Agency Owner and Two Long-Time Simantel Employees Announce Retirement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 11, 2021

CONTACT: Alicia Ruemelin, Marketing and Brand Director at Simantel
309.674.7747 | aliciar@simantel.com

PEORIA, IL — Marketing firm, Simantel, announces the retirement of three long-time employees; owner and principal Maggie Whalen Misselhorn, production manager Shari Pritchard and operations coordinator Sue Burk will all retire at the end of 2021 after decades of commitment to the agency.

Maggie Whalen Misselhorn is currently one of three owners at Simantel and has co-owned the business since 2009. Maggie started her tenure at Simantel in 2000 in business development, but spent most of her career with the agency as executive creative director and most recently principal. Maggie currently owns the business with Tim Leesman and Misty Dykema, who have also co-owned the business since 2015 as part of a long-term succession plan for Maggie’s pending retirement. Tim and Misty will maintain full ownership of the business and are committed to remaining independently owned and operated. This will ensure a smooth transition with very little disruption to the agency and its clients. For more in-depth information about Maggie’s decision to retire, listen in to her podcast episode, Life of an Agency Owner and What’s Next. Maggie and her husband Mark plan to remain in Peoria and stay dedicated to supporting their community in many of the ways they do today.

“Maggie’s contribution to the agency has been unparalleled and she has been a remarkable role model and leader for the company,” said Misty Dykema, owner and principal at Simantel. “Although our executive team has plans in place to cover Maggie’s workload and continue the momentum in our growing agency, there are things culturally that Maggie brings to the table that will never be replaced. She has always brought such positivity and energy to the office that is contagious for our clients and staff alike. That’s the legacy we would like to continue,” she added.

Shari Pritchard is the production manager at Simantel and has been with the agency since 2001. She is responsible for bringing much of our creative work to life through the production of print collateral, direct mail, signage, trade show materials, dealer kits and so much more. She not only manages our production partners and ensures quality checks are in place, but she is usually the first to offer help when teams need it. She has gone above and beyond to help our creative team run smoothy through her project management and coordination skills. Simantel will actively be looking for a new production manager to fill Shari’s role. Once Shari retires, she plans to remain in the Peoria area with her husband Bill.

“Shari plays an important role on our creative team,” said Chris Moehn, executive creative director at Simantel. “Her role takes a significant amount of work and is typically done behind the scenes where many clients and other team members don’t realize the amount of coordination it takes to make it happen. We will forever be thankful for what Shari has brought to our creative team over the years.”

Sue Burk joined Simantel in 2003 and is responsible for a wide array of operations at the agency; from managing just about every office logistic to organizing and coordinating internal events. Sue is one of the biggest reasons Simantel runs so smoothly, which allows our teams to best serve the agency’s clients. And the hard work she puts into the many internal events throughout the year doesn’t go unnoticed and is appreciated by everyone. Including our annual holiday tradition Adopt-a-Family, where she arranges adopting families in need, organizes gift buying and wrapping and then delivers all the gifts in-person. Her dedication to this program has provided unforgettable memories to countless local families over the years. With Sue retiring at the end of 2021, Simantel’s Diversity and Inclusion committee will be taking on this annual event to continue the tradition and passion that Sue brought to it. Much of Sue’s responsibilities will transition to the operations team. Upon retirement at the end of the year, Sue will be moving to Minnesota to be closer to family.

“Sue plays a major role in creating and maintaining the strong Simantel culture that the agency is known for,” said Jillian Light, Director of Human Resources at Simantel. “From all employee meetings to new employee breakfasts, to client meetings and holiday parties, there’s not a single internal event that Sue hasn’t made special for everyone. We will miss Sue and know that our operations team has some big shoes to fill,” she added.

Simantel is very proud of the many accomplishments of Maggie Whalen Misselhorn, Shari Pritchard and Sue Burk and wishes them luck in the next phase of their lives. To find out more, visit Simantel.com or contact Alicia Ruemelin at aliciar@simantel.com.

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About Simantel: Over 35 years of industrial marketing with an obsessive customer focus. Whether it’s construction, mining, energy, agriculture or manufacturing, Simantel helps its clients set the bar in their markets. Our work has taken us around the world while being happily located in the heart of America. Simantel was founded in 1982 in Peoria, Illinois and we built our business on crafting engaging, positive experiences at every point in the industrial consumer journey. Learn more at Simantel.com.