What is your story?

Every organization has a story to tell. Many stories, really.

And few organizations tell them well.

We help you share the stories of your core values and strengths: Online, in Advertising, through Social Media, in HR – in every medium.

Articulate Vision

Celebrate Milestones

Reinforce Culture & Values

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Brainstorm with Blue Grotto

Our Story

We have been honored to support the storytelling of companies and nonprofits of all sizes.

On the heels of major change in leadership, 3M created an anniversary publication as a key part of a worldwide centennial anniversary program that included employee events and a public relations campaign. More than 250 interviews were conducted for …

The manufacturer of heating solutions and ovens marked its centennial with an extensive anniversary program that included promotional materials and events for customers and employees. Despatch produced two anniversary publications: a 64-page book te…

We helped the team at Keystone Community Services take the first critical step in transforming their 75th anniversary into more than just a cake and punch party. By helping them to identify objectives, measurements and priority tactics, Keystone con…

To commemorate its 50th anniversary, the company published 50 Years Behind the Wheel, a historical corporate publication that celebrated its reaching of this major milestone. NCR distribued the book to employees and corporate partners worldwide.

Telling a story in 3D. For the team at Trend enterprises, Inc. we helped to tell their unique story in an old-school platform - the tradeshow! The Blue Grotto team produced two back-to-back award-winning tradeshow booth designs and supported the sal…

Archdiocese of St. Paul and MinneapolisYvonne and the Blue Grotto team tackled the assignment of 100 in-person interviews  - you read it right, 100 interviews! – for the Archdiocese, gathering the narratives of families who choose a faith-based…

Our initial assignment with the nonprofit was a communications audit. That quickly transitioned into a more active role of implementation, including reshaping the organization’s message, both internally and to external audiences. Specifically, helpi…

Royal Bank of Canada A benchmarking study of competitors in the Twin Cities financial services market assisted the company in its due diligence before merging with Dain Rauscher. The project relied on the interview process and synthesis of informat…

University of Minnesota Alumni Association This publication shares the extensive stories of the UMAA and its volunteers' devotion to the University throughout its 100-year history. From the founding of the organization through its emerg…

Expecting Good Things of All was published to celebrate the centennial of the Blake Schools, one of Minnesota's most prominent private educational institutions. This rich story of thousands of students, teachers and the school that shaped them has a…

Farmers Home Mutual The company chose to highlight its elaborate 100-year history in a 38-page publication, They Built Better Than They Knew: The Tale of Farmers Home Mutual. Farmers used their publication as an opportunity to reflect o…

Haven in the Heart of the City celebrates the 100-year history of one of the country's most beautiful and influential cemeteries. This four color, coffee table sized book traces the history of an emerging business that paralleled the growth of the c…

Risdall Advertising Agency To commemorate their 30th anniversary, the advertising firm commissioned a series of one-on-one interviews with owners, employees, customers and community partners. Risdall Linnihan incorporated anecdotal info…

Blue Grotto produced two back-to-back annual fundraising Gala Events for Vision Loss Resources, leading the team to develop sponsor relationships and partnerships to steward the outward-facing events. We also served as communications advisor for the…

Blue Grotto worked closely with the Braille Institute staff and board of directors to map out the objectives, tactics, and measurements of a centennial anniversary program. They wanted to honor their students, patrons, and donors while also leveragi…

The Blue Grotto team led the organization’s board of directors through strategic planning sessions for their annual retreat. Including the organization’s working committees helped to drive a more robust dialogue on the volunteer resources that would…

The Lifetouch Family Album was created to celebrate the growth of Lifetouch's business curing its first 50 years. The publication tells the story of a company that achieved substantial growth while addressing the complexities of providing school pho…

River Hills A series of one-on-one interviews captured the history of the school, begun 35 years earlier in response to the need for a kindergarten in fledgling Burnsville, Minnesota. Anniversary themes were incorporated into student re…

