the future.”
Matthew Baffington is a graduate of Oak River Polytechnic, and has written two books: I’m President: Now What?, and Marketing Tiger: 1,437 Commandments of Effective Marketing.
Earnest Sellers
Partner
Baffington & Sellers’ reputation as one of the Charlotte region’s fastest growing advertising and marketing firms is made possible by the appointment and keen marketing instincts of partner, Earnest Sellers.
Sellers began his famed career in 1961 while working as a part-time sales associate at Tri-County Oldsmobile in Kannapolis, NC. His sales manager and mentor, Scott F. Madoff, immediately noticed Sellers’ effortless ability to convert leads into prospects and encouraged him to further his education. Madoff further supported the young Sellers by allowing him to drive new Oldsmobiles to and from classes.
Later that same year, armed with a certificate of completion from Dale Carnegie, he discretely interviewed for the coveted position of general manager at rival Queen City Olds. This pivotal point in Sellers’ career eventually led to him receiving several prestigious awards including the 1964 Dealio Award. Sellers enjoyed so much positive media coverage in the mid to late ’60s that many of Sellers’ competitors, including Madoff, were forced out of business.
In 1970, intrigued by the power of the media, and seeking to capitalize on the emergent and superior quality of FM broadcasting, Sellers sold his stock in Queen City Olds. He bought a struggling AM radio station in Charlotte, NC, converted it to the new technology and began selling ad spots at a premium. Sellers’ charismatic speaking ability allowed him to offer his own voice to his clients as an alternative to hiring expensive, professional talent. The station’s advertising model was extremely profitable well into the ’80s.
Sellers’ most active buyer of ad space was Matthew F. Baffington, a giant in the marketing business. Baffington was so impressed by Sellers’ sense of technology and commitment to business growth that he proposed the legendary venture. Sellers saw a goldmine opportunity.
Today, Earnest Sellers is able to offer more services than ever before to long-time clients like McDouglas Chiropractic and Relax Adult Diapers through the forward-thinking partnership of Baffington & Sellers.
“Trust me,” says Earnest. “I’ve been in this business over 40 years.”
Earnest Sellers is a regular reader of The Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age. He knows people through his membership in the NC Royal Order of Antlers Lodge.
Bradford J. Kensington III
Vice-President of Quality Control
Bradford J. Kensington III knows what he likes: Quality.
And he knows it when he sees it. From the island trenches in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, to the largest kill floors in Chicago’s poultry slaughterhouses, to the board rooms and bullpens of Baffington and Sellers, Kensington has learned firsthand what it takes to make quality the number one top priority: blood and guts and sweat and lesions and weaponry and fear.
Kensington is nothing if not decisive, and that nimble-minded attention to the importance of making precisely the right decision at exactly the right time has served Baffington and Sellers well since its inception. As VP of QC, Kensington has been known to commandeer many a creative presentation and set things aright with one of his famous, hourlong homilies on the virtues of grooming acumen.
“Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” Kensington is wont to say, “and, by Truman’s Ghost, I’ll take appearance over perfomance every time.”
Nick Janikowski
Production Manager
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Margaret J. Kelley
Senior Managing Account Manager
Margaret J. Kelley joined Baffington & Sellers in 2006. She brings extensive experience creating supplier marketing programs, working with both Fortune 500 organizations and the generic products industry. She has a consistent track record of developing innovative programs utilizing all forms of traditional and interactive media that consistently exceed her client’s revenue objectives.
She is an outstanding asset for both Baffington clientele and the team.
Stan Johnson
Senior Supervising Account Services Manager
Stan hails from the Flickertail State, and is an expert senior-level practitioner of client management services, including the inter-relation of communications and strategic marketing plans. During Stan’s professional career, she has worked for many key industries including solid state, power and delivery.
“Integration is important to clients,” says Stan. “It’s what we bring to the table every time we represent a client to the world.”
Stan comes to us from the prestigious Chicago agency, Bel-Biv-DeVoe, and graduated with a B.S. in liberal sciences from the University of America.
Trisha Bilmore
Office Manager, Accountant, IT Manager, Facilities Manager
Trisha “Trish” Dargan’s acumen for organization has proven her to be a virtual Janet-of-all-trades for Baffington & Sellers over the past three years.
Following a lengthy tenure as administrative manager for the prestigious real-estate law firm Thompkins, Tanner and Zaxby, LLP, Trisha followed her dreams in 2004 to start her own closet organization consultancy, Closet Clutter Queen. While head of Closet Clutter Queen, she was awarded “Best of Charlotte 2005″ by Charlotte House & Garden Magazine.
However, following a time of reflection and self-discovery in the wake of personal difficulties, her passion for leadership and office administration drew her to Baffington & Sellers, where she single-handedly runs the administrative responsibilities of the firm.
“My unique skillsets in the arts of decision making, multi-tasking and organization make me one of B&S’s most valuable assets. I enjoy the challenges of working in a challenging environment and bringing order into chaos, which is common here.”
Trisha enjoys growing her prized crocuses, leading her community watch group and spending time with her three cats.
Saskia Eskarn
Senior Administrative Efficiency Manager
A two-time graduate of European Business School Schloß Reichartshausen in Schloss-Reichartshausen, Germany, Saskia Eskarn burst into the realm of buying psychology with her groundbreaking published works. The most widely known of which, “Why People Do Like They Do” is in its third printing at the University of Poughkeepsie Press. An undisputed expert in the fields of consumer psychology, digital interaction, and group dynamics she is pleased to teach what she knows to all the as-yet uninitiated in the right ways of doing things. She joins Baffington &Sellers as a valued remote consultant for the European division and looks forward to correcting the behaviours of all clients to help them become better buyers of advertising.