Matthew Rachleff

Age | 41 Occupation | CEO, i-mpact Hometown | New York City

Matthew Rachleff could have started his business, i-mpact, anywhere, but it just wouldn’t be the same, he says. Starting out in New York, Rachleff worked in marketing firms like Ogilvy and Mather and then developed print, video and social media campaigns for films in Los Angeles. Now he’s in Baton Rouge, where in 2011 he launched i-mpact, a marketing and consulting company that develops national campaigns for the likes of the Magic Johnson Foundation. The move was partially a personal one—his partner is from Baton Rouge, and they wanted to raise their two children close to family. But Rachleff also saw potential in a city on the verge of big changes, with movers and shakers still small-town enough to meet you for a cup of coffee.

“The community here—they want you to succeed,” Rachleff says. “That’s just an amazing thing. I don’t think I could’ve started this type of business in Los Angeles.” The focus of i-mpact is cause marketing, linking large non-profits with a national brand.

He helped establish the TV show Glee’s Give a Note campaign to support music education. This outside-the-box thinker is thinking locally, too, consulting on marketing campaigns for Wampold Company’s developments.

“This is really a new model,” Rachleff says of i-mpact’s focus on cause marketing. “It’s definitely not a traditional marketing agency.” i-mpact.com