Movers & Shakers: Marketing execs join forces at Giant Voices

Title: Apter, CEO; Bodine, president

Age: Apter, 36; Bodine, 35

Marketing executives Pascha Apter and Lisa Bodine have joined forces to what they believe will be seismic effect as owners of Giant Voices, their newly rebranded strategic marketing firm in Duluth.

Giant Voices, Apter and Bodine say, can help companies with giant ambitions realize their potential through strategic marketing planning, branding, advertising, website design and social media.

"Giant Voices expresses the outcome that we want to accomplish for clients," Apter said.

To illustrate the scale of their ambitions, they've created images of Apter appearing to stride over Duluth's landmark Aerial Lift Bridge and Bodine appearing to loom over downtown.

The pair have been fixtures in Twin Ports business and civic circles for much of the past 15 years, and each had aspired to own her own company.

Bodine bought into the firm last month, and she and Apter promptly rebranded the 20-employee firm as Giant Voices.

Bodine most recently worked as sales director at Involta, a data center company with offices in Duluth that recently became a Giant Voices client. Other regional and national clients include Elite Hearing Network, Essentia Health Foundation, L&M Radiator and Bully Dog Technologies.

Apter has a bachelor's of science degree in mass communications from St. Cloud State University. Bodine has a bachelor's of science degree in business management from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

How do you define Giant Voices?

Apter: "Giant Voices" says partnership, not a vendor. If we can't come in at a serious partnership level and understand where the business is heading, then we don't have an offer for those clients. We're serious about finding out what their ambitions are and completing the tasks that it takes to get there so we can all celebrate that together.

Bodine: Our business lives have intertwined since 2005 when we started working on community development projects, chamber projects and philanthropic projects. Her team, my team now, was the strategic partner for the company I came from. It's been good to see how our professional careers have overlapped to bring us to where we are today as business partners.

What are you doing to generate new business?