Not many agencies have been around for 22 years, but DMi (founded in 2003 by Pat McKenna and James Delaney) is going stronger than ever as 2025 approaches.

We’ve been fueled in very large part by great employee retention, including a nucleus of folks who have been with us for 10 or more years. As we prepare to turn the calendar to 2025, we spoke to these folks about their favorite DMi memories, reflections on how far we’ve come as a business, and the reasons they’ve stayed to help grow our company over the years. Enjoy.

What’s one memory you have from your first year at DMi?

“My best memory from my first year is forcing myself into the inaugurals Halloween Movie Club event having only been there for 3 months at the time (I’m pretty sure some folks didn’t even know my name yet). It’s truly a core DMi memory for me.” - Connor Bertoni, Associate Director of Sales Development

“One thing that stood out to me is that there was never an uncomfortable ‘new kid at school’ feeling my first week. Everyone was so great and welcoming to me that it felt like I’d been working here for a while by day 2. I also remember that Pat made sure he could pronounce my difficult last name right away but had to double-check my position’s title before introducing me for a solid 6 months. 😊” - David Lachowicz, Sr. Director of Creative and UX

“When we first started DMi, you could not advertise on Google, but you could advertise on Yahoo! search results. The order of the paid results on Yahoo! were directly based on the bid price per click that a given advertiser was bidding on each keyword. Each advertiser’s bid was visible to all bidders, and so you were able to very directly manipulate the order and price competitors had to pay for each price per click. While a bit addicting, it was a lot of fun.” - Patrick McKenna, Co-Founder and CEO

“I still remember clearly when Pat taught me how to do my first vlookup. I never looked back from there. Thousands upon thousands of Excel formulas and reports later, and now being in this analytics role, it’s funny to think about how little I knew and how much the DMi team was trusting the young new hires that they had brought on. Also printing and collating dozens of reporting pages for J.G. Wentworth meetings and taking the train out there with Pat, Omar, and Brian. Such a waste of paper. Also so many lunches in the Bellevue food court. Ellen’s was a delight. Sorry, that was 3 memories.” - Kevin Dugan, VP of Analytics and Marketing Intelligence

Over your time at DMi, how have you and the company changed?

“I think the biggest change we’ve seen over time is getting better and better at understanding what we do well, what our differentiators are and using that to our advantage as much as possible. It has led to us investing in growing our team with experts in their work who work collaboratively to help our clients achieve their goals.” - Brian McKenna, VP of CRM

“I say in interviews with future DMi-ers all the time that coming to DMi, I expected to grow and change professionally, but I didn’t expect how much I’d grow and change personally. I think a lot of what I’ve learned professionally has translated well and helped to fulfill my personal life. I’ve become more resilient in life because of DMi, I trust people more, and I’ve gained a confidence in myself that has allowed me to commit to adventures that I don’t know if I would’ve done without that confidence. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, it has given me a sense of purpose and with that sense of purpose has come a feeling of happiness and gratitude for the life I get to lead. I see some of the same changes in DMi as I do in myself. I think we’ve been resilient enough to withstand and grow through so much change and so many challenges - we’ve also gained the confidence to say ‘yes’ to new adventures. I think we’ve also found our sense of purpose along the way.” - Kristina Nolan, VP of Media Services

What’s the personal achievement you’re most proud of in your time at DMi?

“I am most proud to have played a part in understanding the needs of prospective clients and working with DMi’s service division leaders to develop optimized sales processes that have led to continuous new client wins and the addition of large brand advertisers to our client roster.” - Alex Oman, Sr. Director of Business Development

“I’ll never get over being given the opportunity to start our OPM business and all of that absolute rewarding and satisfying pure chaos that came with those first couple of years of doing so many things for the first time, and all at the same time. Those years also brought me the team that I have today, which gives me an immense sense of achievement. I’m proud of the way we celebrate each other in the good times, but also the way they are tough and strong and supportive in the challenging times. I think our work together revolves around teamwork and integrity, a sense of humility - paired with an immense amount of pride and trust in each other and the organization. Because of that, I’ll never stop showing up for the members of my team.” - Kristina Nolan, VP of Media Services

What’s the biggest reason you’ve stayed at DMi?

“The leadership team’s vision for growth for each individual employee and the agency as a whole. DMi invests in our employees and upholds our core values each day. The continued investment into building a strong culture at DMi has led to a collective effort to achieve daily tasks, personal and professional growth, outstanding service for our clients, and the ability to develop, maintain, and grow personal relationships with coworkers.” - Alex Oman

“It is 100% the people. I have been very fortunate to work within a culture where success is truly shared. My most important accomplishments are regularly celebrated by team members who are set up to benefit from my success, and vice versa. For over 13 years I’ve worked for a growing, results-driven agency but have never once felt jealous of anyone else’s success or felt resentment from another team member of my accomplishments.” - Zach Labenberg, VP of Growth

“The people. Easy.” - Brian McKenna