Who Are We?

JW Specialties LTD is a full-service marketing and consulting company with over 25 years of experience in developing regional and local advertising campaigns for top-rated retailers and small businesses. Our clients include regional advertising groups, manufacturers, and small businesses with the goal to increase their sales, brand presence, and store traffic. JW Specialties, LTD opened in 2002 in Fort Wayne, Indiana specializing in Do it Best® regional ad groups, but have expanded services to include individual in-house marketing for small business retailers. Our services include electronic media, signage, digital marketing, websites, videos, and more.

JW Specialities pioneered the Do it Best® regional ad groups which help local hardware stores save money. Our program allows retailers to purchase media at a lower cost while producing a higher quality promotion than advertising on their own. Learn About Ad Groups

Our Mission

To provide expert marketing services for independent retailers at an affordable cost and develop turn-key marketing campaigns designed specifically to target trends and opportunities.

Service Area

We currently provide services to local small businesses throughout the United States including Chicago, IL, Fort Wayne, IN, Kansas City, MO, Smithville, MO, Prairie Village, KS, Hudsonville, MI, Upton, KY, Marion, IN, Cameron, MO, Indianapolis, IN, Greenville, KY, Chillicothe, MO, Plattsburg, MO, Monticello, IN, Logansport, IN, Savannah, NY, Newark, NY, Ontario, NY, Columbus, OH, and many more.

Testimonials

“Angela and the team at JW Specialties took our website to the next level. There was a lot of info we wanted in there and they hammered it into a great-looking, professional site that meets our needs and the needs of our customers.”

Ted Jones
Jones Home Center, Upton, Kentucky,
Since 1977


“We see the entire team at JW Specialties as our own in-house marketing team. Their years of experience in our industry, along with their long-term relationships with our vendors – is PRICELESS! They have a good understanding of the challenges we face every day as independent retailers. They can help you excel in marketing and make sure campaigns are profitable and reaching your customers.”

Jeff Cardwell
President & CEO of Cardwell Do-it Best Home Center, Indianapolis, Established 1945


 

The JW Team

Janelle Wagner

President/Owner
(260) 209-2508 ext 101

Prior to founding JW Specialties, Janelle’s entire professional career has been either in sales or marketing. Janelle began her professional experience at Hilton Hotels as Sales Manager and then in short term was promoted to Director of Sales for properties in Detroit, MI and in Seattle, WA. She transitioned to building a new department as Director of New Business Development for a group of Radio Stations back in her hometown of Fort Wayne. She served as Vice President with Revenue Results, Inc., a radio consulting company.  There she trained salespeople and put together retailer dealer groups and manufacture programs. The consulting firm decided to transition into different business directions and the result was forming her own marketing and consulting company in 2002. She’s pioneered the formation of dealer groups for Do it Best® stores across the country. Today that model is still in place. She has expanded to provide marketing services for her long-term clients that she considers family.

Some career training includes: Purdue University – Consumer & Family Science. Customer Focused Selling, Selling on Paper, Front Line Leadership, Director of Sales Management Training, Field Management of Sales People, Train the Trainer, and Radio Marketing Associate certified. And Janelle is currently on executive boards for 3 non-profit organizations. Janelle is blessed to be married for 21 years with two sons’ She loves to read, cook for the family, church family, and functions.  For fun, she loves to spend time doing anything at “The Lake” with her family & friends.

Angela Harris

Graphics/Digital Media Manager
(260) 209-2508 ext 102

Angela specializes in creating graphics and ads for different outlets. She started her career by entering the ICE program at the Anthis Career Center while a senior in high school. She then interned in the typesetting/graphics area at Instant Copy of Fort Wayne while going to school at IPFW.  She graduated from IPFW with a Bachelor’s Degree from IU in Fine Arts majoring in graphic design.

She ended up working in the print business after graduation for about 18 years and worked doing pre-press, designing, running digital copy machines, and bindery.

“Moving into the advertising/marketing world at JW Specialties has taught me a lot along the way.  I have added email marketing, social media, websites, and video creation to my list of things I can do.”

Ashlynn Johnson

Social Media/Digital Accounts Coordinator
(260) 209-2508 ext 103

Ashlynn manages digital advertising including social media, emails, and website development/management. She started her career in computer graphics at Purdue University in West Lafayette where she focused on improving her skills in graphic design, 3D animation, and website design and development. While earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Graphics Technology, she worked for ITaP in the computer labs helping students with printing and computer technical issues.

After graduation, Ashlynn continued doing freelance work for small businesses and individuals and worked as a staffing administrator for a small 3rd party sorting company. In 2016, she decided to pursue her Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship and marketing and started working as a marketing assistant in Fort Wayne for Faztek in 2017.

“Working for JW Specialties has taught me so much about the varying markets and buying habits of consumers around the United States and has helped improve my skills in digital marketing. It’s great working with small businesses around the United States and learning about their different challenges and coming up with solutions.”