When Toledo Money sat down with Marc Paulenich, the newly appointed CEO of Hart, we expected a conversation about growth metrics and expansion plans.
What we got instead was something better: a steady leader who doesn't chase flashy lights. Paulenich officially stepped into the CEO role in January 2026, succeeding founder Mike Hart, who will transition to Executive Chairman. But in practice, this handoff has been years in the making. Paulenich has been deeply involved in Hart's succession planning, operating in lockstep with Hart leadership while executing a strategy that has quietly tripled the agency's size over the past 15 years.
Today, Hart employs just under 100 people and operates offices in Toledo, Columbus, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. Yet its center of gravity remains firmly in Northwest Ohio. What stood out most about Marc wasn't the resume or the client list. It was the focus. Stoic, deliberate, and obsessed with understanding his clients' brands at a level most agencies don't bother with. He doesn't talk about brand like it's a logo or a tagline. He talks about it like it's the operating system that drives everything else.
For Marc, great brands don't just communicate. They create belief, action, and more than anything advocacy. That philosophy isn't marketing speak. It's how Hart has operated since 1965, and it's why the firm is still here while others have sold out or disappeared.

One of the clearest signals of Paulenich's leadership style is how close he stays to the work. Despite leading a multi-market agency, he still speaks with a client nearly every day. Depending on the size and complexity of the engagement, he is just as comfortable rolling up his sleeves as he is setting long-range strategy. That hands-on approach reflects Hart's broader philosophy: client-centric, brand-first, and resistant to chasing trends for their own sake. Over the next three to five years, Paulenich says the firm has no interest in becoming a "trend-hopping" agency. Instead, Hart positions itself as a hybrid business consultancy and advertising agency, with brand
at the center of everything. That model, he argues, is why Hart's clients succeed.

In an era defined by rapidly shifting technology and automation, Paulenich is emphatic about one thing: authenticity still wins. Consumers, he believes, are increasingly skeptical of over-engineered messaging and empty innovation. Hart's focus is on keeping brands real: grounded in purpose, clarity, and consistency. Technology is a tool, not the strategy. That perspective has shaped how the agency invests in capabilities and how it advises clients navigating an increasingly crowded and noisy marketplace. It also explains why Hart has been selective about growth. The agency aims to be large enough to afford the tools and talent required to compete nationally, but not so large that it loses its agility. This is the part where most agencies would pivot to talking about AI, automation, and "the future of marketing." Marc didn't. Because that's not the point. The point is whether the brand creates belief. Whether it drives action. Whether it builds advocacy that compounds over time. Everything else is noise.

Perhaps the most defining choice Hart has made under the leadership team is the decision to remain independent. At a time when many mid-sized agencies are selling to holding companies or private equity, Hart has consistently chosen not to. Paulenich views independence not as a constraint, but as a competitive edge. It allows the firm to
move faster, invest deliberately, and maintain cultural continuity without external pressure to chase short-term exits. That independence is reinforced locally. Hart intentionally works with Toledo-based banks, law firms, and tax partners, keeping its economic footprint close to home. It is a Toledo-first mindset that extends beyond marketing into how the company operates day to day. This matters more than it sounds. When you're not optimizing for an exit, you can optimize for something else:
durability, culture, client relationships that span decades. Hart has clients it's worked with for 20+ years. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens because the incentives
are aligned for the long term.

Paulenich's commitment to Northwest Ohio is not rhetorical. Hart moved its headquarters from Arrowhead back downtown in 2018, landing in the Hylant building and re-anchoring the firm in the city core. The move signaled confidence in downtown Toledo at a time when many companies were decentralizing. Today, Hart's hybrid work model has energized teams across all offices, while Toledo remains the cultural and
operational hub. From here, the agency serves clients across sectors, including a growing focus on travel and tourism, a vertical where brand clarity and experience matter deeply. The decision to come back downtown wasn't nostalgic. It was strategic. Talent wants to be where things are happening. Clients respect firms that invest in place. And culturally, it reinforced that Hart isn't trying to be somewhere else.

Paulenich's promotion formalizes what has already been happening inside Hart: a steady, intentional transition designed to protect culture while enabling growth. With Mike Hart remaining involved as Executive Chairman, continuity is not just preserved, it is structured. Looking ahead, Paulenich's focus is clear. Align teams. Invest in the capabilities clients need most. Build brands that create belief, action, and advocacy. And do it without sacrificing independence or local roots. This is leadership that doesn't need to announce itself. It just executes.

For Toledo, Hart's story is a reminder that meaningful growth does not require leaving home or selling out. Sometimes, the most durable companies are the ones that choose to stay put, stay independent, and build patiently. We left the meeting thinking about how rare this kind of leadership is. Not just in Toledo but anywhere. Marc doesn't chase the flashy lights. He doesn't need to. He's building something that lasts. Sometimes the blueprint is already built. We just need to recognize it and support it.