Our history: an evolution
The story started long ago in a makeshift office not so far away. Over the years, the team and the clients changed. Relationships formed and grew stronger. The work became more sophisticated and focused, with results that resonated and impacted lives in many ways. And now, we’re creating a new story.
The first spark
January 1, 1975A light bulb went off. That happened a lot with a pull-string fixture hanging from the ceiling in an old basement beneath a men’s clothing shop. After all, this was a start-up business on a shoestring budget. But something else was going on. A vision was born. When Howard Klatzky opened an advertising and public relations agency in Duluth, Minnesota, he saw the need for more than sales results. Sure, we had to keep the lights on, and improve the lighting. Yet there were untapped opportunities to create work that mattered in people’s lives—and in the process, make things better and brighter for everyone.
Read moreDuluth Clinic
January 1, 1980Duluth Clinic, one the nation’s original multi-specialty physician group practices, begins working with H.T. Klatzky & Associates.
Marsha Hystead
January 1, 1981Marsha Hystead joins the agency, bringing an energy and enthusiasm for championing a good cause that spreads like wildfire through the agency.
VisitDuluth
January 1, 1983A long-term relationship begins with the Duluth Convention Visitors Bureau. We would rebrand the destination tourism group as VisitDuluth and create work that led to consistent annual ROI—and ever increasing awareness—for the city over the course of decades.
Redstone
January 1, 1987Outgrowing our space, Howard restores a nearly condemned Victorian mansion, called the Redstone, as the agency’s home. The restoration work won a Minnesota Preservation Award for the property, listed on the National Historic Register.
St. Luke’s Hospital
January 1, 1996St. Luke’s Hospital hires us to create a new identity and position. We introduce “The Patient Above All Else,” branding that remains deeply recognizable in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin decades later.
Praxis International
January 1, 1999Praxis International, an international non-profit working toward the elimination of violence in the lives of women and children, asks us to create a campaign to help stop domestic violence in rural areas across America.
Mike Seyfer
January 1, 2000Mike Seyfer leaves Fallon Minneapolis and joins us at HTK. Mike brings a national perspective to our interactive department.
ADDY Award
January 1, 2001Our campaign for Praxis International wins a national American Advertising Federation ADDY Award.
SMDC Health System
January 1, 2003We begin working with SMDC Health System, now a part of Essentia Health, a not-for-profit integrated health care system, serving people in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Idaho.
Speak Your Peace
February 1, 2003The Duluth Superior Community Foundation seeks our help in creating “Speak Your Peace: The Civility Project,” whose materials and program have been implemented by cities, schools, colleges, businesses, religious and community groups across the country.
Empire Health Services
January 1, 2004Empire Health Services in Spokane, Washington, notices our work and asks us to help them find their unique voice in a market dominated by a larger system.
Spring Point Project
February 1, 2004We go to work for Spring Point Project, a nonprofit corporation formed to develop a cure for type 1 diabetes using islet tissue from pigs.
Sacred Heart Hospital
March 1, 2006Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin hires us to change its image from a mild-mannered community hospital to a regional tertiary care center and a leading advocate for healing the body, mind and spirit.
Who’s First?
January 1, 2007Our campaign for Empire Health Services, “Who’s First in Your Heart?”, wins a national American Advertising Federation ADDY Award.
Ministry Health Care
February 1, 2007HTK acquires Schiek and Widule in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and begins working with Ministry Health Care.
Give Voice Now
January 1, 2008When the Miller-Dwan Foundation needed support to build Amberwing, a vitally needed source for child and adolescent mental health care, we championed the cause by working with media partners to raise the last $2 million of the capital campaign—and generate awareness about youth suicide through an award-winning, pro-bono “Give Voice Now” campaign.
Maple Grove Hospital
January 1, 2009Maple Grove Hospital, the first new inpatient hospital to be built in Minnesota in more than 20 years, asks us to craft a website introducing the hospital to the suburban Minneapolis communities it would soon serve.
St. Joseph’s Hospital
January 1, 2010We begin working with St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, a sister hospital to Sacred Heart Hospital, creating a campaign called “What Matters Most.”
Face it TOGETHER
January 1, 2011After a national search, we are hired by Face it TOGETHER in the nonprofit’s quest to create a unique national model for those seeking help recovering from alcohol and drugs.
Jersey City Medical Center
February 1, 2011Jersey City Medical Center (now part of Barnabas Health) hires us to bolster the image of an urban hospital that’s evolved and triumphing over long odds.
HTK Marketing Communications
January 1, 2012H. T. Klatzky & Associates is sold to Marsha Hystead and Mike Seyfer, who change the agency’s name to HTK Marketing Communications.
Visit Saint Paul
January 1, 2013Visit Saint Paul invites us to help usher in new ways for visitors to see, share and connect with Minnesota’s romantic, historic, deliciously enjoyable capital city.
A New Home
February 1, 2014A fire destroys the Redstone, our home base for 27 years, and we move into our new home atop the DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace.
CarePoint Health
January 1, 2015CarePoint Health begins working with our team to reinvigorate its marketing efforts throughout the diverse and bustling region of Hudson County, New Jersey.
Health Care Choice in America
February 1, 2015“Health Care Choice in America,” the first of three research studies we performed with Frank N. Magid & Associates, launches and is presented in conferences ranging from SHSMD to the Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit and beyond.
Richmond Office
April 1, 2015Our first sister office in Richmond, Virginia, opens.
Hailey Sault
January 1, 2017Hailey Sault (“Hay-lee-soo”) is born: We unveil a new name, identity and position to match our purpose.