Wayside House wanted to showcase their impact on the lives of individuals and families as well as the community of recovery. Leveraging a 60th anniversary, their leadership was able to not only examine where they’ve been, but also to give context to…

Blue Grotto worked closely with the Citizens League staff and board of directors to map out the objectives, tactics, and measurements of an anniversary program that would take them back to the roots of public policy dialogue. Increasing membership a…

The Frey Family Legacy The family of Gene and Mary Frey commissioned From Waldorf to Wabash: The Frey Family Legacy, a publication documenting Gene's career growth from sales assistant to CEO of Waldorf Paper, and the family's tri-generation histor…

Lyngblomsten realized that their Centennial represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get the attention of multiple audiences. With the Blue Grotto team’s help, Lyngblomsten found ways to recount their history of service to the community. Targ…

Robinson Rubber Products Company The story of Robinson Rubber Products Company pays homage to a family patriarch whose courage and entrepreneurial spirit enabled him to create a forward-thinking business during the Great Depression. The…

The Blue Grotto team led the planning and execution of an event to celebrate Wilderness Inquiry’s 30th anniversary. Wilderness Inquiry was without an annual fundraising event like those put on by many nonprofits. Originally concepted as simply an an…

What do you do when your organization is preparing for a ten-year effort to effectively end poverty in the community by the year 2015? Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties decided to celebrate its rich history and use their…

Extensive planning work helped the University's executive team incorporate the school's 150th anniversary into its strategic plan. Audiences and ownership opportunities were identified; measurement and evaluation tools developed; and a comparative s…

The objective of this half-century anniversary project was to articulate the unchanged mission and core values of the company while communicating growth and continuing development of new products. Patient stories were used to illustrate the company'…

A quarter of a century is a significant milestone in any organization’s life. Saint Paul’s Outreach chose to celebrate their 25th anniversary with a commemorative publication that serves as a tool to share the organization’s story with new members a…

Yamamoto Moss Extensive planning work helped the company maximize a two decade milestone. A strategic plan was developed to align tactics with corporate objectives ensuring that year-long activities, including the company's pro bono wor…

Cresa Partners took advantage of a 20th anniversary milestone. Blue Grotto led the leadership team through an intensive anniversary planning session to identify tactics that would help them to communicate the company’s unique culture of teamwork and…

An oral history program was begun to document the organization's collective 150-year history from the sisters of St. Joseph beginning the first hospital in the Minnesota Territories to a recently established Woodwinds Campus that offers a holistic a…

Merchant & gould, a leading intellectual Property law firm, created Advancing Innovation: Merchant & Gould-100 Years of IP Law to articulate its century-long traditions of teamwork, growth and expansion. This 32-page publication profiled how…

The Blue Grotto team partnered to lead the Sajai Foundation through implementation of a new resource development plan, including extending invitations to new audiences, converting past relationships, and cultivating existing networks to grow and div…

The Blue Grotto team supported Youthprise with a variety of communications responsibilities from newsletters to their annual report, with writing, design and project management, helping to develop collateral that communicates the organization’s visi…

This residential program serving persons with disabilities focused on communicating the organization's values in its 25th anniversary year. The 30-page publication produced for its anniversary was widely distributed to donors as well as prospective …

The Saint Paul-based business library created a 50-page publication to honor its 75th anniversary, using it to introduce the organization and its services to business leaders, potential clients, donors and patrons. The publication was distributed to…

Minnesota Families Career Community Leaders of America The Minnesota State Chapter of FCCLA’s 60th anniversary offered the organization a great way to raise awareness of the values of its organization, the contributions of student chapt…

Strategic planning helped SAVE to build on their past work in the community while highlighting the, sadly, growing need for grief support for survivors of suicide loss. Blue Grotto led the organization’s board of directors and community volunteer me…

We would LOVE to work with your team and help you leverage the stories that promote your vision and connect authentically with your audience. Stories allow you to stop defining your organization by what you produce and instead focus on how you fulfi…