What Alpha Agency does

Alpha Agency, LLC is a boutique communications consulting firm headquartered in Excelsior, Minnesota, operating as a sole-proprietor practice led by founder and principal Valerie Martin. The firm offers six core service areas: media relations, writing and content development, litigation communications, internal and change management communications, crisis management, and public affairs. The practice was originally established in 2002 as VMG Communications, repositioned in 2013 under the Gunderdog name, and adopted the Alpha Agency brand in 2015.

The firm serves a diversified client base spanning healthcare (Mayo Clinic), aviation (Delta Airlines), agribusiness (Syngenta, Ospraie Ag Science, Agragene), higher education (Carlson School of Management), and legal and government sectors (Minnesota Supreme Court, law firms). Martin personally brings senior-level credentials from prior roles as Press Secretary to a Minnesota Governor and Communications Director for the Minnesota Supreme Court. Service delivery is structured around an hourly, pay-as-you-go model with free initial consultations and a stated satisfaction guarantee; no long-term contracts or retainer pricing are disclosed.

Alpha Agency operates without a proprietary technology platform, no disclosed AI or automation tooling, and a 1–10 employee headcount range consistent with a practitioner-led model. The go-to-market relies on referrals, direct outreach, and an active LinkedIn presence rather than paid marketing or channel partnerships. There are no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, partnerships, or geographic expansion initiatives; the practice appears to function as a stable, founder-anchored consultancy serving national clients from a Minnesota base.

Name

Alpha Agency

Legal name

Alpha Agency, LLC

Website

https://valphadog.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alpha Agency is a sole-proprietor communications consulting firm in Excelsior, Minnesota, led by Valerie Martin. It provides media relations, crisis management, litigation communications, public affairs, and content services to corporate, government, legal, and agribusiness clients nationwide on an hourly billing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Communications Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Affairs & Government Relations (MPAAADAE)

Keywords

• Strategic communications
• Media relations
• Crisis management
• Public affairs
• Litigation communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Excelsior

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Communications Consulting Services: Professional services revenue generated through hourly consulting arrangements. The firm offers various communications services including media relations, writing/content, litigation communications, internal communications, crisis management, and public affairs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Alpha Agency, LLC provides senior-level communications consulting services to public- and private-sector organizations across the United States. The firm delivers six service lines — Media Relations, Writing/Content/Message, Litigation Communications, Internal/Change Management Communications, Crisis Management, and Public Affairs — performed directly by founder Valerie Martin on an hourly consulting basis with a client satisfaction guarantee.

Product overview

Alpha Agency is a communications consulting firm offering a unified suite of strategic communications services. The core offering consists of six service areas: Media Relations, Writing/Content/Message, Litigation Communications, Internal/Change Management Communications, Crisis Management, and Public Affairs. These services are delivered by founder Valerie Martin and are customized to each client's needs rather than being modular software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Carmichael Lynch Relate: The public relations arm of Carmichael Lynch in Minneapolis, providing brand public relations, corporate communications, and crisis management. Comparable to Alpha Agency in integrated PR, corporate reputation, and senior-led Midwest agency positioning.
• Padilla: Minneapolis-headquartered public relations and communications firm with food and agriculture, health, and public sector verticals. Comparable to Alpha Agency through its public affairs, crisis, and media relations services and Minnesota base serving major enterprise and government clients.
• Karwoski & Courage: Minneapolis-based public relations and crisis management firm. Comparable to Alpha Agency through its senior-led boutique structure, focus on crisis communications, media relations, and public affairs, and similar client roster including legal and corporate accounts.
• Tunheim Partners: Minneapolis-based boutique public relations and public affairs firm offering strategic communications, crisis management, and media relations. Comparable to Alpha Agency in geographic base (Minnesota), boutique model, and service mix including public affairs and government relations.
• Haberman: Minneapolis-based integrated communications agency with a strong narrative storytelling and public relations practice. Comparable to Alpha Agency in boutique Minneapolis roots, PR-centered offerings, and work across consumer, nonprofit, and B2B clients.
• J. Walcher Communications: Boutique public relations firm offering media relations, crisis communications, and public affairs. Comparable to Alpha Agency in the founder-led, senior-attention model and focus on crisis, litigation support, and strategic communications.

Broad incumbents

• FleishmanHillard: International public relations and communications agency with strong public affairs and crisis practices. Comparable to Alpha Agency through overlapping offerings in public affairs, crisis, and corporate communications, though delivered by a much broader incumbent network.
• Ketchum: Global communications consultancy offering public affairs, media relations, and crisis management. Comparable to Alpha Agency's service mix while operating at broad incumbent scale across multiple regions and disciplines.
• Weber Shandwick: Global communications and public affairs network with crisis, public affairs, and earned media capabilities. Comparable to Alpha Agency across its core service areas but at a much larger, multi-office scale.
• Edelman: Global public relations firm with extensive crisis, public affairs, and corporate communications practices. Comparable to Alpha Agency at the service-line level (crisis, public affairs, media relations) but operates at vastly larger scale as a broad incumbent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/valeriemartin0901

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Alpha Agency