MINNEAPOLIS, April 12, 2011 - Minneapolis-based advertising agency Colle+McVoy and its public relations partner, Exponent PR, announced the expansion of their burgeoning Food & Agribusiness practice.

The agencies hired Carol Anderson as senior strategist and Julie Carver as account director to help lead the food and agriculture business.

"Carol and Julie are very strong additions to our team. They bring deep experience and leadership, as well as further expanding the offerings to our clients," said Phil Johnson, chief operating officer, Colle+McVoy.

The Food & Agribusiness practice offers integrated, multidisciplinary expertise in strategic planning, advertising, public relations, marketing, interactive, public affairs and media planning. Clients include CHS, DuPont, Purina Feed, Land O’Lakes, Novartis Animal Health, Winfield Solutions, General Mills and the North American Olive Oil Association.

Anderson, who worked at Colle+McVoy in the 1990s, rejoins the agency after founding Mariposa Partners, a boutique food and agriculture communications consultancy based in Kansas City. She also previously led the food and agribusiness practice at Fleishman-Hillard’s Kansas City office. A recent past president of the National Agri-Marketing Association, Anderson has counseled many leading brands, including Pfizer Animal Health, Iams, Washington Apple Commission, Chick-fil-A, National Pork Board, Monsanto, Welch’s, Caterpillar, Diamond Pet Food, DeKalb, Arysta LifeScience Corporation and John Deere, among others.

Carver has more than 20 years of communications experience in corporate, agency, nonprofit and journalism, including strategy development for clients in agriculture, food, health care and technology. She was most recently director of public affairs at Broadhead + Co. where she worked with several agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. Carver has held communications leadership positions at Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions and Andersen Windows. Her agency background includes Miller Meester, where she worked with American Cyanamid and its Harvest Partners program, as well as with clients in food, health and aviation markets. Previously she worked with DuPont and Agway brands at Saatchi & Saatchi/Rumrill Hoyt.

"Carol and Julie are joining us at an exciting time. We continue to integrate our successful legacy in food and agribusiness with our interactive expertise to develop breakthrough new ways for our clients to engage, connect and stand out," said Johnson.

More than half of the agencie's 170 employees have experience in the food, nutrition and agriculture industries, making the practice one of the largest of its kind. More than 12 new employees have joined the practice in the last six months. Other members of senior leadership include:

- Greg Wetzel, group creative director, who has overseen the development of award-winning creative work for more than 20 years at Colle+McVoy

- Ed Bennett, design director, who has developed award-winning culturally relevant consumer design work

- Cynthia Clanton, practice leader, who is an all-around PR practitioner, writer and strategic counselor on award-winning agribusiness programs for more than 15 years at the agency

- Bernice Neumann, practice leader, a public relations counselor who has helped expand the consumer food business

- Craig Pladson, director of interactive innovation, who has been instrumental in the development and tremendous growth of the agency’s interactive practice

- Laurie Christen, media strategist, who has lead the media planning and buying activities, as well as helped guide the agency’s expertise on new and emerging media strategies

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 26, 2010 - Today Colle+McVoy was named global advertising agency of record for Dorel Industries Inc.’s (TSX: DII.B, DII.A) Recreational/Leisure segment, a worldwide leader and innovator in high-end and enthusiast bicycles and sports apparel, including the Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, IronHorse and SUGOi brands. The agency will lead global strategic and creative development of integrated programs across all traditional and nontraditional mediums targeted to consumers, independent bike dealers, mass merchants and sporting goods retailers.

"As Dorel Recreational/Leisure grows, we need a best-in-class partner to help us continue to evolve and maintain the relevance of our iconic consumer brands," said Andrew Coccari, CMO Global Marketing, Dorel Recreational/Leisure segment. "Colle+McVoy’s passion for bicycling is evident in their work with groups like Bikes Belong. Their consumer-centric focus toward building beloved lifestyle brands is tried and true, and their appreciation for the dynamics and pace of this industry is unparalleled."

"Enthusiast lifestyles are a core focus and expertise of ours. It’s an honor to partner with Dorel Recreational/Leisure to advance the growth of its iconic brand portfolio," said Christine Fruechte, president and CEO, Colle+McVoy.

This substantial AOR assignment is the latest win by Colle+McVoy, which was also awarded new business recently from Old Navy, Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, Medtronic Foundation, Explore Minnesota Tourism, Regis Corporation, General Mills, Land O’Lakes and Nestlé Purina.

MINNEAPOLIS, April 22, 2010 - Colle+McVoy received several awards from The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) during last night’s national 2010 Best of NAMA awards ceremony in Kansas City. The Best of NAMA program recognizes excellence in advertising, public relations and digital communications in agribusiness and related industries.

"Colle+McVoy is dedicated to creating powerful communications that lead the agricultural industry," said Christine Fruechte, Colle+McVoy president and CEO. "We are grateful and honored to receive this recognition of our teams’ impactful strategic thinking and fresh creativity."

Colle+McVoy received a first place award for its Answer Plot^® campaign created for Winfield Solutions, LLC. The multimedia campaign strategically encouraged growers to attend Answer Plot^® Program experiences that showcased the technological benefits of Winfield Solutions, LLC products.

Colle+McVoy also earned a first place award for the This Could Be the Year campaign created for Nestlé Purina PetCare Company’s line of Purina^® Pro Plan^® dry dog food. The campaign advertisements, targeted to dog breeders and enthusiasts, used beautiful photography and bold headlines to emphasize the influence of high-quality nutrition on a dog’s performance.

Colle+McVoy also received a merit award for company magazine work on behalf of CHS Inc. These national awards are in addition to eleven regional NAMA awards won by Colle+McVoy and Exponent PR, the public relations division of Colle+McVoy.

MINNEAPOLIS, April 1, 2010 - Minneapolis-based advertising agency Colle+McVoy advances to meet the ever-evolving needs of the agency and its growth attributed to clients such as Caribou Coffee, Purina and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation with the announcement today of six new hires:

Lisa Holzemer has been hired as a senior interactive producer. Previously, Holzemer was a producer at MRM Worldwide and Martin Williams.

Ben Clymer has been hired as an interactive designer. Clymer recently worked at Preston Kelly on various accounts, including HealthPartners, Roundy’s, Taco John’s and Grand Casino.

Fabien Dodard has been hired as a junior art director. Dodard previously worked at Boulder, Colo. based Crispin Porter + Bogusky and for a Haiti-based ad agency for five years.

Jenny Kirmis has been hired as a junior copywriter. Kirmis is a recent graduate of the Miami Ad School.

Brice Hemmer has been hired as a junior interactive designer/developer. Hemmer has interned at Poplife and Complt Design Studio.

Tom Ferrara, a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, has been hired as an interactive developer.

"The sum of new hires adds significantly to our existing deep pool of talent within the creative group and will simply provide more expertise for our clients," said Mike Caguin, executive creative director, Colle+McVoy.

Photos available upon request.