Design : Innovation + Job News

In 2010, Sonal Gerten was pregnant, and began looking for cute clothes for the baby boy she was expecting. "I just wanted clothes he could get dirty," she recalls. "Something really bright and fun."
 
Although there were no shortage of clothes options, nothing seemed quite right, especially for boys. She found a wealth of muted colors, but nothing like the beautiful colors and patterns that she saw every time she visited relatives in India.
 
She decided to abandon her search and start her own company instead, launching Tumblewalla (the Hindi word for "one who tumbles") in December 2011. She focused on making play clothes without zippers, stiff fabrics, or complicated button closures, and the colors are crayon-level bright.
 
One distinctive part of the company is Gerten's emphasis on initiatives that give kids more opportunities to play (whether wearing their Tumblewalla duds or not). In an effort she calls Tumble & Tickle, the entrepreneur supports The Priynaka Foundation, which supports children facing chronic and terminal illness, as well as One Home Many Hopes, a Kenyan organization that houses and educates abandoned and orphaned girls in that country.
 
Over a year after starting the company, Gerten is seeing traction and is hopeful about growing and expanding operations over the coming year. She wants to increase awareness of the two Tumble & Tickle organizations, and to expand her product line as well. She's been getting picked up in some local retail stores, and envisions going beyond clothing into other play-related items like coloring books and toys.
 
"I have high hopes for this, and I'm excited about how it's been going," she says. "We're just gauging the consumer appetite right now, but it's looking like a very bright future."
 
Source: Sonal Gerten, Tumblewalla
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Launched in late February, Minneapolis-based PH Digital Labs may utilize a number of technologies in order to manage brands, but the firm distinguishes itself by focusing on an old-fashioned concept: personal connection.
 
"The gap that we see in the space is that people still want to connect with brands in a personal way," says co-founder and Director of Strategy Kyle Meehan. "That can get lost in the digital space. We want to make that connection deeper, more meaningful, and more relevant and authentic. We want to turn 'likes' into 'loves.'"
 
Offering search engine marketing, digital content, web design services, and social media marketing, PH Digital Labs aims to build a customized, digital strategy for each client.
 
The firm comes out of Pocket Hercules (see The Line's coverage of that company here), a branding and ad agency that's found success in creating its own products as well as representing major clients. Meehan notes that the relationship is advantageous, because it allows PH Digital Labs to pull from the talent at Pocket Hercules for specific projects.
 
For the future, he expects that PH Digital Labs will do more hiring to expand its in-house team. Until then, the firm is readying itself for growth through some initial clients.
 
"Our growth will come from a couple of decent-sized projects, and we're confident that those will come our way soon," says Meehan.
 
Source: Kyle Meehan, PH Digital Labs
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Justin Kaufenberg and Carson Kipfer were just a couple of students at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, trying to figure out how to make more beer money. What they developed turned out to be a thriving, successful venture that's likely to have over 100 employees by the end of the year.
 
The pair mixed Kaufenberg's economics and business background with Kipfer's graphic design experience, and started doing design and creative work for small businesses in Wisconsin. When they began getting more customers, they rented studio space and ramped up production. By graduation, they were talking about the next step.
 
Having both come from sports backgrounds, the pair decided to focus on developing software that could power sports organizations--everything from online registration to statistics compilation. They originally dubbed their venture Puck Systems, but changed the name to TST Media (Team Sport Technologies) once they moved beyond initial hockey clients.
 
In 2006, they moved to the Twin Cities, Kipfer notes: "At the time, our niche was hockey, so it was natural to come here. This is the best place in the nation to be in the hockey industry."
 
The firm continued to gain momentum, and now has 85 employees, with 10 job openings. "Our hiring plans are pretty aggressive for the remainder of the year," Kipfer says. "We have a product that's geared for explosive growth, and we're trying to maintain that."
 
Source: Carson Kipfer, TST Media
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

"Definitely, everyone here is caffeinated," says Andi Dickson, principal at St. Louis Park-based creative agency SixSpeed.
 
