Nicole Loftus

President and CEO, Zorch International

As an entrepreneur, trailblazing brand specialist, and social advocate, it can be said Zorch International founder and CEO, Nicole Loftus, is a “Renaissance Woman” of sorts, changing the way the world looks at the $18 billion dollar promotional products industry. In a field where titles mean little and results and integrity mean everything, call Nicole what you wish, but know she’s making sure Zorch is a name on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

In its first four years, the Zorch innovative supply chain model has been embraced by a roster of marketers and top-tier brands. Corporations such as AT&T, Sara Lee, Motorola, Chase, Citigroup, and BP have been “Zorched” and save millions by sourcing through the Zorch Portal. And the proof? In their first eleven months with Zorch, AT&T saved $11 million dollars and in 2006 Citigroup named Zorch their global brand steward, considering the Zorch model the future of procurement.

Nicole began her career in the apparel industry at Levi Strauss and from there moved on to a Regional Manager position with Corporate Express Inc. in their promotional products division. It was at this time Loftus saw an opportunity to revolutionize the branded products market by introducing a new business model, and as they say, the rest is history—in the making.

Loftus, 37, is an active participant in the Women’s Business Community as well as the Chicago community as a whole. Featured as a “Future Business Champion,” Nicole has developed several programs with Mayor Daley and Chicago Public Schools to assist high school students in finding their entrepreneurial spirit. Visit Zorch on any given day and you’ll see Nicole’s belief in the community at work—literally. Giving students from her programs a chance to gain ‘real world’ experience, Nicole shows her dedication by hiring Chicago’s youth as interns.

Nicole is a proud member of The Chicago Network, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), Women Presidents Organization (WPO), Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO), a board member of SmartBet Tournament for Charity and a member of The White House Project, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors. In her most recent adventure, after the urging of several clients to provide on-brand events, Loftus founded Hit Big Sports LLC. In its first year alone, Hit Big hit the million dollar mark, with current events including the Pebble Beach Pro Am, Masters Tournaments, NCAA tournaments and more.

From a self-described “one woman show” to heading up a multi-million dollar brand agency, Loftus has seen her idea become reality. And the world is taking notice. In 2007 Inc. Magazine recognized Zorch as the 28th Fastest Growing Company in America, #1 in Illinois. That same year Entrepreneur Magazine named Zorch the 23rd fastest growing woman-led business in the U.S. And as Nicole likes to say, “It’s only the beginning. Get ready.”