Brien Spanier could just as well be called the Godfather of powersports marketing. During his 25+ year career Brien has led major initiatives for motorcycles, ATV’s, UTV’s, side-by-sides, boats—if it has an engine, Brien has probably worked on it. He’s hung from helicopters, been up to his shoulders in mud and has a trophy case of awards for his hard work. On top of that he’s practical, dependable, amazingly organized and just a real nice guy!
Kelsey’s MO is organizational efficiency. As an Operations Consultant, she’s focused on project & program management, creative resourcing, and building streamlined, repeatable processes throughout the agency. In her free time, Kelsey enjoys trying new bars & restaurants, running the lakes, and petting every dog she walks by.
Chuck Bolkcom comes with over 30 years of broadcast, retail merchandising, publishing and advertising sales leadership experience. Chuck will be helping Nordeast drive growth by getting out its message of a new marketing company for today’s business environment: better work, more agile execution, without expensive overhead.
Jenn comes to Nordeast with 10 years of experience in experiential marketing, brand strategy, and communications. She has a proven track record of building strong client relationships and delivering tailored marketing solutions that drive results. she prides herself on balancing strategic thinking with creative problem-solving to meet each client’s unique needs. Jenn is a native Floridian, proud South Carolina Gamecock, and currently the sole member of Nordeast’s Washington D.C. office.
Alessa is a skilled Digital Coordinator with a passion for navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape. By analyzing top brands and emerging trends, she identifies innovative strategies to deliver impactful results that drive business growth.
Kari has over 25 years of experience in the creative industry, with a passion for building brands. She is skilled in video, social, packaging, integrated retail campaigns, photo and video direction, and more. She has worked with clients such as 3M (including Filtrete, Post-it, Command, ScotchBlue, and Scotch), Cargill (Charter Reserve, Castlewood Reserve, and Primewaters Seafood), Anderson Windows, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Medtronic, H&R Block Financial Advisors, St. Jude Medical, and many more.
Allison brings 12 years of expertise in managing high-profile client relationships, driving strategic campaigns, and delivering measurable results. Passionate about fostering collaboration, Allison serves as the bridge between clients and cross-functional teams, ensuring that every project aligns with client objectives and exceeds expectations. With a strong background in CPG sales, e-commerce, digital marketing, and branding, Allison is skilled in developing innovative strategies and she thrives on turning complex challenges into creative solutions.
Aric is a web whiz who can jump from site design to coding to email wonderfulness and deliverability. His past stints include Digital River and Outsell, among others to countless to mention. He’s also been jumping on stages to do improv for over 25 years.
25 years in the game, and Brad still hits the throttle like it’s his first ride. A powersports junkie with a brain wired for big ideas and sharp strategy, he’s equal parts creative spark and business sense. Brad thrives on collaboration, especially with younger, caffeinated colleagues who keep things fresh and fun. An early adopter of AI (and borderline obsessed with it), he’s always looking for smarter, faster ways to get things done. The future? He’s not just excited about it—he’s already halfway there.
Sami is a seasoned marketing professional with a passion to connect and build meaningful relationships between brands and consumers. Having worked with brands both in-house and on the agency side, Sami specializes in creative thinking, strategic partnerships, driving brand awareness, and building authentic consumer experiences. Outside of work, Sami enjoys being outside, traveling, and spending time with family & friends.
Lisa has a Swiss Army Knife of creative skills including design, illustration and photography. Previous clients include 3M, Cargill, Conagra, Galderma, Georgia Pacific, Mars Food, Quaker Oats, Sparkling Ice, UnitedHealthcare, St Jude Medical, MasterCard, First Data, Meta Payment Systems and Bancorp Bank. Off-duty, she immerses herself in pottery, print making and watercolors while raising backyard chickens for black market eggs.
Emily comes with 17 years of experience in print production and has designed for numerous clients such as Schwan’s, United Health Care, Puma, Target, and Walgreens.
Sam Weld is a jack of all trades, master at some, including motion graphics and video editing. With 4 years at Nordeast under his belt, he’s earned his stripes in sound, film, graphic design, and still finds time to thump his bass in our office.
