MSU graduates working at Ripple Marketing are (L to R) Kurt Palmquist, Denise Palmquist, Kitch Walker, Marie Nagorski-Jones and Evelyn Paz. Russel Des Jardins is not pictured. Photo by Jeannine Lintner. Alums Merge Marketing and Advertising Firms by Evelyn Boswell Kitch Walker, 96 BioS, '98 Bus, and Kurt Palmquist, '88 Art, used to meet every few months to see how their respective businesses were doing. Walker was founder and president of Ripple Marketing in Bozeman. Kurt and Denise (Beckaman) Palmquist, '86 Bus, held similar titles at Palmquist Creative, Inc. in Bozeman. Then, about eight months ago, Walker introduced an idea he was sure would send beer shooting out Palmquist's nose. On a Friday over lunch, Walker suggested a merger, saying each company had strengths in areas that the other company wanted to move towards. "My initial reaction was surprise," Palmquist said. "I wasn't expecting it." Palmquist said he fulfilled Walker's prediction about spurting fluid, but the idea made sense. So the Palmquists and Walker started talking logistics in January and physically moved together in March. Now with several months behind them, the partners said the new Ripple Marketing is doing well. The "beyond full-service" firm is starting to serve the kind of clients they'd envisioned. Most of their clients sell and market their products and services regionally and nationally. The company recently received five awards for excellence in communication and graphic design from Graphic Design USA, a magazine geared toward graphic design firms, art and illustration studios and other communication media. Ripple has also provided MSU graduates an opportunity to stay in Montana or return. Six out of the current 14 full-time employees are MSU graduates. "Are we biased toward MSU? Yes," Walker admitted. "But we try to find the best people for the job." The Palmquists lived in Seattle for a couple of years before returning to Montana. They realized they needed to come back after they used their first paid vacations to revisit the state and rented a video camera to film their favorite spots. "All of a sudden it dawned on me," Palmquist said. "'This is crazy. If I miss it this much, I should just be here.'" The Palmquists were willing to do lots of things to stay in Bozeman, but they opened their advertising and design firm, and it succeeded. Palmquist Creative was 13 years old when it merged with Ripple. Walker--with fellow student Anita Dewald and business faculty member Norm Millikin--started the original Ripple five years ago in Walker's basement. "The resulting merger created a highly integrated marketing communications firm and business consultancy," Walker said, noting that Ripple now offers market research, feasibility studies, grant writing, business planning, marketing plans, as well as public relations, advertising and creative services. The partners said they value the chance to stay in Montana and their proximity to MSU. Walker serves on the National Board of Advisors in the MSU College of Business. Kurt Palmquist belongs to the MSU School of Art advisory Board. "We have had a lot of connective tissue there," Walker said.