Tom Dunphy is so fixed on idea that Two Rivers Marketing Group’s comeback from a late 2004 fire is a story of the dedication and patience of its 60 associates that he asked the Rev. Art McCann to say so when he blessed the agency’s new home at 106 E. Sixth St.

What the Roman Catholic priest said went something like this: “A building is a building,” Dunphy paraphrased, “but Two Rivers Marketing Group is made up of people. It never could have withstood a fire like that and all the drama if the people hadn’t stuck together.”

Dunphy, co-owner of the agency with Brian Jones, said the ritual seemed especially appropriate given that those associates had spent the past year in quarters the agency had outgrown years before. McCann’s blessing “made that point,” Dunphy said, and “summarized for Brian and me how appreciative we’ve been of their support.”

To say the 11,000-square-foot space at the Teachout Building, the original location of the agency in the East Village, was cramped hardly does the situation justice. There wasn’t room enough in the building to convene a companywide meeting, let alone give the associates enough elbow room to get their jobs done. “The old space was unproductive, or at least was getting there,” Dunphy said. “This one is very efficient. You don’t fight the space to get your job done; it helps you get it done.”

Despite a less-than0ideal working environment, 2005 was another record year for an agency that was only a year old when the economy slowed in 2001. The advertising sector was hit especially hard by the recession, causing many agencies to shutter, lay off employees or accumulate massive debt, but Two Rivers Marketing thrived, more than doubling its employee base from the original two dozen and adding new clients.

That growth fueled Jones and Dunphy’s bid to buy their own building. They poured millions of dollars into buying and rehabilitating the former Ramsey Pontiac dealership at 519 Fourth St. It would give them room to grow at their own pace and not be constrained by the space limitations of the Teachout Building. Parking near the Ramsey building was limited and there were some other issues contractors had to work around, but it seemed near perfect, Dunphy said.

When the building was destroyed by fire 24 hours prior to its scheduled Dec. 20, 2004, occupancy, Dunphy and Jones weighed all their options, from rebuilding at that site to finding another downtown location to moving out of the city entirely. “We did entertain leaving the Des Moines city limits and looked at space as far west as Perry,” Dunphy said. “Our associates are almost equally dispersed, and Des Moines is an epicenter.”

Their decision to remain in Des Moines sealed, Dunphy and Jones asked the associates for patience as they scoured the city for a new building. It had to be something raw and industrial-looking to suit their clients in industrial and agricultural equipment manufacturing and related businesses. They found those qualities in a building at 106 E. Sixth St.

A 1930s-vintage building that was used continuously as a General Motors factory and warehouse until the 1990s and offering 32,360 square feet of usable space, it more than meets the agency’s space requirements. Abundant off-street parking means clients and associates won’t have to plug parking meters, as they did in the East Village location. A photography studio was added at the rear of the building just off a loading dock, making it easier for clients to load and unload the equipment they want pictured in their marketing pieces. The agency provides fulfillment services for its clients, and a freight elevator in the front lobby makes for easy access to the basement, where marketing materials are stored.

“The UPS driver is a lot happier,” Dunphy said with a laugh

Restrooms, in short supply in the Teachout building, are spacious and are equipped with showers to help associates clean up after a lunchtime workout. The women’s restroom has a lactation room to accommodate the needs of working mothers. A full kitchen includes a wet bar for libations “at the appropriate time,” Dunphy said, and a pool table for relaxation.

“We feel very strongly that the associates of Two Rivers come first,” Dunphy said. “Our associates had to wait a year, so we tried to go the extra mile.”