17 years of experience as an art director, designer and copywriter focused on solving creative problems—from small startups to global brands. Laura prides herself on being easy to work with while always offering fresh ideas and perspectives.
Dani brings a dynamic mix of account leadership, project strategy—and plenty of caffeine—to every campaign. She thrives on uncovering a brand’s ‘why’ and building lasting relationships to create smart, results-driven solutions. From leading national product launches to omni-channel campaigns, she blends energy, creativity, and strategic thinking to drive client success. Outside the office, she’s always chasing new experiences—whether it’s a workout class, the latest restaurant, or an F1 race. She channels that same curiosity and drive into her work, always ready for what’s next.
With 20+ years of experience at some top agencies, the term multi-faceted designer only begins to describe Jesse. From power sports to professional sports, modern to nostalgic and everything in between, Jesse creates tone-perfect design based on razor-sharp strategy. His skills run the gamut from beautiful 6-color brochures, packaging and logo design to web design, social and managing complex photo and film shoots. When he’s not working you might find Jesse at a baseball game or with his kids on the world’s fastest rollercoasters.
Annette is an outgoing leader in the digital marketing world, bringing over 25 years of website, eCommerce, social media and corporate online presence from businesses including; 3M, Siemens, Digital River, and many agency relationships.
Brenda comes with 25 years client and agency experience: including General Mills, Nestle, Purina, Conagra, Pillsbury, Continental Mills, Land O’ Lakes and International Multifoods.
Kurt has been building brands (i.e. Tony’s Pizza, Pillsbury, Cheerios, Nature Valley, Liberte, and Chocapic) for the last 20+ years with client, agency, and international business marketing. Kurt’s marketing experiences ranges from integrated marketing communications, experiential, partnerships, promotions, to shopper marketing. Kurt brings his passion and knowledge to help clients grow their brands’ to their full potential.
Devon’s bread and butter is experience working on SEO and SEM at BrightEdge Technologies. They have experience working on all things digital for major brands such as UV Vodka, Corvex, Kemps & more.
Hannah is an expert account director with 10 years of experience in brand strategy, consumer promotions and media buying. Previous stops on her trek include Catapult Marketing, Epsilon and Roundel. An accomplished skier, she loves showing aspiring young racer’s life beyond the Bunny Hill.
Anthony has 20 years of experience as an art director with a strong sense of design. He has worked at small, mid-size and large agencies throughout the midwest, including eight years at Minneapolis powerhouse Periscope. He produces smart, insightful creative concepts and elegant design that turns the complex into simple, easy to digest content. Anthony has created print, digital and video for a wide array of clients, including financial, agricultural, medical, food & beverage, and outdoor sports.
Lauren has 8 years of experience creating impactful campaigns that connect brands with consumers. In leading initiatives for top brands like Clorox and Pearl Milling Company, she specializes in shopper marketing, brand development, and media strategies that drive results. Outside of work, Lauren enjoys family time (and embracing her newest role as “Mom”), health and wellness, and exploring Minnesota’s lakes and outdoors.
Charlie is a 25-year veteran of Periscope where he was executive creative director. He was also part of the four-person executive team that led the growth of the company to 530 people with offices in four countries. Along the way, he helped hundreds of clients become successful by building long-term relationships, developing trust and using creativity to give brands a distinct advantage. He is also a master of taking the complex and simplifying—or as he likes to say, “How hard can it be?”
Tom brings 20+ years of strategic agency and client side marketing experience including Pillsbury, Land O’ Lakes, Campbell Soup Company, Conagra Brands and Mars Petcare. Tom has vast shopper marketing and retail commerce experience partnering with the likes of Kroger, Walmart, Target and Amazon to name a few. Tom leverages his marketing communications, digital and data expertise to help clients solve business problems and ultimately drive business growth.
