Team SI

Little Rock’s Team SI digital marketing firm has been in serious growth mode almost since its opening in 2010.

A sister firm to the Mangan Holcomb Partners ad agency, Team SI — it stands for Social Innovation — entails a group of designers, strategists and content specialists whose job is to create unique customer experiences through digital and social media platforms.

The company is up to about 50 employees now, and its revenue has been climbing each year. Last year, Team SI was recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the country’s fastest-growing firms with revenue growth of 1,670 percent from 2011 to 2014. It also was named a Google All-Star, competing against 14,000 agencies worldwide for one of 200 spots.

Its client list is local, regional and national, and its focus is on the automotive, agriculture, health care and higher education sectors. Notable local clients include the Department of Arkansas Heritage, CHI St. Vincent, Hank’s Furniture, Steve Landers Auto Group and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Tim Whitley founded Team SI, leaving his six-figure executive job with Nexstar Broadcasting to open Team SI with $20,000 he borrowed from his 401(k).

To Whitley, the team is a partnership and teamwork is the hallmark of Team SI’s work. “Company culture is really what keeps us moving,” Whitley said. “Our passion for fresh ideas and our ability to execute them quickly allow us to deliver better results faster than other marketing firms.”

Whitley said the firm’s biggest challenge is the constant need to innovate. “Digital firms pop up every day with only one or two innovative ideas and think they have a business model,” he said. “In the digital landscape, those ideas go from progressive to passé in six months. The biggest challenge is to constantly innovate. If we stop innovating, we will die. Period.”

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