Fiaba Creative re-opens its doors, brings global marketing ideas back home to Saugatuck

The Italian word for fairy tale is fiaba, and Fiaba Creative's owner David Greiner says that storytelling is what his company is all about.

Greiner founded Fiaba Creative in Saugatuck in 2004, then left to co-found Grand Rapids-based Steketee Greiner (now Agent X) with Brian Steketee. Greiner says his passion is "getting the personality of a brand established," and with Agent X, he found himself getting away from what he really loves to do.

So last month, Greiner re-established Fiaba Creative in its former 2,500-square-foot headquarters at 740 Lake St., Saugatuck -- a street level office just downstairs from the condo where he and his family reside.

"Right now, I'm sitting here looking out at the lake," Greiner says. "Fiaba is more of a resource outsource model. Instead of keeping overhead high with people on staff, I work with other creatives depending on client needs. Whatever's the best way to get a client's story told, that's where we land."

Greiner says he works with small local companies and global Fortune 500 firms alike. The clients he lists make up a roster of diverse companies: Autocar, ICCNexergy, Amway, Safewater Team in West Michigan, The Chiaroscuro Foundation and Sloan Transportation.

"I've been doing a lot of work in corporate social responsibility (CSR), which is a huge issue for companies now," Greiner says. "How companies interact with not-for-profits and how they serve the communities they live in has become much more of a marketing tool. I've been consulting with Amway, Dow Chemical and Wolverine World Wide on behalf of the Safewater Team, and I think that I'll be working with a lot more companies in the future [regarding their CSR]."

Source: David Greiner, Fiaba Creative
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor