• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 10, 2016

Integrated digital marketing agency Rauxa has appointed Gina Alshuler to CEO from president, succeeding the founder Jill Gwaltney, who launched the company in 1999.

Alshuler, the classic story of the college graduate finding her way, came to the agency 15 years ago as an account coordinator. She unexpectedly worked her way up the ranks, after canceling her flight to Washington D.C., where she planned to go into politics and perhaps through law school. "I thought my stint at Rauxa would be a short one, between school and moving, and I would stay in Southern California," she says.

Throughout her career with the agency, Alshuler has effectively built strategic client partnerships while delivering sharp campaigns, per the company.

Rauxa focuses on content marketing, CRM, and data and analytics, along with a bit of search engine optimization to support Web site implementations requiring design and development, according to Alshuler. The company recently opened a content marketing division called Cats on the Roof, with a warehouse space in Culver City, Calif., supporting production for online videos.

The company does not have a search division, but Alshuler says someone approached her earlier this week about acquiring a search firm.  

Alshuler appointment made public Wednesday along with the opening of a Seattle office led by Marc DeFigueiredo, VP of Account Services, and new hire Jon Friesch, who recently joined Rauxa from Oracle. The Seattle office marks Rauxa’s seventh nationwide, as the agency expands to service a roster of clients such as Allergan, Delta Dental, Gap and Verizon.

Alshuler's appointment also coincides with SteelHouse choosing Rauxa as its agency of record. "We've achieved substantial growth heading into 2016 with a $130,000 run rate, in part because of our extreme focus on technology that truly performs for our clients," says Patrizio Spagnoletto, CMO, SteelHouse, in a statement. "We look forward to collaborating with Rauxa to help us bolster our momentum in the year ahead."

Rauxa will support SteelHouse through direct response, data management, media planning and buying, and video production for branded content.