The fourth annual list recognizes 215 private companies putting purpose ahead of profit
broadhead, an employee-owned, data-driven, creative agency powering brands that transform how we eat, move and live, has been named to the Inc. 2023 Best in Business list, recognized in the marketing category. Inc.’s Best in Business Awards honor companies that have made an extraordinary impact in 2023.
The list recognizes the most dynamic companies of all sizes and industries that have had an outstanding influence on their communities, their industries, the environment or society as a whole.
“Being named to the Best in Business list is a rare and special honor,” says Eric Hagerman, Special Projects Editor at Inc. “These honorees demonstrate the foresight, caring, and dedication to prioritize positive impact — impact on their community, on their industry and the environment, and even on society as a whole.”
Rather than relying on quantitative criteria tied to sales or funding, Inc.’s editors reviewed each company’s achievements over the past year and noted how they made a positive difference in the world. They then selected honorees in 70 different categories — from advertising to sustainability to retail, and more — and in age-based, revenue-based, size-based and impact-based categories. The applicant pool was extremely competitive — a huge success for the 215 companies honored in the list’s fourth year.
broadhead was primarily selected for its work in the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and sustainability spaces. After noticing a trend in agencies across the Twin Cities creating internal DEI committees that failed to gain momentum and executive support, broadhead’s DEI group formed AdVocation. AdVocation is a collective of Twin Cities agencies who have a common goal of sharing learnings and implementing programs that improve the industry as a whole. Twenty-nine agencies are currently part of AdVocation — and the collective recently merged with The Advertising Federation of Minnesota (AdFed), bringing added growth and resources.
broadhead’s sustainability task force meets monthly, with direction from and integration with the senior leadership team as well as the DEI committee. This task force is taking on the research and prep towards becoming a B Corp, as well as other paths that would lead broadhead towards impactful environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) strategy and execution. Externally, broadhead’s strategy group continuously works on landscape assessments for clients and tracks changes to ESG expectations across various industries.
“We are truly honored to be named to Inc.’s Best in Business list,” said broadhead CEO Dean Broadhead. “This achievement belongs to every member of the team who lives out broadhead’s core values not just within our walls and with clients, but within the community as well. Combined with over a dozen additional award wins this year, we’re eager to take this momentum into 2024.”
broadhead has a long history of powering brands that transform how people eat, move and live — brands like Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, Freightliner, Good Foods, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Ziegler. To see the agency’s work, visit https://broadheadco.com/work/.
About broadhead.
broadhead is a 180-person, employee-owned, data-driven creative agency with offices in Minneapolis, Charlotte and Portland. Doubling in size over the past two years, broadhead ranks among the nation’s top 40 independent marketing agencies, serving a diverse roster of Fortune 500 clients in the food, agriculture, healthcare, transportation and retail arenas. broadhead offers core services in strategy, creative, content studio, media planning/buying, environmental design, public relations, social, data science, digital experience and CRM.
A member of The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s), broadhead is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and achieved its Workplace Enlightenment Certification from the 4A’s in 2022.
About Inc.
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community they need to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.