Council reviews proposed city-branding contract with Chicago firm Altogether LLC

Mountlake Terrace staff presented a recommended professional services agreement on Sept. 11 with Altogether LLC to lead a 10–12 month branding, wayfinding and strategic marketing effort. The contract, not to exceed $68,920, covers discovery, community engagement, brand development, creative wayfinding design and an implementation strategy with performance metrics; staff said the cost fits within the existing general-fund budget.

Why it matters: Council members said they want a stronger regional identity as the city grows around the new light-rail station. Staff said the city’s earlier logos and marketing materials are inconsistent and the new work will align branding with economic development goals.

Presentation and selection: Economic Development Manager Ryan Doss and Communications and Community Engagement Manager Sienna Spencer Markles told council they received 23 proposals and interviewed five finalists. Altogether LLC was recommended for its mix of design, planning and community-engagement experience; the selection committee valued their approach to co‑creation and place-based storytelling. Christian Gist of Altogether joined virtually and described the firm’s approach, emphasizing deep community engagement, stakeholder interviews, multilingual outreach and specific activation recommendations so the brand can be used for long-term economic development and not only single events.

Council questions: Council member Sandler asked why a Chicago firm was selected rather than a local vendor. Staff replied that proposals were solicited widely, the selection prioritized qualifications over geographic location and the applicant pool included local and national teams. Council member Page asked whether staff had checked performance with prior clients; staff said they reviewed written testimonials in proposals and on the firm’s website but did not call references as part of the selection process. Council members asked how the new brand would coordinate with event-specific marketing such as World Cup-related promotions; staff said the branding project should produce ideas usable for the World Cup but stressed the city needs a long-term brand activation plan and warned against planning only for a single event without a longer-term activation strategy.

Budget and timing: Staff outlined a three-phase schedule beginning with discovery in October, two to three site visits by Altogether, public and stakeholder engagement, and deliverables wrapped next summer. Deliverables include a brand strategy document, usage guidelines, wayfinding creative and strategic recommendations to support economic development, tourism and shop-local efforts. Staff recommended placing the professional services agreement on the Sept. 18 consent agenda for council approval.

Next steps: If council approves the contract on Sept. 18, Altogether will begin discovery in October with in-person and virtual outreach. Staff said the city will use the brand work to support marketing for the town center, recruitment of businesses and event promotion.