In some ways, he's joking about how energy drinks fuel innovation at the agency, but on a more figurative level, his comments point to the secret of SixSpeed's success: wild energy, properly harnessed.
 
Dickson started the agency three years ago with co-founder Tom Cusciotta, and each brought a background in agency work mixed with action sports and marketing. For example, Dickson worked for Red Bull for some time, where he pulled together some stunningly creative events.
 
In creating SixSpeed, the pair aims to blend traditional agency abilities with event management and, quite simply, a little bit of crazy. They've attracted edgy, fun clients like Polaris, Two Gingers Irish Whiskey, and Colt 45.
 
"We do lifestyle marketing, that's been a major piece of what we offer," says Dickson. "We provide content generation and events, as well as social strategy. Basically, we provide good old-fashioned hard work, and it's allowed us to grow as a result."
 
The agency has doubled in size every year since its founding, and recruitment is never much of a problem. The staff skews toward a younger demographic--no one, including the founders, is over 35 years old--and a recent move to new offices included an aerialist show and craft beers.
 
"We're having a great time, and we're working hard and loving it," says Dickson. "Also, our new offices are attached to a brewery. So, what more could you want?"
 
Source: Andi Dickson, SixSpeed
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Some ad agencies specialize in certain sectors like apparel, sports, or retail. Minneapolis-based Broadhead may be the only one that deals so extensively with cows.
 
The firm tends to do most of its work for clients in rural America, says CEO Dean Broadhead. That encompasses companies that focus on food safety, agriculture, farm veterinary services, dairy, and fertilizer.
 
Started in 2001, the agency came together after Broadhead worked at some major agencies in the Twin Cities. He'd always wanted to set off on his own, he notes, and after working with clients involved in rural businesses, he decided to keep following that route.
 
Recent projects have included creation of a crop nutrition guide for The Mosaic Company, and the development of a program to help wounded veterans through sponsorship by beef and dairy producers.
 
He stocked his firm with people who have a passion for rural life--either out of interest or because they grew up on farms--and the result has been strong growth and a robust client roster. The agency has consistently grown about 25 to 30 percent per year over the last few years.
 
"We're very happy with double-digit growth," says Broadhead. "That allows us to expand at the pace we want to expand. It makes us more well-rounded and a better value to the client."
 
Source: Dean Broadhead, Broadhead
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

When Bjorn Stansvik immigrated to Minnesota from Sweden in 1999, he had big ideas about using software to optimize learning. After turning those plans into reality just a few years later, he's now on a fast track toward growth, and expanding his company's capabilities as a result.
 
In 2001, he launched Minneapolis-based MentorMate as a mobile application development company, with a signature app called iQpakk. The software allows users to create courses and training content on a mobile device, and first debuted at Eagan High School.
 
From there, MentorMate expanded internationally, with offices in Bulgaria and Costa Rica as well as St. Paul. "We saw a good deal of traction when mobile really started taking off and the iPhone came out," says Stansvik. "The promise of mobility got everyone excited about the possibilities. Since we'd been doing this since 2001, it gave us the level of credibility we needed to stand out in the marketplace."
 
In another major shift, the company switched its business model to managed services, in order to meet client needs more fully. It also rolled out another product, SpyderMate, a web-based application for marketers.
 
Currently, MentorMate has about 115 employees, but Stansvik hopes to grow that number to 200 by the year's end. At the start of 2010, the company only had 30 employees. Keeping up with that level of growth can be tricky, Stansvik notes.
 
"It's like working at a new company every three months," he says. "You have to reinvent constantly, and realize the old ways won't work. We have extremely aggressive growth goals--some people might even call them insane--but we think the demand is strong enough to meet those goals."
 
Source: Bjorn Stansvik, MentorMate
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Although Minneapolis-based Pocket Hercules successfully represents numerous high-profile brands like Pearl Izumi, Gorilla Glue, and Rapala, the firm has taken its advertising, PR, and branding skills a bit further by developing a few products of its own.
 
The company puts out Lakemaid Beer and Tiny Footprint Coffee, and its marketing might is getting those products some high-profile attention.
 
