Pinnacle Marketing Group acquires Bemidji's Evolve Creative agency

Pinnacle Marketing Group’s purchase of Evolve Creative puts two longtime Bemidji marketing shops under one roof, a move that could reshape who controls creative work, client relationships and campaign strategy in Beltrami County. The deal also keeps both firms rooted in town, at least for now, instead of sending those services to outside markets.

The acquisition was announced Thursday, June 11, and both companies said their existing names will continue while they evaluate collaboration and future growth. Pinnacle said the combined company is meant to strengthen both organizations’ capabilities, expand regional reach and deliver greater value to clients across northern Minnesota and beyond.

For Bemidji, the significance goes beyond a routine business transaction. Evolve Creative had built its reputation as a local agency focused on websites, branding, design and marketing strategy since its founding in 2004, while Pinnacle said it has served businesses across the country since 1993 from its Bemidji headquarters. Together, the companies represent two different generations of local creative work now converging in one regional platform.

That consolidation matters because the two firms already served overlapping clients. Bringing them together may reduce direct competition in a small market, but it could also give local businesses access to a larger in-house bench for video, photography, social media, web development and branding without looking to Fargo, Minneapolis or other out-of-town agencies. For clients, the immediate change is likely to be less about a new logo and more about who is behind the scenes handling account strategy and production.

The deal also appears to deepen the local talent pool. Third-party business directories have described Pinnacle as having about 75 employees, compared with roughly 11 to 15 at Evolve Creative, suggesting the acquisition could add scale to Pinnacle’s staffing and service capacity. Evolve’s management directory has listed Glenn Martin as managing director, Briana Serbus as account manager and Rachel Harris as junior project manager.

Both firms were operating in visible, central Bemidji locations before the acquisition. The Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce lists Pinnacle at 4030 Technology Dr NW and Evolve at 819 Paul Bunyan Dr S Ste 5, a reminder that the transaction is not bringing in an outside buyer so much as rearranging two established local players already embedded in the city’s business corridor.

Shelly Geerdes, Pinnacle’s chief executive, and Jason LaValley, Evolve’s former chairman, framed the move as growth rather than a breakup of either brand. Their decision keeps creative decision-making in Bemidji while signaling a broader regional push, a sign that marketing work in northern Minnesota is becoming more concentrated among fewer, larger firms with local roots.