WATERLOO, Iowa (January 14, 2021)—VGM Group, Inc., has merged three of its businesses into one and created Moxie, a powerful new force in the world of marketing and events. Hellman, a well-established marketing agency acquired by VGM in 2018, has joined with VGM Marketing and VGM Events to bring a team of close to 30 professionals together for the benefit of internal VGM clients and external clients alike.
“We are very excited to introduce Moxie,” said Christa Miehe, the company’s president. “This strategic alignment blends three very talented teams and allows us to expand our capabilities and offer current and new clients a broader range of services.”
Moxie is a marketing ally, a long-term partner in creating results-driven solutions to its clients’ business challenges. The team’s collaborative and customer-centered approach helps them tell client stories in new and impactful ways. Moxie’s services include strategy, branding, design, content, video, experiential marketing and event planning.
Brand Evolution
Hellman was launched by Bob Hellman in Waterloo in 1967 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017. Formerly housed in a historic renovated church on Waterloo’s West 4th Street “Church Row,” Hellman has been a fixture in the Cedar Valley community for decades. The agency’s clients include businesses from all types of industries, with a concentration in industrial manufacturing and healthcare. Clients include 3M, C.H. Robinson, CPM and John Deere. In recent years, Hellman has been working with VGM clients as well.
Nearly 20 years ago, VGM Group established VGM Marketing and VGM Events to serve its own growing family of business units. Many staff members on these teams have long tenures with VGM, a 100% employee-owned company. VGM’s businesses focus primarily on the post-acute health care industry, which includes home health care and durable medical equipment providers.
Both Hellman and VGM Marketing have collected walls full of awards and accolades over the years for creative achievement and business results. Combined, the teams bring Moxie a breadth and depth of experience that rivals big-city marketing agencies—but with an added dose of heart and authenticity that only comes from being part of a family like VGM.
“Hellman has a long history of strength and prestige,” said Michele Jensen, Moxie’s vice president. “We have been refining and building the brand since VGM acquired it, and the merger into Moxie represents the next phase of its evolution.”
Looking Forward
Like most, the Hellman and VGM teams have been working from home since last spring. Meanwhile, Hellman moved out of the 4th Street building over the summer, and another business occupies that facility. When it’s time to return to the office, Moxie will be located at VGM’s main campus in Waterloo.
“Merging our internal and external agencies made a lot of sense in a year when little else seemed to,” Miehe said. “The only change our current clients will notice are more talented team members to help them achieve their business goals.”
The Moxers—as the team calls themselves—haven’t missed a beat of client work.
“From our strategists and creatives to our account teams, everyone was involved in developing the Moxie brand,” Jensen said. “I am so proud of our team. It has been a lot of work, but we are thrilled with the results and ready to share Moxie with the world.”
Learn more at experiencemoxie.com.
