Sands Costner

What Sands Costner does

Sands Costner is a privately held, Tacoma, Washington-based marketing and advertising agency that has operated for over 40 years, tracing its roots to L.J.Sands & Associates. The firm serves growth-minded small and medium businesses through three core service lines: Growth Planning (discovery, competitive analysis, buyer analysis, product launch plans, sales and marketing plans), Brand Foundation (mission, vision, values, naming, positioning, brand voice, logo design, brand guidelines, and brand rollout), and Brand Awareness (advertising, email marketing, direct marketing, social media marketing, video production, website development, content marketing). Rather than specializing in a single industry, channel, or demographic, Sands Costner positions itself as a specialist in the business life cycle, combining creative agency production with consulting-firm strategy work delivered in-house.

The agency's go-to-market is consultative and sales-led, targeting enterprise clients in healthcare (including dental innovators such as Bioclear), equipment finance (including Orion First Financial and Quality Equipment Finance), law firms (including Sears Injury Law and Seattle Injury Law), B2C retail (including Watson's Garden & Home), and education (including Tacoma Community College). Revenue is generated through project-based fees and ongoing retainer arrangements quoted per engagement; no public pricing exists. The firm maintains a senior leadership team of four (President Curtis Costner, Director of Strategy Kacie Leacy, Director of Client Services Charity Hardwick, Project Manager Raylene Sircable) and reports a 1-10 person headcount, with creative and strategic work produced in-house. There is no proprietary technology platform, no external funding, no parent company, and no M&A activity in the record; the firm operates as an independent, founder-aligned Pacific Northwest creative and consulting shop.

Name

Sands Costner

Legal name

Sands Costner

Website

https://sandscostner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sands Costner is a privately held, Tacoma-based marketing and advertising agency serving growth-minded small and medium businesses across healthcare, equipment finance, law firms, B2C retail, and education through growth planning, brand foundation, and brand awareness services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Advertising Services: Sands Costner generates revenue through providing comprehensive marketing and advertising services to B2B and B2C clients. Services include growth planning, brand foundation development, and brand awareness campaigns. Revenue is earned through project-based fees and ongoing retainer arrangements for marketing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sands Costner is a marketing and advertising agency that delivers three integrated service lines: Growth Planning (discovery, competitive analysis, buyer analysis, product launch plans, and sales and marketing plans), Brand Foundation (mission/vision/values, naming, positioning, brand voice, logo design, brand guidelines, and brand rollout), and Brand Awareness (advertising, email and direct marketing, social media, video production, website development, and content marketing). All creative work is produced in-house by a small team of account managers, designers, and writers for small and mid-sized business clients in healthcare, equipment finance, legal, and B2C retail sectors.

Product overview

Sands Costner is a marketing and advertising agency that operates as a services business rather than a software product company. The agency offers three core service areas: Growth Planning (discovery, competitive analysis, buyer analysis, product launch plans, sales and marketing plans), Brand Foundation (mission/vision/values, naming, positioning, brand voice, logo design, brand guidelines, brand rollout), and Brand Awareness (advertising, email marketing, direct marketing, social media marketing, video production, website development, content marketing). The agency specializes in preparing small businesses for stages of major growth, with specific expertise in healthcare, equipment finance, and law firm industries. Their work is delivered through client engagements and case studies rather than packaged software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Growth Planning Services Strategic marketing service focused on revenue generation, aligning marketing efforts with strategies that provide direct impact and value. Includes discovery, competitive analysis, buyer analysis, product launch plans, and sales and marketing plans for growth-minded small and mid-sized business clients.
• Brand Foundation Services Service that defines and refines a brand's value and identity to build a foundation for consistent, focused growth. Includes core work (mission, vision, values), naming, positioning, brand voice, logo design, brand guidelines, and brand rollout for business clients undergoing identity development or rebranding.
• Brand Awareness Services Marketing and advertising campaign execution covering advertising, email marketing, direct marketing campaigns, social media marketing, video production, website development, content marketing, and PowerPoint presentations. Delivered to B2B and B2C clients for new product launches, seasonal campaigns, and integrated multi-channel initiatives.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 3M Oral CarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner3M Oral Care partnered with Bioclear (a Sands Costner client) to disrupt traditional dental methods. Sands Costner developed educational video content featuring 3M scientists and Bioclear experts to educate dentists about the new methods and materials. Videos were deployed in the US market and then localized for additional global markets.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GreenRubino: Seattle-based brand strategy and creative agency with a comparable mid-market B2B client mix and similar full-service positioning. A close geographic and scale peer.
• Copacino + Fuhrman: Seattle-based, mid-sized full-service marketing and advertising agency serving B2B clients across the Pacific Northwest. Directly comparable to Sands Costner in size, geography, and integrated strategy + creative model.
• The Tombras Group: Independently owned, mid-sized full-service agency combining creative, media, and strategy under one roof. Closely mirrors Sands Costner's 'creative agency + consulting firm' positioning at a slightly larger scale.
• Wray Ward: Charlotte-based, mid-sized B2B marketing agency with integrated brand, content, and digital capabilities. Comparable in client profile (mid-market and growth-stage companies) and operating model.
• The Lavidge Company: Phoenix-based, mid-sized independent agency offering strategy, branding, advertising, and digital. A scale and model peer with similar vertically diversified B2B client base.
• Starmark: Fort Lauderdale-based independent agency providing branding, advertising, and digital marketing for mid-market and enterprise clients. Comparable in size, ownership structure, and full-service positioning.
• The Buntin Group: Nashville-based independent, employee-owned agency with integrated strategy, creative, and media services. A close comparable in culture, independence, and mid-market B2B/B2C mix.
• Eric Mower + Associates (G&S): Mid-sized independent B2B marketing and communications firm with a strong portfolio across industrial, financial, and professional services verticals — closely paralleling Sands Costner's equipment finance and professional services depth.

Broad incumbents

• Wieden+Kennedy: Portland-headquartered global creative agency and the dominant Pacific Northwest incumbent. Operates in the same geography and category as Sands Costner but at vastly greater scale, serving global enterprise brands.
• Barkley: Kansas City-based independent agency network of meaningful scale, offering brand, advertising, and media. Functions as a larger established peer with overlapping mid-market client ambitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sandscostner
• Facebookfacebook.com/sandscostner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sands Costner