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Category: News

Meta 13 adds Lead Programmer, Nathan Batdorf as Co-Owner

St. Cloud, Minn., July 1, 2016: Meta 13 Interactive, Central Minnesota’s leading web development agency, recently announced the introduction of long time employee, Nathan Batdorf, as a co-owner of Meta 13, Inc as of July 1, 2016.

Nathan has been with Meta 13 since the company’s beginnings eleven years ago. As their first employee, along with founding partners Josh Gauerke and Justin Gauerke, Batdorf was instrumental in the growth and success of the business.

“I think we got pretty lucky when we hired Nate, who just had just a few years of web development experience at the time,” Josh Gauerke said. “His get-things-done attitude and willingness to take on new technologies was critical for us from our very first accounts, just as it is with our growing client base. We are excited to have him as a partner and to share in the continuing success of Meta 13.”

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to join Meta 13 as a partner,” Nathan said. “Their dedication to the clients as well as employees makes for a great work environment. I look forward to continue passing along those values while sharing in the future success of Meta 13.”

Meta 13 Interactive is a web design and development agency that provides custom-designed, branded digital solutions and online marketing services. Based in St. Cloud, Minn., Meta 13 was founded in 2005 by two brothers with a vision for websites done right – designing exceptional online solutions with their clients, not just for their clients. For 10 years, that vision has proven to be successful and award-winning. Meta 13 has established themselves as Central Minnesota’s premiere web development agency and works with hundreds of clients locally and nationally. For more information on Meta 13, please call 320-230-1223 or visit www.meta13.com.

Adventure Begins a New Chapter

Over the past year, our agency has welcomed some great new clients, including Hatteras Yachts, the Minnesota Zoo and ZEISS. We’ve opened a new office in Downtown Minneapolis and won a slew of industry awards. And, now, we’re thrilled to announce yet another major turn for the agency as we embrace a new phase of growth.

 

 

Mike FetrowMike Fetrow Joins Adventure as
Executive Creative Director

Mike Fetrow has joined Adventure’s leadership team as Executive Creative Director and Equity Partner. During his 25+ year career in advertising, Mike’s become one of the most effective and well-respected creative leaders in the industry, creating award-winning work for some of the world’s biggest brands including Cadillac, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite and Buffalo Wild Wings – along with the “Stay Smart” campaign for Holiday Inn Express, one of the longest-running and most successful campaigns in the history of the hotel industry.

During the last decade, Mike has led the creative reinvention of two of Minneapolis’ largest agencies, Olson and Colle+McVoy, had the opportunity to be the creative lead of Minneapolis’ largest digital agency, Space 150, and founded his own firm where he worked with the National Football League.

Gina Nacey Gina Nacey Named President

Gina Nacey, Adventure’s senior creative strategist, has been promoted to President and Equity Partner. Gina has been instrumental in building Adventure’s business since joining the agency in 2008. The result has been hundreds of advertising awards, the opening of a St. Cloud office within the first year of her tenure, the Minneapolis expansion in 2015 and major new business wins over the past 18 months.

In her new role, Gina will lead account and creative strategy, ensuring that the work for Adventure’s wide-ranging client list is smart, strategic and breakthrough. She’ll also play a key role in shaping overall business direction with Adventure’s leadership team.

Scott Mitchell Scott Mitchell Assumes CEO Role

As part of the recent staffing shift, our agency founder, Scott Mitchell, officially moves into the role of Chief Executive Officer. Scott will continue to lead the agency’s business strategy and staff, while providing day-to-day leadership on several Adventure accounts. He’ll also spearhead the agency’s business development efforts and ongoing growth strategies.

Adventure™ Advertising Names Nacey President and Equity Partner

June 10, 2016/Minneapolis, MN – Adventure™ Advertising, a full-service marketing agency with offices in Minneapolis, St. Cloud and Brainerd, announces the promotion of Creative Strategist Gina Nacey to the position of President and Equity Partner, effective immediately.

Nacey has been instrumental in Adventure’s business since joining the agency in 2008, developing Adventure’s staff, client base and creative offering. The result has been hundreds of advertising awards, the opening of a St. Cloud office within the first year of her tenure, and expanding into Minneapolis in early 2015.

In her new role, Nacey will lead Adventure’s creative and account strategy, as well as shape overall business direction in conjunction with Adventure’s founder and CEO, Scott Mitchell.

“Gina’s influence and contributions to Adventure’s success are evident to everyone who’s interacted with our agency,” Mitchell said. “Her drive, strategic thinking and energy are infectious, and our business wouldn’t be where it is today without her. I’m thrilled to announce her new role and look forward to working with Gina to continue growing Adventure in the months and years ahead.”

“I’m so excited about Adventure’s future and humbled to be in a position to shape our direction and growth,” Nacey said. “The agency has great momentum right now and it’s because our incredible staff is so passionate about doing exceptional work for our clients. I look forward to building on that energy and fostering those relationships as we move forward.”

