Factory Design Labs retooling digital team, hiring 10 to 15

Beginning as a duo designing rave posters in 1996, Denver-based ad agency Factory Design Labs has grown to 129 employees and $54 million in revenue.

"We'll add 10 to 15 employees in the next quarter in the digital department," says Factory CEO Scott Mellin. Executive VP of Digital Yaniv Kanfi came to the company from New York's Big Spaceship in March 2013 to "retool" the digital practice at Factory.

Now based in Cherry Creek, the company became Copper Mountain's website developer in the late 1990s and subsequently its agency of record.

Today Factory is the agency of record for big brands like the North Face and Oakley, and many clients are in the ski business, including Aspen Ski Company and Squaw Valley USA.

"We love it when it snows," says Mellin, noting that many Factory staffers come to the company to be near the resorts in Colorado. "Our DNA is about sports and lifestyle. We hire around that. That's our comfort zone."

And it is often a big advantage when it comes to hiring top talent away from advertising hubs like Chicago and New York. "The talent we recruit to Factory come because of the mountains," Mellin adds. "The mountains have a strong calling. They're very powerful."

About 100 of Factory's employees are in Denver, with the remainder at offices in Shanghai and Verbier, Switzerland. Much of the recent growth has been international, but the new digital hires will be based in Denver.

Mellin came to the company in 2004, when it has 19 employees and $2 million in annual revenue.

"We've had a very organic growth path, adding capabilities within the organization," says Mellin. "The teams just get deeper and the competencies and skill levels get higher."