"They're going gangbusters," says agency principal Jack Supple. "We feel like we're learning a great deal by launching our own brands, and that translates into what we do for clients. We know what they're going through with product development and distribution, and there's value to that."
 
Founded in 2005, the company has grown in the past year to 17 people, and recently expanded their offices in the Warehouse District, taking over a neighboring space. Lakemaid was launched in 2008, and a year later, the company expanded its reach into Michigan, Montana, and Nebraska.
 
In 2010, Pocket Hercules partnered with a local coffee roaster, Roastery 7, to create Tiny Footprint, which it describes as "the world's first carbon-negative coffee brand." When people buy the coffee, trees are planted in Ecuador that will offset the carbon impact of the coffee's production. Given its appeal of "good karma in every cup," the coffee is gaining in popularity, Supple says.
 
The experience of producing coffee and beer--two beverages that many people couldn't do without-- has made the agency stronger and more vibrant, Supple believes. "We have an entrepreneurial bent here," he says. "It's been fun to pursue and make real products, and back brands that we really care about."
 
Source: Jack Supple, Pocket Hercules
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

In the past year, the economy didn't rebound with as much bounce as anyone would have liked, but a few fascinating things are happening on the way to recovery: the Twin Cities business community seems to be getting closer, more creative, and in some ways, more relaxed. The past year has seemed less like a slog and more like a fresh start.
 
In covering the innovation and jobs beat for The Line, I've spoken to dozens of entrepreneurs, some CEOs of large firms, and quite a few non-profit folks, and the trends are the same across every sector. The recession delivered a blow, certainly, but rather than going right back to business-as-usual, many companies here are seeing success through different measures. They brag about flex time for employees, community-based projects, and buying locally. It's as if the economic storms brought many enterprises under the same roof, and now they've learned that rather than survive independently, they're better off thriving together.

An Incubator Boomlet
 
For example, look toward the business incubator boomlet, and the wealth of services for entrepreneurs, like CoCo, WorkAround, MOJO Minnesota, the Economic Gardening Network, Homegrown Business Development Center, Minnesota High Tech Association, and so many others. The University of Minnesota, in particular, is a powerhouse of advice and skill building. Even the engineering school is teaching its students how to play well together in a business setting. 
 
This level of closeness to each other has created a business community that supports new endeavors so enthusiastically. Look at our recent feature on Kindred Kitchen, an effort in North Minneapolis that supports food entrepreneurs, for just one example, but there are many others. A sampling of companies that got their start this year include Sophia, DogWonderful, BuyerCurious, Pashen, and CRAM.
 
Through strategic hiring and expansion of services and products, many companies are showing a sense of starting anew, even if they've been around for years. For instance, just look at Bulk Reef Supply, an aquarium supplies service that has done such tremendous growth through increased product offerings that it landed on the Inc. 5000 list.

Companies Chillaxin'
 
Finally, there's the relaxation factor. Business can always be a bit of a meat grinder at times, but as companies learned to operate lean and get creative, they started to identify different measures of success, like happiness. As Chris Trifilio, co-founder of Primordial Soup noted, "We don't want to be a 50-person firm. We want to keep going down the path we're on, because it's fun and we love it." That's a sentiment that I heard often this year, leading me to believe that if a company didn't start fresh in terms of operations, then maybe they did in terms of attitude.
 
In the year ahead, I predict that these trends will keep rolling strong, because they contribute to the health of the business community, and make the Twin Cities a strong and vital area. Happy, satisfied entrepreneurs and business owners are creating a business climate that's sweeping away the economic clouds of the recent past with something awfully close to a sunny outlook.

Elizabeth Millard, Innovation and Jobs Editor

Billing itself as a site for "all things cool and canine," DogWonderful.com makes it easier for people to travel without leaving their dogs behind. The site offers hotel deals, listings of dog-friendly accommodations, and handy tips for traveling with dogs.
 
The pet travel site is the creation of Teresa Matsui Sanders, founder of a hospitality management and consulting firm, InnWorks.
 
