Justin Seibert, president of Direct Online Marketing (DOM) in Wheeling, West Virginia is the winner of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s West Virginia District Office 2015 Entrepreneurial Success of the Year. Seibert was nominated for the award by Chad Remp from Wheeling Truck Center, SBA’s 2014 Exporter of the Year.
Seibert, a West Virginia native, and his pregnant wife left California with their infant daughter in 2006. Neither had work lined up, yet they decided to move to West Virginia because they felt it was the best place to raise their family. He founded DOM that same year and has been hustling ever since.
DOM is a digital marketing agency designated as a Google Partner and Bing Ads Accredited Professional Agency, and is West Virginia’s oldest and largest digital marketing agency. DOM currently has 12 employees and is prepared to add additional staff in the coming months. In the past three years, DOM’s revenue has grown over 145%.
While Seibert wanted his company to be located in his hometown of Wheeling, he has never relied solely on the local market to attain business. He expanded into exporting to six countries and currently serves on the West Virginia District Export Council.
One resource Seibert found extremely helpful along the way was SBA’s resource partner, the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC). From the inception of the company to recent, he has turned to the SBDC for business guidance. He especially found the resource partner helpful when entering the exporting arena.
“Justin Seibert is the definition of an entrepreneur – he knows what he wants and makes it happen,” states Karen Friel, SBA’s West Virginia district director. “What I love about this story is he is making his hometown a better place in the process.”
Seibert doesn’t just add jobs to the Wheeling area but he gives back to the community. Upon moving back to Wheeling, Justin became deeply ingrained in the local community. He co-founded OVConnect, the first young professional’s organization in Wheeling. He served on the board of Wheeling Health Right, an organization dedicated to health care for the working poor. For the past five years, Justin has sat on the board for the West Virginia Northern Community College Foundation. This list goes on and on to even include his participation in youth sports, coaching, volunteering and officiating in his children’s sports leagues.
“We’re honored to accept this award from the SBA and to be part of the West Virginia business community,” said Seibert. “Our success is a testament to the talent and entrepreneurial spirit of the young marketing professionals our state is producing — which is a big part our staff and leadership at Direct Online Marketing. This honor is shared by our entire team.”
SBA’s West Virginia District Office celebrates Seibert’s award during a luncheon at the Canaan Valley State Park & Conference Center in Davis, Wednesday, May 27 at 11:30 a.m. during the 25th Annual Teaming to Win Conference. The awards luncheon is emceed by Secretary of State Natalie Tennant. Visit sba.gov/wv for a list of the 2015 West Virginia District Small Business Week winners. Register for the event at www.teamingtowin.org.