Nacey’s branding experience spans 20 years, including receiving the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) Silver Medal for Achievement in Advertising. A former adjunct advertising instructor at St. Cloud Technical College, Nacey is also a past member of the AAF’s Council of Governors and currently serves on the National American Advertising Awards Committee.

Founded in 2005, Adventure Advertising has seen tremendous growth in the past year, adding the Minnesota Zoo, Hatteras Yachts, Chamois Butt’r, Kinetic, Beaver Island Brewing and, most recently, North Dakota State College of Science, to its portfolio of clients that also includes UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation and Johnson Outdoors, among others. The agency combines senior-level experience and entrepreneurial energy to deliver award-winning campaigns for national and regional brands.

For more information, visit www.AdventureAdvertising.com.

Meta 13 Adds Account Manager Sarah Forystek to Growing Team

St. Cloud, Minn., March 30, 2016: Meta 13 Interactive, Central Minnesota’s leading web development agency, recently announced the addition of account manager Sarah Forystek, to its St. Cloud staff. Forystek will work hand-in- hand with Meta 13’s growing list of clients while enriching and expanding the agency’s service offerings.

Forystek worked most recently at Thelen Advertising and brings to Meta 13 a background in client relations, project management, agency operations experience, marketing, public relations, and advertising. Her tenure includes work on a wide variety of project types from a broad range of industries.

An engaged member of our local community, Forystek serves on the board of Ad Fed Central Minnesota as a member of the programming committee where she works to provide local marketers with enriching professional development opportunities.

Meta 13 Interactive is a web design and development agency that provides custom-designed, branded digital solutions and online marketing services. Based in St. Cloud, Minn., Meta 13 was founded in 2005 by two brothers with a vision for websites done right – designing exceptional online solutions with their clients, not just for their clients. For 10 years, that vision has proven to be successful and award-winning. Meta 13 has established themselves as Central Minnesota’s premiere web development agency and works with hundreds of clients locally and nationally. For more information on Meta 13, please call 320-230-1223 or visit www.meta13.com.

Adventure™ Advertising expands their account and creative staff with two new hires.

January 12, 2016 – Minneapolis, MN – Adventure™ Advertising, a full-service agency with offices in Minneapolis, St. Cloud and Brainerd, has added Luke Friedrich and Amy Imdieke to their growing staff roster.

Luke Friedrich joins the agency as a marketing strategist specializing in public relations and new business development. He comes to Adventure from SUPERVALU’s corporate offices, where he handled the national grocer’s external communications and public affairs efforts. That experience, combined with Friedrich’s years in media relations for state and federal elected officials, gives him an excellent foundation from which he can boost public awareness for Adventure’s clients and for the agency itself. Friedrich will base operations from Adventure’s Brainerd office, but spend time in all three locations. He and his wife are excited to raise their three young children in the central Minnesota lakes region.

Amy Imdieke is a senior graphic designer who brings her talents to the creative staff in Adventure’s St. Cloud location. Before joining Adventure, she was a senior graphic designer for Gaslight Creative. Imdieke received her degree in graphic design from St. Cloud State University and is very active in the local art, theater and music scenes. Those interests, combined with her creativity and proven design skills, align Imdieke for many of Adventure’s clients. Prior to her successful career in graphic design, Imdieke served the United States in the Army National Guard for six years, which included a deployment to Kuwait and Iraq.

Adventure™ provides all-encompassing creative and marketing services to leading regional and national brands on a project basis. Senior-level experience and nationally-recognized executions complement existing client resources for energized brand strength, growth and success. For more information visit www.AdventureAdvertising.com.

Thelen Adds to Growing Staff

Thelen Advertising would like to announce the addition of Chris Reber to their staff. Chris comes to Thelen with a colorful background beginning with a degree in Environmental Science from St. Cloud State. Chris quickly realized there were very few career opportunities in his chosen field so he focused on his true passion – graphic design and web programming. A self taught, we’re excited to put that can-do attitude to work on our team. Welcome Chris!

Leighton Interactive Chosen as Finalists for Two National Awards

St. Cloud, MN – Leighton Interactive, an inbound marketing agency in St. Cloud, has been nominated for two HubSpot Impact Awards for client work completed in the last year. The award categories the agency is a finalist for include Client Growth Story of the Year and Best Client eBook. The winners will be chosen Tuesday, September 1, and announced at INBOUND 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts, where six Leighton Interactive employees will be in attendance.

As an inbound marketing and HubSpot partner agency, Leighton Interactive works to generate leads, convert customers and deliver results for their clients. HubSpot’s Impact Awards were designed to identify and celebrate the best client work created and shared by partner agencies, via their software platform.

To enter, Partner agencies had to submit their client work and successes in various design, marketing and web development categories. Out of 2,500 other HubSpot Partner agencies and 15 total award categories, Leighton Interactive is proving their work works by being finalists in two separate categories.