After the economic downturn in 2009, and battling breast cancer twice within a year, Sanders was looking for a fresh start and different consulting opportunities. She did some work for an online publisher and learned about monetizing websites, but wasn't sure what to do with the knowledge until her beloved dog, Kendall, died at the end of June.
 
"The day after she died, I had the inspiration to do a website about dogs and travel," she says. "From my experience in the hospitality industry, I knew there were databases and booking engines that could give dog owners access to thousands of hotels."
 
Sanders hopes to steadily boost visitor numbers and have DogWonderful.com become a major destination site for people who want to travel with their animal companions. Part of the site's revenue is donated to dog-focused charities like NEADS, an organization that trains hearing dogs by using prisoners and combat veterans as trainers.
 
The site launched in late October, on a day that would have been Kendall's 17th birthday, Sanders notes. "Dogs just become such a huge part of your life, and what I've found from working on this site is how much people want to share their love of dogs. It's been amazing."
 
Source: Teresa Matsui Sanders, DogWonderful.com
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Students at the University of Minnesota's College of Design will now have even more prototyping power, thanks to the debut of a new digital fabrication laboratory, nicknamed the DigiFabLab.
 
The facility lets students create 3D models of their work, and includes laser cutting technology, and equipment donated by Eden Prairie-based Stratasys.
 
Previously, students had access to some 3D modeling and fabrication equipment, but the DigiFabLab's new systems let them work in hard plastic to produce stronger models, according to Associate Dean and Professor Lee Anderson. These types of models can be beneficial for simulating joint connections in buildings, for example.
 
An additional laser cutter in the lab makes it easier for students to cut building facades with more precision, a process that's usually very complicated and time-consuming when done by hand.
 
In the future, the DigiFabLab anticipates adding more equipment like computer-controlled modeling, a lathe, and routers.
 
"Whenever you can represent an object in a different way, it gives you new insight into what that design can do, and you can see aspects of it in a fresh way," says Anderson. "Looking at a building design as a sketch and as a 3D model create two different ways of seeing the same thing, and that contributes to your understanding of it."
 
Source: Lee Anderson, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Innovative marketing firm d.trio is boosting its account services and interactive offerings with the addition of three new employees in the past few months, according to one of the firm's partners, Megan Devine.
 
"We've been building a comprehensive team for a multi-channel focus," she says. "We bring together a team of people to really develop a plan based on what the client needs. As opposed to hiring out for certain services, we've been developing one in-house that will give us greater breadth."
 
The agency--named after the trio of co-founders Devine, Maureen Dyvig, and Fred Driver--has clients like Gander Mountain, American Red Cross, Rasmussen College, Synovus, and the University of Minnesota. The marketing group offers strategy, digital services, print production, creative work, and other services.
 
In its location just a block from the Minnesota Twins stadium, the company prides itself on a culture that's lively and unique, which helps to draw candidates, Devine believes.
 
The new additions to the 13-member company bring more strategic savvy, she adds. They'll give d.trio the ability to approach new industries and extend the firm's reach into areas like healthcare, retail, and non-profits.
 
Although many companies claim that clients come first, that's truly the mantra at d.trio, Devine adds: "We think about what we can do to kick up a campaign. Our creative is tied to strategy, and we feel that growing those happy client relationships is what's going to keep us growing."
 
Source: Megan Devine, d.trio
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

At creative agency Periscope, high demand and a growing client list mean that desk space is getting to be valuable real estate. In the past year, the Minneapolis-based firm has hired 83 people--bringing its employee total to 330--and its Human Resources engine isn't idling yet.
 
"We've been very fortunate to see our business development efforts translate into several consecutive years of growth," says Lori Sharbono, Periscope's VP and Director of Business Development, adding that the most growth has come from existing clients, but that new clients are always coming into the mix as well.
 
To meet client needs, Periscope has worked on expanding its services in the past few years, adding services like an end-to-end packaging operation and a brand advocacy unit that organizes events. One newer department handles social media and other online community strategies.
 
"We're always trying to stay ahead of what our clients will need," says Sharbono. "We try to make sure we have subject matter experts. Someone isn't an art designer one day and a digital person the next day. Having experts in their field makes us more efficient, and more able to help clients."
 
