Andrea Kelliher knew it was time to make a change when the airline staff all greeted her by name.
“I was traveling way too much for my corporate marketing job,” she said. “I wanted to have a life and give back to the community I grew up in.”
She started Positive Solutions, a full-service marketing, public relations and event planning agency, in 2007.
“It was scary, but it was the best decision for me and my kids,” she said.
Based in Robbinsville, Positive Solutions specializes in developing and executing marketing campaigns, digital and print communications, social media and client custom design.
Kelliher said she loves her job as president of Positive Solutions.
“I have amazing clients, and get to do something different every day,” she said.
She said she is also happy that she can show her kids how to be creative and independent, and they can witness the different aspects of what she does in the office and at events.
A native of Hamilton, Kelliher graduated from Nottingham High School and Cabrini College. She now lives in Robbinsville with her family.
“I love the variety of clients that we have,” she said. “I am happy to have been given the opportunity to help them through their general marketing and public relations needs, including overall marketing, public relations, social media and ad design.”
Kelliher said she also has a network of women mentors who provide guidance.
“They are amazingly supportive,” she said. “They say ‘you can do this,’ and I can ask questions, from simple to complex.”
“I love the fact that I can leverage my knowledge for clients, or can refer them to someone else for areas that I don’t cover,” she added. “It doesn’t feel like work—it is something I truly love.”
Positive Solutions has worked with a number of corporate and nonprofit clients, including the Trenton YMCA, Eden Autism, Mrs. G, Hill Wallack, Hamilton Jewelers and building trades. They also work with the MidJersey Chamber of Commerce, which is great from a referral standpoint and for networking, Kelliher said.
“I am an added resource for clients,” she said. “I am able to work with a lot of clients to keep things moving along for them.”
Kelliher said she is most proud of winning the Mercer County contract in 2014 for selling and managing advertising at Trenton-Mercer Airport.
“It is a project that I love,” she said. “The airport is a hidden gem. More than 50,000 people a month go through there. It is an open canvas of possibilities. It is a fun project, and we can be creative.”
Airport advertisers have included Performance Spine & Sports Medicine, Marsilios, Stark & Stark, NJM, MidJersey Chamber of Commerce, Cure Auto Insurance, Northfield Bank, Indoor Air Technologies and Robert Wood Johnson Health System.
“Being able to win the contract shows that we have a solid base and a great reputation for quality work,” Kelliher said. “The county is happy with our performance, and we have great advertisers.”
Kelliher is also proud that Positive Solutions has been selected for the 2016 award for Excellence in Leadership by the American Economic Institute.
Each year, the AEI conducts business surveys and industry research to identify companies that have achieved demonstrable success in their local business environment and industry category. The companies are recognized as having enhanced the commitment and contribution of small businesses through service to their customers and community.
“I am able to do what I do because of the amazing support system I have of family and mentors,” Kelliher said. “I could not do it without them.”
For more about Positive Solutions, call (609) 865-5494 or visit positivesolutionsteam.com.
Hamilton native Andrea Kelliher started Positive Solutions, a marketing, public relations and event planning agency in 2007. (Photo by Erica Haller Photography.),
