New possibilities for your business
The Slagar Group is a professional services practice focused on enhancing value on operational and financial management for startup and independent agencies. They create customized solutions and strategies designed to drive growth and sustainability for organizations. Most clients are going through some form of transformation – rapid organic or new business growth, integration of acquisitions, new service expansions, and/or competitive pressures within the digital space requiring a new focus. Contact us and find out how we can help.
About us
John Ragals is the managing partner at The Slagar Group. He is an energetic driver of innovative growth and change – especially in the area of service-based operations. His focus on executing business solutions with rigorous business planning and disciplined leadership has made him a well-qualified expert in the value chain. Having 20-plus years’ progressive experience in providing full-cycle C-level executive P&L, project management, and consulting services, John has a notable background of creating vision, building structure, developing empathy, and delivering results. His record of success spans diverse industries and services.
At Slagar, John has assembled a network of professionals he can tap into on behalf his clients to help provide the necessary expertise that drive operational excellence and enhance financial results for the startups and businesses with whom he works. He has created customized solutions and strategies that drove growth and sustainability for several organizations including an SEO agency in developing a growth strategy, a full-service digital agency developing business expansion strategy, and innovated organizational processes and operations for an ad-tech company and leading independent global ad server.
Prior to starting Slagar, John was Chief Operating Officer at Secco Squared, a boutique performance media firm where he steered strategy. His prior roles include Chief Operating Officer of Ignition One, a leading cloud-based marketing platform where he directed initiatives involving product development, process improvement, staff development, and operational measurement of efficiency to generate increased profit margins.
Before Ignition One, John was engaged by 360i as Chief Operating Officer. There, he set the stage for transforming 360i from search specialist agency with numerous small clients into a full-scale agency handling large major brand name clients such as Mattel, FTD, H&R Block, JCPenney, Saks, Enterprise and Capital One. 360i was acquired by Dentsu Network in 2010 and he later moved into the Chief of Network Development position with Dentsu in 2012. He not only contributed to the client growth of the organization but was also instrumental in the agency winning many awards during his tenure: Agency A-List, Forrester Wave (Search), Top 5 Next Generation Agencies (Adweek), World’s Most Innovative Companies (Fast Company), Best Places to Work (AdAge/Crains).
Early positions in John’s career included Modem Media where he ran the Delta Air Lines business – leading the team that built their first web site and sold their first ticket on the web – eventually selling over $2BN in tickets online during his tenure. He has also held roles in the Sports Marketing and Retail fields as well – starting his business career via the Lord & Taylor executive development program.
John has an MBA in Marketing/International Business from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Duke University. He’s a past member of AAAA’s NY Regional Board at Advertising Agency Advisory Council Yahoo Search Marketing, Global Media Agency Council and the Search Engine Marketing Agency Advisory Council at Google.