Meet the Broker: Chris Ragusa

Today we meet Chris Ragusa, president of Estee Marketing Group Inc., based in New Rochelle, NY. Regusa is an owner/broker. She started out as a broker in 1984 at what was then her aunt’s business. Sixteen years later she purchased the company.

“I am a hands-on broker. I do all the list planning and analytical work,” says Ragusa. “I love doing statistical analysis for clients.”

“In my spare time I do the president’s work,” she quips. “If I had my druthers I would rather just be a broker, because it’s a lot more fun than being president.”

Ragusa brokers data for both nonprofit organizations and commercial mailers. She specializes in the Catholic fundraising and ethnic publishing markets. She’s been a certified fundraising executive for the last 10 years. In 2003, she was honored as the Hispanic Direct Marketing Professional of Year.

She’s responsible for sourcing lists of Spanish speaking consumers for several publishing clients. “I also work with lists of African Americans,” she adds.

Her brokerage clients currently include the American Diabetes Association, Association of Marian Helpers, Boardroom Inc., Bookspan, Gevalia Kaffe, Reader’s Digest Association, Rodale Inc., Salesian Missions and Time Inc.

She and her husband Geoff Batrouney, executive vice president of the company, have four children. Her hobbies include flower and vegetable gardening.

“I love cooking Italian food and canning tomatoes that I pick from the garden. I enjoy doing that back to the farm kind of stuff at our little suburban house,” says Ragusa.

What makes statistical modeling challenging for targeting ethnic groups?

In the case of targeting Hispanic consumers, Ragusa explains that determining whether a person with a name of Spanish origin actually speaks Spanish can be tricky. The first name is often a better indicator than a last name, as to whether a person speaks Spanish.

Someone named Heather Martinez is less likely to speak Spanish than someone with a more traditional Spanish first name like Guadalupe.

Key attributes can be identified with enhanced data overlays to make assumptions that person speaks Spanish, but the best way is to use selections for identifying individuals who self-report that they speak Spanish.

“We can do all the modeling in the world, but if the data isn’t self-reported, it’s not as good,” adds Ragusa.

Ideally, it’s best to find someone who subscribes to a Spanish-language publication.

Can you share your favorite story about a client?

“Back in 1999, I traveled to Australia, and I married my husband there. It’s kind of hard for a list broker to travel for weeks at a time, so I was in contact with my office and clients quite frequently. The morning of my wedding day I woke up and had to work on and submit a Rodale list reco(mmendation).”

“Rodale didn’t know I was getting married that day, says Ragusa. “But they did kind of get a kick out of it when I told them.”

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