2020 Marks SeQuel’s 10th Anniversary – a letter from our CEO

This year, SeQuel Response is celebrating ten years in business, our special diamond anniversary.

The SeQuel Story

When we launched SeQuel Response in 2010, we believed there was a viable opportunity in the market for a direct response agency that could help direct to consumer companies use mail as an effective client acquisition tool. Although there were a few niched direct marketing agencies in the industry and the economy was poor, we trusted our team’s drive and grit, along with our powerful methodologies. We did not have many grandiose goals beyond survival, however the one sincere hope that Tom Rothstein (Co-Founder/ President) and I shared was that we would one day be able to put our combined 13 children through college. That, in and of itself, was a lofty aspiration.

We have witnessed a lot of change the past ten years – both within our own agency and throughout the direct response industry. As the market continued to adopt a digital lifestyle, we recognized the valuable opportunity that a multi-channel marketing strategy could present to our clients. In 2016, we expanded our services to include SeQuel Surround, an integrated digital and direct mail approach to customer acquisition. Our proprietary testing methodology, FaQtor Test, created the industry’s fastest and most affordable way to identify the winning combination of list, offer and creative to maximize growth. The advancements in modeling technology paired with the formation of our internal data science team led to the creation of PrediQtor, a modeling technique that allows us to better ensure our clients reach their ideal customers and optimize their direct response programs, faster.

Our commitment to our clients and our craft has been demonstrated by our steady sales growth and industry honors. We are proud to have been recognized five times as an Inc.5000 “Fastest Growing Company,” and locally by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal as a four-time “Fast 50,” and six-time “Top Advertising Agency” honoree.

But above all else, our success is really about our people.

Thank You to Our Employees and Their Families

The SeQuel family has grown by 500% since 2010. In 2020, we are now a team of 35 employees, four offices, many specialized disciplines, and a strong national presence.

Without our dedicated employees and their supportive families, we would not be the agency that we are today. Their commitment to our vision, values, and the success of our clients, has allowed us to create an innovative culture and best-in class team dedicated to delivering performance-oriented results.

Special recognition goes out to our 10-year employees: Erik Koenig, Vicki Erickson, Paula Phipps, and John Hibbs. Erik, Vicki and Paula took a giant leap of faith when Tom and I approached them with the opportunity to join us in this startup – and John joined the team shortly after. Due to their infinite persistence in the growth of SeQuel, devotion to our clients’ success, and their trust in each other, SeQuel’s revenue increased by more than 160% in 2011 and has since averaged growth rates of 46% each year. With all odds against us, this standout foursome of professionals were the keys to our successful future, and we are eternally grateful for their sizable contributions.

Thank You to Our Customers

Over the last ten years we’ve facilitated the mailing of over 750 million pieces, established over 2.5 million new customer conversions and generated over $1.5 billion in total revenue for 117+ clients, ranging from Fortune 500 organizations to emerging DTC brands.

To our customers who have trusted us throughout the years, it has been an honor and privilege to work with you to help achieve (and even exceed) your growth objectives. It is a supreme understatement to say that we could not have survived or attained these important milestones without you. Thank you for inspiring us every day. We look forward to spending the next decade providing you with innovative and rewarding direct response strategies.

Thank You to Our Vendors

We have had the opportunity to work with over 470 vendors throughout our history and have valued every partner along the way. Our vendors serve as an extension of our team and have played an essential role in helping both SeQuel and our client’s reach our goals. Since 2016 we have recognized exceptional partners with the “David Forster Vendor of the Year” award, and we greatly look forward to continuing this tradition and honoring future recipients. To all our vendors, we value you tremendously and we thank you for your continued commitment to quality, responsive service and genuine collaboration.

In the Next Decade

One thing that has not changed in the last decade is our company values. Every campaign, meeting, and decision we make is driven by transparency, success, partnership, innovation, responsiveness, stewardship, and a supportive culture. Our mission has been, and always will be, to invest in the success of others. With that vision as our guiding light, I am very optimistic that the future will be bright and our next decade will be filled with expansions, improvements, and more great people.

With sincere gratitude and appreciation,

Jay T. Carroll

Co-Founder/CEO