It’s been almost a month since we changed our name. We planned and prepped for what seemed like forever and now we’re enjoying the fruits of our labors. We’ve gotten tons of positive feedback and encouragement from our collective networks on the name, logo, and website; we’ve had a few unofficial celebrations; we got t-shirts and stickers; and our new business cards are in the works. If that’s not enough excitement for one year, we’re also in the process of moving. Cleaning out 20+ years of stuff from an office space that’s much too big for us has been…well, let’s say…interesting. And nostalgic. And cathartic. Anybody need a few hundred report covers?

Research shows that when two companies merge, the resulting company—whether it takes on the name of one of the incoming entities or a makes a new one—can expect to lose customers during or after the process. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Effective communication is critical to reassure customers the merger won’t be disruptive. A few years ago, we helped SunTrust and BB&T (who together became Truist) with their merger communications. Now, we’re doing the same for another company for their B2C and B2B communications. We’re creating landing pages, emails, FAQs, and social media posts meant to keep customers in-the-know and confident that their services won’t be disrupted by the change.

Last year we did some work we’re extremely proud of for CDS Visual. And we just learned that we won a 2022 Summit Creative Award for the website and brand awareness campaign in the B2B Integrated Marketing category. We do all our work with our client’s best interests in mind, but it sure is an honor when our peers recognize our efforts.

Sam and his fiancé (yes, you read that right…Sam got engaged!) took an epic adventure to Germany. They spent most of their time in southwest Germany around the Black Forest, including a stay at a beautiful resort hotel in Baiersbronn and a visit to the historic city of Heidelberg.

After a long hiatus, Danette laced up her corset and headed back the Middle Ages with some friends. Time travel? Nope. The Minnesota Renaissance Festival, of course. Denim jeans and college-themed sweatshirts weren’t a thing back then, but we’ll give Danette and friends a pass this time. But next year, we expect to see them in full costume—swords and all.

Beth built a workbench in her garage using the skills and tools she gained from a summer full of projects. She says this is the starter model and she’ll be adding more features and fanciness in the coming months.