Fresh Produce, LLC, a Sioux Falls-based marketing agency of more than 20 years, has acquired Rapid City-based, longtime firm Midwest Marketing in “a strategic and complementary move,” according to a Fresh Produce press release Oct. 15.
Established in 2004, Fresh Produce is a marketing, advertising, branding and “ideas company,” according to its website. The advertising agency operates offices in both downtown Sioux Falls at 400 N. Main Ave. inside the Gourley building, as well as Rapid City, stating that they thrive by collaborating with clients “who aren’t afraid of getting a little uncomfortable” by challenging themselves.
“Midwest Marketing has an incredible reputation and a talented team already in place,” Fresh Produce co-founder Mike Hart said. “This acquisition allows us to support their continued growth while keeping operations, leadership and client relationships exactly where they belong, in Rapid City.”
Both marketing agencies will remain distinct and operate under their own brands, Fresh Produce co-founder Ted Heeren said.
“We’re not merging the two agencies,” Heeren added. “Fresh Produce and Midwest Marketing will continue to operate independently under their established brands, leadership and identities. This is a strategic acquisition of a like-minded company that shares our commitment to creativity, community and results.”
Midwest Marketing, founded in 2005, also stated in an Oct. 15 press release that “the owners of Fresh Produce” will see the “two businesses as separate entities and more of a strategic and complementary acquisition.”
The sale follows the recently announced retirement of Midwest Marketing founder and owner Dawn Claymore, who led the firm for two decades.
“This decision didn’t come lightly,” Claymore said. “When I considered who would be the right fit to take over the company, it was important to find someone who would invest in keeping the staff and business thriving while preserving the culture we’ve built. Fresh Produce is the perfect fit for our team, our customers and the next chapter.”
Continuing Midwest Marketing’s story will be its current Marketing President, Megan Batteen, who joined the agency in 2010 and has served as president since 2022.
“I’m incredibly thankful for the 15 years I’ve spent working alongside Dawn,” Batteen said in a Midwest Marketing press release. “Her leadership, friendship, mentorship and vision have shaped who I am as a professional. I’m also deeply grateful to Mike and Ted for believing in me and our team. We’re excited to continue doing what we do best — helping our clients grow.”
Midwest Marketing refers to themselves as a “tight-knit thinkers and idea generators, that specialize in marketing, content and creative strategy, media planning and buying, social and digital marketing, video and audio production, graphic design, analytics, website development and public relations.
As Midwest Marketing’s Facebook post states about the partnership, “Here’s to celebrating our past, embracing the present and looking forward to a fresh future ahead!”
Vanessa Carlson Bender is the real estate and development reporter for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Reach her at vbender@gannett.com.
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