An Advertisement for Success: The Student Entrepreneurs of AdSmart
Suzanne Davidson '96

Villanova juniors Thaddeus Bartkowski, Colin McManus and Alvin Clay are not your typical students. They attend classes and study, but in their spare time, they run a business. Bartkowski, McManus and Clay, with LaSalle junior Jim Palmieri, are the creators of AdSmart, an innovative outdoor advertising business which promises to attract your attention.

AdSmart began, ironically, with a lack of advertising. Bartkowski drove past the same empty billboard on the New Jersey Turnpike so many times during his freshmen year that the lack of advertising made him curious about the cost of putting up an ad. He called the company, went wide-eyed at the figure quoted to him, and the idea for AdSmart was born.

Why start now? “I looked at it as an opportunity that three years from now wasn’t going to be there, because if we didn’t take those remaining spots on I-95 or other highways in the area, someone else would. That’s when I came to [Clay, McManus and Palmieri] and said ‘if we’re going to do this we’re going to do it now because in three years when we graduate the opportunity is going to be lost,’“ says Bartkowski.

The four students have been good friends since high school. Together they thoroughly planned the details of AdSmart. Each brings unique strengths to the business. Bartkowski heads up the company , a job which fits his business management degree. Clay, a computer engineering major, designed and manages AdSmart’s web site. He also designed the company’s logo and is in charge of graphic design. McManus has a nose for real estate and this combined with his accounting major makes him ideal to solicit accounts for billboards and wallscapes. Palmieri, a finance major at LaSalle, is responsible for the auto ads.

Auto ads? Strange but true. AdSmart sells advertising space on billboards, walls and cars. “What’s going to slate us differently than other outdoor advertising companies?” Bartkowski asks, “My answer is that we’re going to combine not only traditional forms of advertising like billboards and WallScapes but innovations such as AutoAds. We want to be the most innovative outdoor advertising company.”  AdSmart is one of only six companies nationwide that is placing advertisements on automobiles. They are the only one in the mid-atlantic region. AdSmart’s eye-catching Jeep Wrangler can be seen on campus.

This innovative idea could turn out to be AdSmart’s distinguishing feature. Four new vehicles will be ‘wrapped’ in December. Vehicles can be wrapped for companies that own a fleet of vehicles and wish to create a unique look . They can also be wrapped for individual advertisements. In this case AdSmart owns the vehicles and finds drivers who match their desired demographics.  AdSmart’s web site, www.AdSmartoutdoor.com, has a place where drivers can sign up to drive a wrapped vehicle. These drivers either get cash or a free vehicle in exchange for the advertising. How do AutoAds compare to billboards and WallScapes? “Cars are more fun,” says Bartkowski, “the idea to put somebody on the road, to take somebody’s corporate logo and make it applicable to a car – it’s different and it creates attention.”

While AdSmart sounds like a smart bet for success, the students admit that going to school and running a business can be a challenge. “It is a lot,” says McManus, “it keeps you busy. The challenge for me is time management.”  Still, starting early can have its advantages. “Right now we want to establish a lot of contacts, “ says Clay, “That’s a big thing because the more contacts you have the easier it will be down the line, and we are looking into the future right now.”

The students hope to make AdSmart their full-time job after they graduate. “I’m hoping that for all four of us coming out of college next year, getting a job and making money is not going to be an issue,” states Bartkowski. Whether this happens or not, one thing is certain: The student entrepreneurs of AdSmart are an advertisement for success.