Advertising aces.

• Position: Sterling Rice Group

PETELEWIS

Taco Bell could have gone anywhere to re-energize its franchise. It could have turned to Madison Avenue or sought our one of Chicago's powerhouse advertising agencies. Instead, Taco Bell went to Boulder -- to the Sterling-Rice Group.

With 60 employees Sterling-Rice is small-time by New York. Los Angeles or Chicago advertising agnecy standards, That's OK. Rick Sterling and Michael Rice had other ideas when they founded their company Sterling had a background in consumer products marketing. He'd worked for Stop & Shop, Quaker Oats and Celestial Seasonings Rice was an advertising guy with a successful career at a large Chicago agency before he joined Celestial. Seasonings in 1981 as director of new products. The tow joined forces in 1984 to create a marketing company that combined the best of both worlds.

When Polk Direct Marketing, a unit of Michigan automotive marketing giant R. L. Polk & Co., was ready to introduce a new product, it also turned to a Colorado company. The Integer Group in Lakewood bills itself as the largest advertising agency in the Rocky Mountains, with about 400 employees working at its headquarters and 10 field offices across the country. Database, which Polk sells, are not items that easily lend themselves to clever advertising campaigns, But Integer face the issue head on.

It look a decidedly consumer-oriented approach to Polk's campaign, coming up with print and outdoor ads, bus signs, direct mail, an event, sales promotions and collateral materials. Instead of harping on the qualities of Polks product that members of its industry were already familiar with, Integer's campaign set Polk apart from its competition, and it wasn't long before direct marketing became Polks most profitable division.

Mimi Brown, Integer's vice president for account services, said her firm takes a holistic approach to marketing, using multi-disciplinary teams that can consider a client's needs from a variety of perspectives.

Both Brown and Rick Sterling say one of those perspectives is derived from their being located in Colorado, not New York, Los Angeles or Chicago.

"Compared to the big agencies on the coasts and Chicago, companies often see us as bringing a fresh approach," Sterling said. "And Boulder has a reputation for being cutting-edge and free-thinking, and as being sort of a bellwether for new trends."

"I think in the next five years, you're going to see more Colorado agencies that will be recognized as national players,"...