On July 1, Dorsch Risdall Advertising opens its doors at 1561 15th Street N.W. in New Brighton, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul. The first client is school furniture manufacturer Smith System, which is still a client today. Other early clients are 3M, SICO, Smith Foundry, and the Holes Webway Company of St. Cloud.

Other than Mssrs. Risdall and Dorsch, the only employee is the irreplaceable Judy Becker, who is still an employee today, having been lured back from retirement more than once.

The agency moves to 1977 West County Road B2 in Roseville, another St. Paul suburb. Foreshadowing the future, our neighbors are TIES and MECC.

The agency moves to its own building at 1901 North Lexington Avenue in Roseville. The staff burgeons to seven.

The agency changes its name to John Risdall & Associates and moves back to New Brighton. The address is 1433 Silver Lake Road in New Brighton. Today, our old office is an Asian market.

Deb Fisher is hired. At any given time, there are three or four people working at the agency. Today, Deb is still with the agency.

The agency acquires its first Macintosh. It just sits there.

John Risdall & Associates moves around the corner to 2475 15th Street N.W. and changes its name to John Risdall Advertising. It’s the beginning of our big leap forward.

JRA has about 10 employees as it celebrates 15 years in business with a party at a bowling alley. Not until 1994 was liquor again served at an agency party. If we told you any more, we'd have to shoot you.

For no particular reason, the agency throws a Bad Tie Affair. Despite the horrid haberdashery, the party is a smashing success.

Agency copywriters fully commit to writing copy on the Macintosh. (Intuitive, shmuitive.)

To celebrate 20 years in business, JRA throws a "Who Shot J.R.?" party, complete with clues and a raincoat-clad detective.

Digital print production is fully implemented.

The agency launches its interactive unit, with Ted Risdall as president, working with a variety of new media, including some new thing called the World Wide Web. Today, RAA Interactive has created more web pages than any other agency developer in Minnesota. It all started with a Beta copy of the browser Mosaic.

The agency is now known as Risdall Linnihan Advertising.

Kevin O'Callaghan is hired as the agency's first creative director. He takes the entire creative department up several notches and continues today to head one of the best, biggest, and most versatile creative staffs in Minnesota.

The first website created to promote ourselves goes live, and it’s one of the first advertising agency websites on the Internet. (Today, Google “advertising agency” and see what happens.)

A physical expansion means that RLA now occupies three separate buildings in the Stony Lake Office Park. Other tenants eye us nervously.

In May, the Tech Weenie Roast celebrates the agency's interactive success with sausages and accordion music on the sidewalk. No wonder the other tenants eye us nervously.

The agency continues to grow, and the critical mass of caffeine fiends with disposable income results in a coffee house opening next door.

As it celebrates 25 years in business by summoning clients, vendors and friends to Jury Duty, RLA continues to grow and prosper. The concept of bunk desks comes under consideration.

Tina Karelson, Stuart Sandler and Pete Fabian are promoted to creative directors.

Len Mitsch is hired as a creative director.

The agency gets serious about incubating Internet startups. A few ventures scramble, but others hatch successfully.

Ranked the 15th largest B2B agency in the U.S., RLA finally chucks the idea of bunk desks and moves to spacious new digs on a brand-new street: 550 Main Street, New Brighton.

After 30 years in business, the agency becomes Risdall Advertising Agency (RAA). Ted Risdall becomes the president and Kevin O'Callaghan is promoted to president/creative.

RAA hires Jerry Seppala, now president/fundraising and development, and promotes Kelly Mapes, Judy Becker’s daughter, to accounting manager.

RAA’s account list continues to expand, adding significant names like UnitedHealth Group to the roster.

The Year of the Rooster dawns on February 9, and it is celebrated with possibly the best-attended, most mind-bendingly amazing agency party ever, a fitting tribute to RAA’s recent period of success and renewal. The never-ending dessert buffet holds out, barely.

Rose McKinney joins the agency, creating Risdall McKinney Public Relations, a powerhouse new PR resource. A party celebrating Syttende Mai, Norwegian Independence Day, marks this development and the agency’s continuing success.

Advertising Age magazine ranks RAA the 4th largest B2B ad agency in the U.S. and the 87th largest advertising agency overall. The agency has worked with 27 of Minnesota’s 100 largest public companies.

RMG expands the agency’s breadth of offerings with the addition of Risdall Sandstrom Media Works (RSMW). Led by one of the legends in Twin Cities media, Jim Sandstrom, the new division is poised to handle a range of media buying and planning needs to help our clients maximize the value and return on their marketing spend.

Risdall Marketing Group (RMG) is pleased to announce a new division — Risdall Integration Group (RIG). There’s also a new kid on the block, well actually he’s a guy and he’s in the cube down the hall. Jared Roy has joined RMG as president of the new Risdall Integration Group (RIG).

“Social media optimization is a continually emerging and vital component to the integrated approach we provide our clients,” said John Risdall, chairman, CEO, RMG. “At Risdall, we’ve been doing it for over 10 years and with the experience and leadership of Jared Roy, the creation of RIG allows us to help our clients harness the power of the best social web technologies.”