(From left) Amperage President and CEO Bryan Earnest, Chief Creative Office Steve Erickson, Chief Digital Officer Jim Infelt and Chief Strategy Officer Mark Mathis at a December 2015 holiday part at the company’s office in Cedar Falls.
With a brand name still in its infancy, Amperage already has a formidable presence in Iowa, which readers recognized this year by voting the company Best Public Relations and Advertising Firm in the Corridor.
Despite having only launched in 2014, the company’s roots stretch back more than 40 years as the result of a merger between Henry Russell Bruce and ME&V Advertising and Consulting, both of Cedar Rapids.
When the two companies came together, they boasted a total of 200 clients. In line with the stated goals at launch, Amperage continues to specialize in the health care, higher education, financial, manufacturing and nonprofit industries.
President and CEO Bryan Earnest said the Amperage has an established presence in the Corridor and throughout Iowa, with offices in Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, Des Moines, Davenport and Dubuque. Since the company’s launch, however, Amperage has also diversified its geographic presence, from just 10 states to more than 25.
“It’s great being able to take some of our experience and expertise, and really, that Midwestern work ethic, and adopt that to other parts of the country,” Mr. Earnest said.
The Quad Cities has also become a stronger market since launch, Mr. Earnest said, thanks to the company’s Bettendorf offices.
“We find that the distance between the Corridor and the Quad Cities seems to shrink all the time,” he said.
The company presently has 44 employees, who Mr. Earnest describes as specialists in their respective fields, which cover advertising, public relations and corporate communications, as well as media buying, fundraising and video services. By drawing on employees with unique backgrounds, Mr. Earnest said the company distinguishes itself from other PR and marketing firms.
“We’re more the orthopedic surgeons than we are general practitioners in many ways,” Mr. Earnest said.
Yet a common thread throughout the company’s divisions is an emphasis on online marketing, which Mr. Earnest said has changed the industry’s landscape.
“Connection is so important,” Mr. Earnest said. “We have to move people to action, but ultimately, all of our clients are looking for measurable results, and that’s what drives us today.”
Public Relations Manager Lori Blackburn said that many organizations struggle with the difference between content on social media channels and content on their own website. Whereas Facebook is largely about “culture” and employee engagement stories, other channels like Twitter or Pinterest may best serve a different audience with different expectations.
“It’s really looking at the different media through different lenses, and by doing that, there’s another opportunity for us to really work with our clients on developing that strategy,” Ms. Blackburn said. “To continue to feed the beast to maintain social media content can be a daunting task for many of our organizations, so we’re finding many of our clients are evolving in their marketing departments and turning to us to help fill that gap – but it’s really evolving very quickly.”
In addition to their successful online campaigns for private sector clients, Amperage employees also have played a role in public projects that have become a point of pride. That includes a feasibility study conducted ahead of the construction of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, and direct fundraising support provided for the Jones Regional Medical Center in Anamosa, among others.
“It’s amazing as a community to know that as employees, you had a hand in bringing something like that to the community,” Ms. Blackburn said.
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