Culture

Your one-stop strategy and creative shop.

We’re a team of marketing specialists who live, work and play in Duluth, MN. If you’re wondering why, you’ve obviously never seen this place.

Kevin Cain

Office Manager

Madelyn LaBorde

Project Manager

Bill Nelson

Director of Accounts

Shawn Stigsell

Art Director

Ryan Miller

Digital Strategist

Emily Aarsvold

Content Producer

David Sadowski

Partner & Brand Director

Heather Farnham

Web Developer

Peter Sahlberg

Senior Web Developer

Patrice Bradley

Founder & CEO

Sheerah Gebhard

Project Manager

Employment

Bridget Erickson

Content Developer

Wilderness and wild ideas. Bridget’s got a propensity for that - whether she’s canoeing the Canadian wilderness or navigating the world of social content and strategy. She’s always in pursuit of the next brainstorming session and the breakthroughs that ensue, and then grabs a pen, paintbrush, or camera to bring them to life.

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Bill Nelson

Director of Accounts

A master at connecting businesses and creatives, Bill has keen insight into how effective partnerships work, having worked on both the agency and client sides. Over his nearly three decades in the industry, Bill has been a writer, producer, manager, planner and creative director. He paves the way for strategic planning to become brilliant work that generates results.

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David Sadowski

Partner & Brand Director

David is the rare creative who is also fluent in business. After a stint as an art director at SK+G in Las Vegas, David heeded the siren call of the Zenith city and returned to Duluth, where he’s shaped a career that combines creative, planning, insight and strategy into work that transforms brands. He is the Man Behind the Plan.

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Emily Aarsvold

Content Producer

Emily is a creative soul. After graduating with a marketing and graphic design degree from UMD, she naturally gravitated toward Swim. Passionate about finding just the right design aesthetic for each project, Emily draws inspiration from the world around her. When she’s not designing or creating killer content, Emily is watching movies, traveling or hanging out with her pet gecko.

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Heather Farnham

Web Developer

Heather is a student by nature. Ever-learning and ever-growing, she began her career with a degree in design technology from Bemidji State. But after working in design for six years, she knew she wanted to create websites. Determined and driven, Heather is already making an impact on Swim’s web team by working on stunning, user-friendly websites that turn heads and draw clicks.

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Kevin Cain

Office Manager

Every office needs a Kevin. Master of the multi-task and expert juggler of hats, you can always count on him to clear out that to-do list. Whether preparing production estimates, traffic reports or monitoring agency workflow, Kevin has the answers (and the droids) you’re looking for. Plus, as a former member of the U.S. Army, he’s not afraid to threaten us with push-ups if we forget to clean out the fridge.

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Madelyn LaBorde

Project Manager

Madelyn earned her Bachelor's degree in communications with a marketing minor in just 3 years. Chalk it up to hard work and great planning - and Madelyn is a superb planner. Whether it's a social media calendar, a multi-faceted marketing campaign, or a company event - she's planned and managed it. Madelyn can whip up timelines, assign to-dos, and direct a project smoothly from discovery to execution.

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Patrice Bradley

Founder & CEO

As the driving force behind Swim, Patrice is equal parts artist and entrepreneur, uniting creative, communication and business prowess in every aspect of her work. Patrice’s innate sense of design and ability to connect with people has led to award-winning work for clients in every industry. Her 20+ year career has been spent teaching, offering half-eaten sandwiches to co-workers and generally being a Force for Good in advertising.

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Peter Sahlberg

Senior Web Developer

A young Pete Sahlberg crafted art out of driftwood on the shores of Lake Superior. Now, a less-young Pete Sahlberg applies that same creative dexterity as a crazy-good web developer with both graphic design and coding chops. Pete is on the internet every day, fighting crimes of web design with digital experiences that are intuitive, intriguing and inspiring.

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Ryan Miller

Digital Strategist

With a double Bachelor's degree in marketing and management, and an MBA in business administration, Ryan is a well-versed marketer who understands the unique challenges of business. With experience in the digital realm, he enjoys creating digital strategies, learning new trends, and helping clients achieve their goals by providing insights and best practices. Ryan is a proud Duluthian and can be found sipping craft beer, spending time with his family, and playing basketball.

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Stephanie Dunaiski

Copywriter

Schooled as a journalist and a creative writer by nature, Stephanie has more than 10 years of professional writing experience under her belt and has written for everything from billboards and TV, to radio and digital ads. Coupled with her web content creation experience, SEO knowledge and keyword research skills, Stephanie writes engaging web content from a user experience lens. She insists on approaching hard work with a smile and an eye for improvement. Oh, and she'll probably try to make you laugh.

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Sheerah Gebhard

Project Manager

Sheerah has a knack for all things marketing. She is results-driven and client-focused. She knows exactly the right questions to ask to get a project timeline whipped into shape and is instrumental in supporting the creative team. She loves delivering solutions and creative work that completely blow clients’ minds. When she’s not setting timelines and to-dos for Swim, you can find Sheerah exploring Duluth, rock climbing, or hiking with her dog.

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Shawn Stigsell

Art Director

With over 15 years of design experience, Shawn has a keen eye for design and branding which he uses to make killer design on the daily. Shawn is a determined, outgoing, team-player with a unique skill set and background. He brings innovative creative design ideas and the grit to get the job done to every project. When he’s not designing for Swim, you’ll find Shawn mountain biking, hiking, and taking in all that natural beauty Duluth has to offer with his family.

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SWIM VALUES
Do Good.
Be Good.
Tell the Truth
Take Care of Our Community
Live Responsibly
Only be amazing
Our Space

Creativity needs room to grow.

Thankfully, we've got space to spare at our home in downtown Duluth's Historic Arts and Theater District. We've also got a zen room, gorgeous Lake Superior views and two - count 'em - two conference rooms.