August 18, 2022
A Des Moines-based ad agency has opened an office in downtown Sioux Falls.
Flynn Wright is renting space at 223 S. Phillips Ave. on the first floor of the Carpenter Building. American State Bank was the previous tenant.
Flynn Wright was founded in 1984 and has grown into a full-service agency, offering advertising, marketing, public relations, research, video and web development services, with over 80 employees.
“In a big way, Sioux Falls is a perfect representation of our business,” said Flynn Wright President Paul Schlueter.
“We think there’s a great creative culture, we think it’s very entrepreneurial and very self-sufficient. We already have a lot of interest in the community. We spent a lot of time here, so it’s only natural to move here. But beyond that, we just think it fits extremely well with what made us so successful.
The company has focused on consumer insights that drive sales, he said.
“We are very transactional. If something needs to be sold, we do it well,” he said. “We’re really good at the conversion funnel, but we go way beyond brand marketing. We go into the depths of how our clients acquire clients.
The company’s customers with ties to Sioux Falls include Midco and NorthWestern Energy. He does a lot of work in the telecommunications and energy sectors, Schlueter said, as well as in business-to-consumer retail.
“Our foundation is a research and strategy firm,” he said. “This is how we have differentiated ourselves over the past two decades. … We are extremely data and consumer insights driven.
Flynn Wright plans to have as many as 15 people working in Sioux Falls over the next five years, he said. The first recruit, Laura Arnett, takes on the position of Director of Business Development. Other Des Moines staff traveled to Sioux Falls and worked from the downtown office.
“I want people to understand, and everyone we hire or talk to understand, this is not a satellite office,” Schlueter said. “We see this as an extension of what we did in Des Moines. It is not a local team that will work on local affairs. We hire exceptional talent and will work on everything we do.
The company moved into its space because “we love what’s happening downtown,” he added. “It’s dynamic, it’s very creative and we want to be part of it.”
Almost all staff are in the office every day because “culture is key in our organization, and we tend to develop culture at all levels,” he said, adding that there are a flexible approach to how people work day to day.
Sioux Falls is a “community that reminds us a lot of Des Moines,” Schlueter said. “There are very similar growth patterns, downtown revitalization is very attractive to us and we plan to come here and be a big player in the business community.
