Appoints Brad Olson as president and Rachel Adams as executive vice president
and develops additional senior leadership structure

Strategic integrated marketing agency Two Rivers Marketing announces changes to its leadership structure by promoting internal talent. 

In early 2022, Two Rivers joined the employee-owned VGM Group as a wholly owned subsidiary of the national leader in post-acute healthcare services and other B2B strategic services. Since then, the agency has undergone extensive long-range planning to align with the agency's evolution of shared leadership and succession planning to cement future success during rapidly changing environments.

New Executive Leadership
Named

Brad Olson, formerly vice president, has been promoted to president. With a 22-year legacy at Two Rivers, Olson will lead the agency’s strategic planning, drive growth initiatives and champion agency culture. He will work closely with talented leaders within the agency to ensure that the Two Rivers is in a position to implement creative and integrated, market-driven strategies enabling clients to achieve their business goals.

Olson holds leadership positions within the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and serves on Iowa State University’s Marketing Advisory Council.

"I’m honored to lead our associates and agency at such an important inflection point for our business," Olson said. "We have much to be proud of in our 22-year-plus history of success. As we undertake an operational and strategic evolution, I look forward to working alongside all of our employee owners to drive growth, unlock the potential within our teams and provide an unparalleled customer experience for our clients."

Olson succeeds long-standing Two Rivers president Brian Jones, who was recently promoted to president of VGM Group Services. In this role, he leads the growth and development of VGM’s shared services and marketing companies, including Two Rivers. Jones joined Two Rivers Marketing as a founding partner and the chief financial officer in 2000.

“Brad is the ideal person to lead Two Rivers in its next chapter,” said Jones. “I'm immensely proud of all that Two Rivers has accomplished since the beginning. Two Rivers has become a premier B2B marketing agency. I'm confident that the agency has never been in a better position to deliver value to our clients.”

Veteran marketer and former executive director Rachel Adams has been promoted to executive vice president. In this role, she oversees the agency’s client services, integrated marketing services and business development efforts. Adams joined Two Rivers in 2001 and has led the agency’s work for multiple Fortune 500 companies, global agribusiness and seed companies and many other B2B clients. 

Adams is an active member of the National Agri-Marketing Association and Central Iowa Women in Ag. She also serves on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Central Iowa and Rayser Holdings.

“We started as a B2B-focused agency with our roots in manufacturing clients and have grown to rank as a top 10 U.S. business-to-business marketing agency,” said Adams. “The whole journey is something I’m extremely proud of. We’re prepared to do the best work for each client and make a difference for their business. We’ve worked hard to put incredible talent and the latest marketing expertise in place to help our clients reach new levels of success.”

New Leadership Structure

In addition to the new executive leadership team, Two Rivers also announces a newly appointed senior leadership team that will propel further opportunities for growth and client success. This group of leaders will be empowered to fulfill the agency’s strategic priorities:

  • Collaborative, integrated work led by Patrick McGill, vice president of integrated marketing

  • New business and growth led by Nathan Huss, vice president of new business development

  • Customer experience led by Patti Griffith, vice president of client services

  • Operations led by Jennifer Cunningham, vice president of operations

  • People, talent and culture led by Julie Heuton, vice president of people, talent, and culture

“Two Rivers continues to evolve in an effort to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients,” said Olson. “I believe the new leadership structure will enable us to grow in new areas, expand our client experience, operate in a more integrated way, drive greater efficiencies and further strengthen our position as a leading B2B marketing agency.”