Patrick, a 30-year-veteran creative, is truly a jack-of-all-trades visual artist. He started his agency career at Colle McVoy followed by the past 19 years at fast-growing independent powerhouse Periscope. At Nordeast, he utilizes his equally adept skills as both graphic designer and art director. Patrick has worked on a wide array of clients and projects, spanning print, digital, video, retail and events. His expertise spans diverse categories including high-tech, outdoor sports, agriculture, and food & beverage.
Kristin brings 18 years of agency and retail experience across brand strategy, shopper marketing, consumer promotion and media buying. She has worked with multiple large brands to build insight-driven integrated marketing plans, managed execution and measured effectiveness of media campaigns.
Joe is a seasoned marketing professional. He started his career on the client side of marketing for companies like Kraft and Hallmark Cards. Joe went on to become a 20-year president of Catapult—an ultra-successful 380-person marketing company based in Minneapolis where Joe built offices in eight major retail markets. Joe specializes in strategy, data-driven digital and transactional shopper marketing and has worked with some of the best brands in the world. On top of that, he is a real nice guy.
Charlie is a 25-year veteran of Periscope where he was executive creative director. He was also part of the four-person executive team that led the growth of the company to 530 people with offices in four countries. Along the way, he helped hundreds of clients become successful by building long-term relationships, developing trust and using creativity to give brands a distinct advantage. He is also a master of taking the complex and simplifying—or as he likes to say, “How hard can it be?”
Sweetening the value of multiple brands. For Dessert Holdings, we started with a task to build a mouthwatering website that put three of the world’s leading dessert companies under the Dessert Holdings banner. With Atlanta Cheesecake Factory, Lawler’s Desserts and The Original Cakerie all unique in their own way, we wanted a site that would...
Helping the Premier Banks website become more premier. After 50 years of proudly serving their customers Premier Bank knew it was time for a refresh. We wanted their website to reflect their more modern business approach. The result was a fun, intuitive, and more interactive and professionally engaging experience. Homepage Website Staff Photography for Website...
Making people happy with an alternative choice. When Hormel Foods decided to launch their very first foray into the crowded plant-based meat substitute market, they called on Nordeast to develop the marketing campaign. The result was a visually unique and upbeat campaign around the yummy taste of Happy Little Plants. Combine that with physical and...
Opening a whole new can of shopper marketing. Faribault Foods, Inc. is a multi-brand company that specializes in shelf-stable foods and is a category-leader in the bean aisle. Their regional and national products are sold in all major retailers and Nordeast was hired to help build each brand creatively and bolster their business through strategic...
Control The Kitchen Chaos Through Automation Restaurant Technologies partnered with Nordeast to lead the rebrand of their fast-growing company. They are the leading provider of automated solutions for over 45,000 commercial kitchen nationwide. Its Total Oil Management and AutoMist® solutions automate the hardest, most hazardous tasks in the kitchen to improve food quality, safety, and...
Selling wine and lifting spirits. Nestled among cliffs and creeks, Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery & Distillery is truly an oasis for those looking to get away from the big city and enjoy some fantastic wine and spirits in a picturesque rural setting. As their first marketing partner, our job was to drive traffic to the...
Spreading the love of ghee butter. As the leader in their category, 4th & Heart Ghee Butter struggles to explain simply what ghee is to most people (hint: it’s a delicious and delightful clarified butter that’s flavorful and lactose-free). Our job was to educate and inspire people with the many wonderful health and taste benefits...
Spreading the word across multiple markets. Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) supports over 23 regional dairy brands, including beloved names like Kemps and Country Fresh, that grace the shelves of fridges nationwide. We craft compelling marketing campaigns that can be seamlessly adapted to each brand’s identity—from exciting Disney collaborations to trending cottage cheese recipes. Case...
Positioning a small neighborhood restaurant & bar for big things. With a panini as their signature item, we wanted to brand every aspect of Panino’s restaurant and bar so it could be easily replicated and ultimately franchised. We started with a new brand identity and identified multiple ways to demonstrate the unique personality of this...
Building a brand two wheels at a time. When Chore Warrior electric wheelbarrows came to us for help, they needed a brand revamp, starting with a name, logo, and website, along with a tough new attitude and look. Then we helped with the heavy lifting on social media, in stores and online. The company is...