Wildfire

What Wildfire does

Wildfire, LLC is a privately held full-service marketing communications and advertising agency founded in 2002 by Brad Bennett (CEO) and Mike Grice (CCO) and headquartered at 709 N Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC, with a secondary office in Richmond, VA. The firm operates as a single integrated offering across five service pillars — Strategy (research, positioning, brand architecture), Creative (campaign development, video, packaging, design), Interactive (UI/UX, web development, email), Media (paid search, programmatic, CTV/digital audio, paid social), and Experiential (events, activations) — plus a dedicated Search Engine Optimization practice. Underlying technology is conventional agency stack: digital platforms for web/app development, SEO tooling, media buying systems, and production tools rather than proprietary software or platform products.

The agency's go-to-market is direct sales-led enterprise and mid-market field engagement, with no reseller, marketplace, or channel-partner distribution; clients are acquired through business development, referrals, and industry recognition. Wildfire generates revenue through retainer-based professional services contracts, project work, and Agency of Record arrangements across food & beverage (Lowes Foods, Green Mountain Gringo, Charleys, Coca-Cola), healthcare (Brenner Children's Hospital, Wake Forest Baptist Health), education (Guilford College, Wake Forest University), financial (Truliant, Advance Auto, Hanes), technology (Red Hat, Lumos), consumer products (USPCC/Bicycle, True Botanicals, Nutrafol, Amour Vert), media (Raycom Media) and nonprofit (Senior Services) clients. Pricing is custom and quote-based, not publicly disclosed. The company is entirely independent, with no parent, no disclosed institutional investors, and no funding rounds; it has grown organically through 22 years of operation to a reported 50+ full-time employees and regional credentials including the Triad Business Journal Fast 50 (#19, 2023) and multiple Richmond Show awards.

Name

Wildfire

Legal name

Wildfire, LLC

Website

https://wildfireideas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wildfire, LLC is a privately held full-service marketing communications agency founded in 2002, headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC with a Richmond, VA office. It delivers strategy, creative, interactive, media, experiential, and SEO services to enterprise and mid-market brands across food & beverage, healthcare, education, financial, and consumer products on retainer and AOR engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Winston Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Marketing Services: Wildfire generates revenue through retainer-based professional services contracts providing integrated marketing communications including branding, strategy, creative, digital interactive, media, experiential marketing, and SEO services to enterprise and mid-market clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wildfire is a full-service marketing communications and advertising agency that sells integrated branding, strategy, creative, digital/interactive, media planning/buying, experiential, and SEO services to enterprise and mid-market clients. Services are delivered through retainer, project-based, and Agency of Record (AOR) engagements across food & beverage, healthcare, education, financial, technology, and consumer products sectors.

Product overview

Wildfire is a full-service marketing communications, advertising, and design agency offering a comprehensive suite of integrated services. The agency operates as a single unified offering with distinct service pillars: Strategy (brand planning, research, consumer insights), Creative (campaign development, design, video, packaging), Interactive (web design/development, UI/UX, SEO, email marketing), Media (paid advertising, social media, programmatic), and Experiential (events, activations). Services are delivered collaboratively across these disciplines to provide holistic marketing solutions for clients in food and beverage, healthcare, education, financial, technology, real estate, and other sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Brand strategy services including research, consumer insights, brand positioning, brand architecture, competitive audits, brand voice development, and stakeholder research for enterprise and mid-market clients seeking to clarify and communicate their brand strategy.
• Creative
• Media
• Interactive
• Experiential
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Quantifiable outcome

• Forsyth County approved $17MM investment for new Kaleideum facility following Wildfire's branding reveal
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Workplace StrategiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2014Wildfire partnered with Workplace Strategies (a locally-owned business) and Storr Office Environments to introduce Flywheel, an 11,000+ square foot co-working space located in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter at 525@Vine, open 24/7 for innovative professionals.
• Storr Office EnvironmentsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2014Wildfire partnered with Storr Office Environments (a locally-owned business) and Workplace Strategies to introduce Flywheel, an 11,000+ square foot co-working space in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wieden+Kennedy: Large, globally recognized independent creative agency. Comparable as an independent, non-holding-company model but operates at significantly greater scale and global reach than Wildfire.

Direct peers

• BooneOakley: Charlotte, NC-based independent creative agency. Comparable as a regional Southeast agency competing for similar mid-market and enterprise branding and creative engagements.
• McKinney: Durham, NC-based full-service creative agency with a broader national footprint. Comparable on integrated services (strategy, creative, media, digital) and enterprise brand portfolio, though larger in scale.
• EP+Co: Greenville, SC-based creative and media agency (formerly Erwin Penland). Directly comparable Southeast full-service peer with similar enterprise brand roster and integrated capabilities.
• The Republik: Durham, NC-based creative and digital agency. Comparable Southeast agency with integrated branding and digital capabilities serving similar mid-market brand segments.
• The Variable: Winston-Salem, NC-based full-service marketing agency of comparable size and service mix (branding, creative, digital, media). Most directly comparable peer given shared hometown and overlapping client profile in the Southeast.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency with integrated strategy, creative, and media capabilities. Comparable 'big-agency talent with boutique agility' positioning and enterprise brand focus.
• Luquire George Andrews (LGA): Charlotte, NC-based integrated marketing agency serving enterprise and mid-market brands across healthcare, retail, and consumer. Comparable regional full-service model in the Carolinas.
• Lewis Communications: Birmingham, AL-based full-service agency with Southeast and national reach. Comparable integrated services and enterprise brand portfolio in adjacent regional markets.
• Baldwin&: Raleigh, NC-based full-service agency offering branding, digital, and media. Comparable Carolinas-based full-service model serving mid-market and enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Wildfireideas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildfire
• Instagraminstagram.com/wildfireideas
• Xx.com/wildfiremktg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wildfire