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JANUARY 2023 HEARTBEAT

CELEBRATING 2023 AND A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE

From Barb’s desk…
 
Happy New Year and welcome 2023! How can it be 2023 already?! 2023 is a notable and special year for Heartland Marketing Group as we turn 40 years old.
 
I admit to having mixed feelings about HMG being 40. I am very proud of our accomplishment given the fact small agency/business survival past one to five years is very low. In fact, Forbes tells us 20% of small businesses fail in the first year and only 45% to 50% reach their five year anniversary.
 
Our longevity is a credit to the terrific team here at HMG. Ann Trimble-Ray, our vice president, has so much to do with our client service. She will celebrate her 35th anniversary with us next month. Ann treats every client with care and works to meet and exceed every one of your expectations and requests. It’s absolutely no secret that much of our success is due to her. We also have a team of professionals, both past and present, to serve clients like big city agencies do. Aren’t I lucky most of them have chosen to settle in northwest Iowa?
 
The mission of Heartland Marketing Group has always been to tell our client’s stories. I appreciate all of our clients and am extremely happy to tell ag’s story for them. I was raised on the farm, worked in animal health sales, and married a farmer so you could say agriculture and its stories are my passion. Starting this company reflects my desire to help ag-related companies tell their stories using all kinds of communications strategies and tools. One of our best accomplishments as a company is that our first customer is still a client today. Serving them for 40 years is definitely an honor.
 
Now the other side of those mixed feelings. I’d like to say I started HMG when I was 13, BUT we all know that would be a stretch of the truth. I am proud to say I started HMG after marrying a terrific farmer from Sac County, Iowa, who has supported my dream while we grew a farm and raised a family of three children. Andy, Dan, and Kourtney have grown up riding with Mom sometimes, hanging out in the kitchen of the office before or after sports practice, having Mom fly into one of their school activities at the very last minute, and mostly seeing two parents work to make both occupations go. I am proud to say they are all grown adults now, successfully pursuing their own careers. Of course, Steve’s help goes beyond being supportive as he has been our business manager for the past 30 years in addition to running the farm. I tried to even it out by helping to load pigs and running the combine. Something tells me I got the better end of the deal.
 
Like so many businesses and industries, we have seen many ups and downs during these 40 years. There were times we had to dig in to make it all work and other times when the plans all came together. Truth is, both of these times proved to be blessings. We learned what we were made of during the tough times and celebrated clients’ successes during the good ones. What a joy!
 
As we celebrate our 40 years in business this entire year, stay tuned to see what we have planned. We want to include you as well.

MEET HMG'S ANGELA AND TOBY

Due to increased workload as well as Katie’s maternity leave with her precious newborn, Royce, HMG called on some talented folks to join our team and meet our clients’ needs. Angela Weitzel and Tobias (Toby) Becker delight us with their creativity and are already essential members of our crew.

ANGELA WEITZEL

With more than 20 years of experience in graphic design, Angela joined Heartland Marketing Group in 2022. As a designer, she has a wide range of specializations, including print design, corporate identity, photo editing, and book design. Her work was awarded two GDUSA American Print Awards and seven Hermes Creative Awards (international) through the years. A Storm Lake, Iowa, native, she holds a degree in Graphic Design and a minor in German from the University of Northern Iowa. Her love of travel and creativity has taken her to 14 different countries, and she can be found restoring her 1905 letterpress on the weekends. Angela currently lives in Sac City, Iowa, with her husband, Ryan, and son, Micah.

TOBY BECKER

Toby developed an interest in art at an early age—learning fundamentals of design and composition with pencil, pen, and brush. While attending college in 1996, he formed his own business to support a growing demand for music album cover art and agriculture brochures. Eventually, Toby transitioned to a position in the publication industry to hone his skills in typography, layout, and prepress. From there, he entered the freelance world to grow his clientele and develop new digital disciplines. He lives in Lenexa, Kansas, with his wife, Stephanie, and their five children.

HMG ON THE GO!

Winter means farm trade show season so you know HMG will be on the road assisting clients as well as growing our knowledge base.

Barb will be at South Dakota Pork Congress in Sioux Falls next week.

Both Barb and Ann will attend Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines later this month.

Ann will be visiting clients this month, including Farmers Coop Association.

Barb and Ann will be meeting with a prospective client in central Iowa later in January, too.

Fast forward to the first week of February and you will find Barb and Ann in Lima, Ohio, for their Pork Congress as well.

Wheels turn with creative communications and on our vehicles, too!

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