In expanding their expert-packed offices, Periscope has worked to maintain its distinctive culture, she adds, since many employees note that it's the environment that drew them to the firm. Unique perks include a fitness center, weekly yoga classes, quirky contests like spelling bees, dog-friendly offices, and an opportunity to join a variety of teams like triathlon runners or bowlers.
 
Sharbono believes that being a privately held firm allows Periscope to be as funky as they like, and it's a formula that's working well. She says, "We offer things that other agencies don't, and the people who apply here know that. So, we plan to keep hiring and keep having fun along the way."
 
Source: Lori Sharbono, Periscope
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Momentum keeps companies growing, and at software firm thisCLICKS, it means they have more desks to buy. The company has nearly doubled in size in the last 14 months, and now has 13 employees. With ongoing software development and client engagements, founder Chad Halvorson anticipates more hiring in 2012.
 
Part of the potential demand in the next year is likely to come from an application called "When I Work," which allows companies to create efficiencies in their schedule management.
 
For example, a hospital can use the app to schedule work shifts for doctors and nurses at multiple locations, and to fold in shifts from satellite facilities like nursing homes. That way, a health-care organization can make sure to have the right number of staff members without scrambling to fill last-minute schedule gaps, or paying excessive overtime.
 
Halvorson thought of the concept in 1998, when he was a bag boy at a grocery store. The Internet was growing in popularity, and he wondered why he had to drive to work every week to check his schedule, when the information could be put online.
 
After a dozen years of application development, he revisited the idea and looked for software that had been developed for schedule management. He found only complicated programs that were difficult to learn and had too many features to be useful. Also, very few were mobile, he noticed.
 
In July 2010, he and his team at thisCLICKS launched When I Work, and since then, feedback has been phenomenal, Halvorson notes: "There are a mess of options out there for scheduling tools, but what I hear is that ours is so simple to use that people respond to it in a very positive way."
 
When I Work is the firm's first product for itself, rather than for a client, and Halvorson anticipates that the program's success will drive more development at the company. "Technology has been my obsession since high school," he says. "It's so much fun to do this work and see how you can make things easier for people."
 
Source: Chad Halvorson, thisCLICKS
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

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

They may not produce ooze, but Primordial Soup (Psoup for short) has plenty of creative juices flowing.
 
The St. Paul-based medical device design firm got launched in 2008, by three founding partners who "quit their normal jobs just as the economy was becoming so awesome," says co-founder Chris Trifilio, with a laugh. The trio had worked as consultants and often crossed paths, and eventually, they began talking about joining forces.
 
"One of the main reasons we formed Psoup is that when you work as a consultant, you can't help but feel the excitement of entrepreneurism," Trifilio says. "So we formed to be able to make our own products, instead of consulting on other people's products."
 
Although the economy was already grim when they launched, he believes that the recession was an advantage as much as a challenge. "When we started, everything was so terrible," he notes. "Because of that, we're lean and focused, with not a lot of overhead. We're super efficient."
 
The work done at Psoup is distinctive, combining a spare elegance of form to match very specific medical functions. For example, a hip screw implant is not only less invasive to the body, but it's also sleek, with a kind of minimalism that's nearly artistic.
 
The firm has produced medical device work that was in two Minnesota Cup entries, for Circle Biologics and QuickCheck Health (a runner-up in its division).
 
Although there's a strong focus on surgical tools and implants, Psoup also takes on consumer electronics for companies like Best Buy, says Trifilio. One major change in the past year in particular, he adds, is that the firm used to work mainly with very large companies like Medtronic. Now, all of their business is for small companies and startups, which Trifilio sees as a compelling change in the industry.
 
The opportunity is there for plenty of growth, yet the lean-and-focused team is hesitant to expand too quickly, and Trifilio's not sure they even want to go beyond hiring a few more people for their six-person team.
 
"Our mission is different," he says. "We don't want to be a 50-person firm. We want to keep going down the path we're on, because it's fun and we love it. Right now, our pipeline is full and I expect that will keep going."
 
Source: Chris Trifilio
Writer: Elizabeth Millard