Aug 17, 2020
Marc Frey
Future Threats and Opportunies for a Barrier Island

Marc Frey was born with ink in his blood. His grandfather established a printing and publishing company in Zurich, Switzerland, which his father expanded considerably. After an undergraduate degree in business administration Frey absolved his mandatory Swiss military service. Instead of accepting a promotion to become an officer he moved to Paris to hone his craft and worked at the world renowned advertising agency Publicis as a media planner for 2 years.

Wanting to round out his education, Frey attended the Monterey Institute of International Studies and graduated with an international M.B.A and a minor in foreign affairs.

In 1982 Frey became the youngest CEO of a major European company (1,000+ employees) and lead a turn-around for the Jean Frey Group. Major accomplishments included a 38% revenue growth while reducing the debt structure at the same time; establishing “Weltwoche” as the premier influencer publication, negotiating a 10-year print contract for the Atlantic edition of Newsweek and obtain a license for Forbes magazine for the German speaking markets.

In 1987, the company was sold to a larger holding company and Frey stayed on as the CEO for another year through the subsequent IPO. As the CEO of Berichthaus AG, Frey managed large real estate holdings and oversaw the investment banking side of the business.

Following his entrepreneurial spirit Frey, his wife Anuska and their two sons moved to Hilton Head, SC in 1992 where he started his own company Frey Media which has grown into the Lowcountry’s largest locally owned publishing and marketing company encompassing several brands including Hilton Head and Bluffton Monthly (the voice of the community), several visitor publications and Shop More Local.com whos mission is to advocate the importance of supporting local businesses. More detailed information can be found on www.freymedia.com Frey and the business relocated to Bluffton to be closer to the emerging Lowcountry triangle and the company continues to grow. It’s most recent launch is a parenting multi-media platform: Parenthood IQ.

When not working, Frey can be found playing tennis, riding the bike with his dog, cooking or enjoying the Arts both locally and abroad. Through his opinion column “Last Call”, serving on the Mayors Vision Task Force, speaking engagements and acting as the marketing arm for not for profit organizations Frey has been actively involved in the community.