Company Snapshot
- Manufacturer: Pedoc Power Pedestals
- Location: Illinois
- Industry: Electrical Equipment Manufacturing
- MEP Partner: IMEC (Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center)
- Marketing Partner: B2Btail
The Challenge
For nearly five decades, Pedoc Power Pedestals has built its reputation on engineering high-quality outdoor electrical power pedestals that improve safety, durability, and aesthetics in parks, marinas, commercial developments, and public spaces.
Like many family-owned manufacturers, Pedoc excelled at designing and manufacturing exceptional products. However, growing the business in an increasingly digital marketplace presented new challenges. Competing against larger manufacturers with dedicated marketing departments required capabilities the company simply didn’t have in-house.
“We knew we needed to get out there and market ourselves online, but we didn’t know how,” said Melinda Marks, Marketing Manager at Pedoc.
Although Pedoc had refreshed its website and understood the importance of search engine optimization (SEO), the company lacked the experience, resources, and confidence to build a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. Even pursuing grant funding felt intimidating.
That’s where IMEC made the difference.
Finding the Right Partner
Pedoc first connected with IMEC after Melinda attended a webinar on SEO for manufacturers presented by Curt Anderson of B2Btail.
Following the webinar, IMEC introduced Pedoc to the Manufacturing Reinvented program, funded through Cook County, and helped the company navigate the grant process.
Although Pedoc had never pursued grant funding before, IMEC made the process approachable.
Rather than overwhelming the company with paperwork, IMEC worked alongside Pedoc to understand its current business, identify future growth opportunities, and develop a plan that aligned with its goals.
“Grants are never something that I would think we would have qualified for,” Marks explained. “I was pleasantly surprised that the process was pretty straightforward.”
For Pedoc, IMEC didn’t simply provide funding, it removed barriers that had prevented the company from investing in strategic growth.
Turning Strategy into Action
Through the IMEC partnership, Pedoc worked with B2Btail to develop a long-term Digital Game Plan centered on educational marketing, search visibility, and customer engagement.
The project included:
- Subject Matter Expert (SME) interviews with company leaders, customers, and industry professionals
- Educational blog articles
- An editorial content calendar extending months into the future
- LinkedIn content supporting every published blog
- Educational videos for future marketing campaigns
- AI-assisted workflows for content creation and repurposing
- SEO strategies designed for both traditional search engines and emerging AI-powered search
Rather than simply promoting products, Pedoc began capturing decades of industry expertise and transforming it into educational content that helps customers solve problems and make informed decisions.
Customer Perspective
For Melinda Marks, one of the greatest benefits of working with IMEC has been knowing that expert guidance is always available.
“IMEC is a collection of professionals with experience in all sorts of different arms of companies and industries. I know we’ve worked hand and hand with Melissa Basa now for a couple of years, and from the get go, just super professional and super invested in Pedoc, right out of the gates. I just felt that enthusiasm, like she is here for us to help us. I know we have a resource in IMEC, no matter what it is, operations, human resources, or marketing. They will steer us in the right direction.”
During the project’s closeout meeting, Marks also shared that she would gladly recommend both IMEC and B2Btail to other manufacturers and even volunteered to serve as a reference for companies considering similar partnerships.
The IMEC Advantage
Manufacturers often know where they want to go but aren’t always sure how to get there.
IMEC helps bridge that gap by connecting manufacturers with trusted expertise, funding opportunities, and specialized partners who understand manufacturing.
For Pedoc, IMEC provided far more than a grant. The organization opened doors to resources the company may never have discovered on its own, connected the team with experienced marketing professionals, and remained invested throughout the journey.
As Pedoc prepares to launch new, higher-capacity product lines while continuing to expand its digital marketing efforts, the company is building on a foundation that IMEC helped create.
Looking Ahead
Nearly 50 years after the company was founded, Pedoc continues to embrace innovation while remaining true to its family-owned values.
With IMEC serving as a trusted advisor and connector, Pedoc has expanded its capabilities beyond manufacturing excellence to include strategic marketing, AI-enabled content creation, and long-term digital growth.
For manufacturers wondering whether organizations like IMEC can make a difference, Pedoc’s experience offers a clear answer: the right partnership can unlock opportunities, reduce uncertainty, and accelerate growth in ways that extend far beyond a single project.
