business

From the fifth floor of the Wyman-Partridge Building in the Minneapolis Warehouse District, fledgling Matter Worldwide has cobbled together an interlocking organization out of four seemingly disparate firms that combine marketing, news gathering and education.

Oh, yeah, and throw in a recording studio.

And, by the way, one of the four partners is a member of a country band with two chart-making hits.

"We're not a company culture. We want to nurture a creative, entrepreneurial culture," said Matter chair Don Smithmier, the lead singer for Rocket Club (the country band) and a former vice president of business management at Capella University. "Each company needs to stand on its own financially. But each benefits from being here together."

The four companies are Rumble Music, a full-service recording studio; GoKart Labs, a digital advertising agency; BringMeTheNews, an Internet and broadcast news aggregator; and Sophia, a social learning network still in development.

Rumble Music, which launched in 2008, consists of four composers and producers and provides original music to clients such as Macy's and Target. Rumble intends to open a Los Angeles office next year.

GoKart was founded in 2009, followed by a partnership stake in BringMeTheNews later that year and the creation of Sophia in early 2010.

The companies frequently complement one another.

Rumble has done music and video production for BringMeTheNews and Sophia. GoKart built the website for BringMeTheNews and Rocket Club. Sophia and BringMeTheNews both have education components in their offerings.

"Everybody has a relationship here," said Smithmier, who also is CEO of Sophia.

Rick Meyer and Jesse Ford run Rumble. A.J. Meyer is in charge of GoKart and BringMeTheNews is the baby of former KARE 11 anchor Rick Kupchella, Dolan Media and Padilla Spear Beardsley.

Smithmier said Rumble and GoKart have been profitable since they opened. Sophia is in a private testing phase but the ultimate goal is to fund it through grants and gifts from corporate sponsors. Both Sophia and BringMeTheNews were able to raise venture capital earlier this year, and News has expansion plans.

Interaction invited

Matters' workspace in the Wyman Building is open and conducive to interaction among the four organizations. There are no doors separating the businesses. Meetings are conducted in open areas with employees standing or sitting around tables.

And common needs, such as accounting and reception, can be shared, which helps keep overhead down.

"You'd think the companies were all different, but there are actually a lot of synergies," said Kupchella, whose office is next to Smithmier. "We look at each other like cousins."

Still, synergy can be confusing. Says Smithmier, "When people ask what I do, I don't know what to say."

David Phelps • 612-673-7269