Dragon Horse Ad Agency (DHAA) Founder and President Julie Koester has been named a finalist in the 14th annual Apex Awards, an honor extended by the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce to recognize the outstanding women in our community who excel in the areas of professional achievement, community service/philanthropy, and leadership. Ms. Koester is among five finalists chosen from 16 nominees. All were honored in a recent ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Fort Myers, with the winner to be announced August 16th.
Julie Koester is Co-founder of the industry-leading, disruptive international ad agency, Dragon Horse Ad Agency. Dragon Horse Ad Agency set a new standard upon its 2015 launch when Ms. Koester and Co-founder Patrick Blake Renda identified a major market need for a vertically integrated marketing and advertising firm which integrated the essential elements of business strategy and consulting into client promotion. Dragon Horse Ad Agency’s unique solution, DragonONE, has been rapidly adopted and highly sought after by the global business community as the leading solution and foundation for successful brand growth and companies of tomorrow.
Prior to forming DHAA, and utilizing her graduate degree in psychology focusing on pediatric neuro development, Ms. Koester founded Mr. Toad’s Toy Co. a high-end traditional toy store offering the foundational classics of childhood, from carved wooden blocks to classic children’s literature. She went on to become the founding board chair of Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, leading an 11-year capital campaign effort to raise the needed $25 million to bring it to life. She oversaw all aspects of the museum’s creation, from securing the land to marketing, exhibit design and development, to its triumphant grand opening in March 2012. Realizing the glaring nutritional issues facing her own children’s generation, Ms. Koester then decided to earn her Ph.D. in public health, her dissertation research focusing on big food company advertising to children, their methods, and the tragic and powerful results. Ms. Koester hosted a long-running weekly radio show Life with Moxie and authored a weekly article for the Lee and Naples Herald, also under Life with Moxie, for years, both highlighting how choices in daily living effect our well-being. She owns Moxie Creed, a line of natural skincare, and is finishing a vegan cookbook, Cooking with Moxie. She was also a professional researcher and copywriter for over 20 years.
In her 25 years in Naples, Ms. Koester has volunteered with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, chaired the Walk MS: Naples, is a Past President of the SWFL Columbia University Alumni Association, and has served as a Guardian Ad Litem.
For more information about Julie Koester and Dragon Horse Ad Agency, please call 305-306-3992, or visit them online at DragonHorseAgency.com.