As the economy works toward a level of robustness, creative agency
GdB (short for Gabriel deGrood Bendt) is ready to grow along with it. In the past four months, the firm has hired three people, with two of them coming into new positions--director of strategy and director of public relations--bringing the company's employee total to 32.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, the agency reports about $40 million in billings from advertising, PR, direct mail, and interactive campaigns. Recently, GdB added three major clients:
AmericInn,
Anytime Fitness, and
Abbey's Hope, a charitable foundation.
Public relations director Dan Hauser joked that the account wins have seemed like a professional version of Sesame Street, with today's letter being "A." He noted that they'd now be delighted land more business with companies starting with "B," "C," "D," and the rest of the alphabet.
"I think advertisers are demanding greater nimbleness, and efficiency from their agency partners," says partner and creative director Doug deGrood. "That's one of the drivers of our recent new business success. We are nothing if not streamlined and efficient."
The agency has worked for clients like
Goodwill,
Andersen Windows,
Activision, and
Gold'n Plump, as well as having created those distinctive billboards for Black Forest Inn ("Schnitzel happens," reads one).
GdB will share the wealth when it comes to the new projects, partnering with local interactive company The Nerdery for web development on the AmericInn account.
"In terms of goals, we don't necessarily want to get bigger," deGrood says. "We want to get better. And so that means bringing in people with new and unique talents, including disciplines outside the ones we currently offer."
Sources: Dan Hauser, Doug deGrood, GdB
Writer: Elizabeth Millard