So, what Leighton Interactive work got HubSpot’s attention to choose them as finalists? First is the overall marketing success they have generated for Bernick’s; read the award submission in the blog, From ‘What is Inbound?’ To Inbound Marketing Evangelist. Second is an eBook designed for Walker Methodist; read the award submission in the blog, Changing the World One Ebook at a Time. Both truly showcase the impact inbound marketing has on businesses and the kind of work that defines Leighton Interactive as an agency.

The Leighton Interactive team is anxiously counting down the days until INBOUND 2015, a four-day marketing and sales event in Boston that will feature a number of trainings and speakers including Brené Brown, Seth Godin, Aziz Ansari, and other well-known names, with hopes their agency will be called when the awards are announced in front of thousands.

About Leighton Interactive

Leighton Interactive was created in 2009 under the Leighton Enterprises umbrella that also includes Leighton Broadcasting, Leighton Events, Magnetic Spark, and Granite City Speedway. The company works with a number of local businesses including Marco, Bernick’s, Winkelman, J.F. Kruse Jewelers, and more along with companies in Grand Forks, the Twin Cities Metro and recently a client in the Chicago area. The agency values confidence, ethics, honesty, and transparency, and thrives on being innovative and doing things differently. They use inbound marketing to generate leads, convert customers, and deliver the results they ask their clients to demand. To learn more about Leighton Interactive and inbound marketing, visit www.leightoninteractive.com.

About HubSpot

HubSpot is the world’s leading inbound marketing and sales platform. Since 2006, HubSpot has been on a mission to make the world of marketing more inbound. Today, over 10,000 customers in 65 countries use HubSpot’s software, services and support to transform the way they attract, engage and delight customers. HubSpot’s inbound marketing software includes social media publishing and monitoring, blogging, SEO, website content management, email marketing, marketing automation and reporting and analytics, all in one integrated platform.

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For more information, please contact:
Nikki Saar at Leighton Interactive
Inbound Marketing Assistant and PR Lead
320-203-4840 Ext. 174
nsaar@leightoninteractive.com

Nicole Knutson joins Adventure™ Advertising as Account Manager

July 1, 2015 – Minneapolis, MN – Adventure™ Advertising is a full-service advertising agency that has experienced rapid growth since opening their newest office in Minneapolis, MN. Adventure’s most recent hire is Account Manager Nicole Knutson, who joined the agency on June 22nd with 10 years of project management experience. Nicole will take the lead on the Larson Boat Group account, which comprises five category-leading boat brands. She will also contribute to the management of several new clients the firm has recently secured.

Adventure has two additional offices in St. Cloud and Brainerd. Nicole will operate primarily from the Minneapolis location where she will also help refine internal processes agency-wide.

Prior to joining Adventure, Nicole Knutson was a Project Manager at Yamamoto Moss Mackenzie and Senior Project Manager at Olson, both Minneapolis agencies. While at Olson she managed national projects for clients including Bauer Hockey, Target, Polaris, General Mills and Sharp Electronics.

“It’s extremely exciting to join a fast-growing shop like Adventure. The talent and teamwork here is inspiring,” Nicole said.

Adventure™ Advertising provides all-encompassing creative and marketing services to leading regional and national brands on a project basis. Senior-level experience and nationally-recognized executions complement existing client resources for energized brand strength, growth and success.

Gaslight Creative Celebrates Six Years Of Creating Brand Magic; expands Downtown Location

(St. Cloud, Minn.) – The self-described marketing wizards of Gaslight Creative celebrated six years of creating brand magic last month. The full-service marketing and advertising agency, located in downtown St. Cloud, Minnesota, will soon have more to celebrate as they currently expand their offices at their West St. Germain location.

Gaslight moved into the 200 suite at 713 West St. Germain from 501 West St. Germain in March 2014. The agency has taken over the first floor (formerly occupied by Accents) July 1 and will begin conducting business in the new office space once remodeling is complete. The first floor renovation will include new offices, a conference room and client reception area. Gaslight will continue to occupy their second floor suite in addition to their new first floor office space.

The need for the new space comes as the agency’s creative team continues to grow. In the last year, Gaslight has doubled its staff with the addition of six full-time employees, including a copywriter, graphic designer, account manager, marketing strategist and two web developers (see attached photos of new team members).

“We’re excited about the opportunity to offer more cohesive, full-service branding to our clients with our expanded team,” says Jodie Pundsack, creative strategist and co-owner. “We’ve significantly increased our digital strategies and web capabilities as demand for these services grow.”

Gaslight Creative is led by Pundsack and Kelly Zaske. The full-service agency specializes in creative services including advertising, brand strategy, website development, print, and multi-media marketing campaigns. Since its inception in 2009, the agency has worked with a wide range of local, regional, national and global clients, and has garnered a total of 52 American Advertising Awards, including 2013 Best of Show.