# C.O.nxt

> C.O.nxt is a Hartland, Wisconsin, full-service marketing communications agency built specifically around food and agriculture. Founded as Charleston|Orwig in 1992 and 100% employee-owned since 2018, it combines industry fluency with brand strategy, creative, media, PR, social, video, analytics and web development. Its signature Brand Camp puts cross-functional client teams in a room before creative production begins, turning internal alignment into a practical marketing plan.

- **Founded:** 1992
- **Headquarters:** Hartland, United States
- **Founders:** John Charleston (Co-founder), Lyle E. Orwig (Co-founder and former chairman)
- **Products:** Brand Camp, 30-Day Sprint, Core agency services, Crisis and risk communications, ESOP communications support
- **Notable:** Became 100% employee-owned through an ESOP in June 2018., Maintained Dairyland Seed as a client for 25 of its first 26 years and Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production for 17 years as of the 2018 ESOP announcement., Generated 73 leads in the first six months of the All In on Allflex campaign, with a reported 45.76% engagement rate.

## Products & services

- **Brand Camp** — A customizable one-day, half-day or retreat-style workshop that aligns cross-functional stakeholders around purpose, positioning, personality, audience and brand direction.
- **30-Day Sprint** — A four-phase engagement covering team assembly, Brand Camp, omnichannel planning and a complete integrated marketing blueprint in one month.
- **Core agency services** — Analytics, branding, creative, paid media, public relations, SEO, social media, video, websites and applications.
- **Crisis and risk communications** — Scenario planning, media training, preventive communications, internal and external response, and crisis strategy.
- **ESOP communications support** — Brand, culture, acquisition and internal communications programs designed for employee-owned companies.
- **Industry research and State of the Plate** — Commissioned food-system research plus a podcast and editorial platform covering trends, policy, technology and consumer behavior.

## Achievements

- Became 100% employee-owned through an ESOP in June 2018.
- Maintained Dairyland Seed as a client for 25 of its first 26 years and Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production for 17 years as of the 2018 ESOP announcement.
- Generated 73 leads in the first six months of the All In on Allflex campaign, with a reported 45.76% engagement rate.
- The AmpliSource campaign generated more than 200,000 impressions and a 7.38% engagement rate.
- Repositioned BioFiltro and delivered a new suite of go-to-market assets within six months; the company also became a finalist for the $1 million Food Planet Prize competition during that period.
- The Merck Animal Health M-Power campaign reported 8,681,947 impressions, 57,119 clicks and 278 print-placement QR scans; its 2024 World Dairy Expo presence was voted Best Commercial Exhibitor in the large-booth division.
- President and CEO Marcy Tessmann was named to the Wisconsin Titan 100 for two consecutive years, including the 2026 class.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Published new guidance on why agriculture brands have only a few seconds to earn attention and on how AI is changing creative and campaign optimization.
- **2026-04** — The Charleston Orwig Collective promoted Marty Defatte to Senior Developer and AI Engineer and advanced Anna Grace Brown and Kendall Zoeller to Senior Account Executive roles.
- **2025-10** — Marcy Tessmann was selected for the Wisconsin Titan 100 for a second consecutive year, recognizing the 2026 class.
- **2025-05** — C.O.nxt announced two client-services promotions, including Anna Grace Brown's move into an account executive role with greater project ownership.

## Links

- Website: https://co-nxt.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/c-o-nxt
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CharlestonOrwig
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/charlestonorwig

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/conxt
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-20