Visionary Women Leading Creative Team at Risdall Marketing
Group
Lara Balai and Tina Karelson named presidents of creative; Erik
Kvålseth joins team
NEW BRIGHTON, MINN. (Jan. 21, 2010) – As part of its 2010 plan, Risdall Marketing Group
(RMG) has reorganized its creative team to meet the needs of today’s
businesses. Lara Balai and Tina Karelson have been named presidents of
creative, and Erik Kvålseth has joined the agency as creative
director/copywriter.
“These changes represent the tradigital future of agency
creative,” said John Risdall, vice chairman and CEO of RMG. “As
marketplace expectations for messaging and delivery of those messages
continue to change to be more interactive and two-way, we are putting in
place a leadership team more reflective of what clients want.”
Since joining RMG in 2006, Balai has worked with many of the
agency’s health care accounts, including: Hospira, OptumHealth,
Corespine, VTI, Devicix, AGA Medical and more. Her positioning and
messaging to unify Hospira’s IV infusion pumps, patient safety software,
and implementation services under a single brand is used today as an
organizing principle and a positioning tool. She most recently served as
executive VP and group creative director.
Prior to RMG, Balai was the interactive group creative director
for Martin|Williams and focused solely on interactive media for clients
including: E*TRADE, Coleman, LL Bean, Lincoln Financial, Steelcase and
Cargill. She holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University
of Kansas.
Karelson, who partnered with Balai on the Hospira positioning and
messaging project, joined RMG in 1986. She participates in agency
management while also sharing her copywriting skill with clients. Her
areas of expertise include B2B, medical, and arts and culture. Notable
clients for Karelson in recent years have included OptumHealth Financial
Services, 3M and Arts Midwest World Fest.
Karelson specializes in distilling complex information into clear
communications. Karelson most recently served as VP, creative director
and board member. She has a master’s degree in English language and
literature, and bachelor’s degrees in English and journalism from the
University of Minnesota.
Prior to joining RMG, Kvålseth worked as a freelancer and as
writer/creative director at Brooklyn Point. He also was a senior writer
at Dalton Sherman Advertising and a copywriter at Martin|Williams and
Carmichael Lynch. His clients have included Harley-Davidson, LL Bean,
E*TRADE, Land O’Lakes and Payless ShoeSource. He has degrees in history,
Norwegian and advertising from the University of Minnesota.
Kevin O’Callaghan, former president of creative, and Len Mitsch,
former executive vice president/group creative director, will serve as
vice president/executive creative directors.
About Risdall Marketing Group
Founded in 1972, Risdall Marketing Group has annual capitalized
billings of $228 million and more than 80 employees. Headquartered in
New Brighton, Minn., Risdall is a full-service agency with 14
specialized divisions and is heralded as one of the oldest and most
successful agencies in the Twin Cities. According to the 2009 Twin
Cities Business Annual Business Information Guide, RMG is ranked as the
largest Web developer, fourth largest PR agency and the seventh largest
advertising agency in Minnesota. For more information, visit www.risdall.com.
Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC
Risdall
McKinney Public Relations
651.286.6729
amanda@risdall.com
John Risdall
Risdall
Marketing Group
651.286.6702
john@risdall.com
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