"Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch Changes!"

creating a new identity - www.factor360.com

We had just gotten settled with our name and identity after the merger between Digitial Impression, point b, The Web Shoppe and My Tech Place in the spring of 2002, and already we need to change our name and create a new identity.

Early this year we received a "cease and desist" notice from a Seattle company, also named Point B. We checked with our lawyers and were told that the Seattle Point B’s federal trademark overrode our South Dakota state trademark. Apparently the Seattle company felt threatened because our new web site came up ahead of theirs on search engines (guess we did our job too well).

We were given the option of either taking down our web site or changing our name by July 1, 2003. We chose the latter and embarked upon the long and arduous journey of coming up with a new name and identity. It is not an easy task to find a name which is not already federally trademarked or taken as a .com. After much research and brainstorming, we’ve decided upon factor 360 design + technology.

"Factor represents our role in our clients success and 360 represents the full scope of services that we offer," says company President Dennis Ryckman. "We’re pleased with our new name and are now finalizing our new promotional materials.

rapid city office moves
With our new name comes a new location for the Rapid City staff. On April 1, the staff moved from downtown to 1141 Deadwood Avenue. "Our new space allows us all to work in the same office setting, instead of having one office down the hall as we did in the Buell Building,"explains Vice President Jan Chambers. "We also have a nice, big lobby where we can set up computers to let people come in and get help with their web sites on our new eSpotRun do-it-yourself web site builder." (Go to www.eSpotRun for more information).

When you get a chance, stop by to say hello and check out our new digs.

award winning web site
We are pleased to announce that factor360 (formerly point b) is the recipient of the 2002 South Dakota Advertising Federation Silver Addy Award for a web site we created for Avvampato Home Builders (www.blackhillsbuilders.com).

The Addy Awards are the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition for creative excellence. Addy winners go on to regional and national competitions.

"We are very excited about this award and proud of the work we do," says company President Dennis Ryckman. "We have a top-notch staff and the credit for this award goes to them."

factor 360 opens new minnesota branch in the twin cities
factor 360 is expanding eastward into Minnesota. The advertising design and technology agency has just opened its new office in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

"We are very excited about this new development," says President Dennis Ryckman. "We plan to develop new business in the Minnesota area while offering the same outstanding service, competitive rates and cutting-edge creative as we do in Colorado and South Dakota."

Creative Director Nichole Day is heading up the Twin Cities division. She will be managing all Minnesota-based clients and projects, as well as providing creative services for clients in all locations. "I'm really excited about this opportunity," says Nichole, a native of the Twin Cities area. "I really think there is a lot of potential here. The agency has a lot to offer, and you don't find this scope of services very often combined in one firm."

The Minneapolis office officially opened its doors in June. To contact the office, call: 507.645.8350.

colorado office moves
A recent move also occoured in April for the Colorado division of factor 360. Michelle Tschetter, the division's Creative Director and Account Manager has re-located to Fort Collins, Colorado.

"I'm in love with this community, and feel that our services will benefit the local businesses greatly here." says Michelle.

The Fort Collins office is located near Old Town, Fort Collins, and hopes to become a solid resource for the many independent and unique businesses located in the vicinity.

To contact Michelle, and learn more about what factor 360 can offer, please call: 970.416.6816.