Splivalo happy to be able to call himself an Iow
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What sparked the move from Washington, D.C., to Des Moines?
Well actually, now that I’m a resident of Beaverdale, I should probably make sure it is stated that I moved from Washington, D.C., to Beaverdale. In regards to the move, it came down to a number of reasons. The primary reason was that my office here in West Des Moines has been operating for a year and a half, and a lot of the new business the agency has brought on board in that time has come from Iowa. It required me to travel a lot. There was a six-week span where I went back and forth every week. One week I went to Des Moines and back to D.C. twice. So, it just got to a point where I needed to consider making some kind of residence here, because I was tired of living out of a suitcase. The other reason is very strategic. Des Moines is in the middle of the country, which makes it faster to get to either coast if there is business that requires it. Even with direct flights from D.C., there is a lot of weather and a lot of delays between the coasts.
When did you start your company?
</B I started Freestyle in June 2006. It's had good growth ever since opening. Now the agency is projected to grow now that I'm actually here in the Midwest and can dedicate the hours needed rather than waste a lot of time on a plane or trying to recover from trips going back and forth.
What caused you to open an office in West Des Moines?
That occurred be-cause of a client I’ve been representing for almost three years, Palisade Systems Inc. The CEO asked me to open up this office in a building the company owns. It made perfect sense to open up a location here because of that, and as a result, my Iowa business has literally quadrupled. A big benefit in the PR agency business is having a local presence. Clients enjoy having their agent able to come out at a moment’s notice. The benefit to Iowa is our national presence. We’re not just here locally, but we’re on both coasts. Clients are able to use a PR agency with people in Iowa where they can meet face-to-face and people in the hotbed areas where the media are based. We’re an agency with access and contacts with those media groups that our clients want to reach.
Is there anything you miss about living on the East Coast?
No, I’m actually from California. I started my PR career in the San Francisco Bay area.
Have you noticed any differences between living in the Midwest and the coasts?
The people here are very respectful people, in the sense that if you don’t immediately hit the gas pedal when the light turns green, there is patience and not an immediate horn blast. People here are just so much more respectful of one another.
Have you had an East Coast moment since you’ve moved?
I’ve wanted to, especially when driving. There have been a couple of moments where people have been a little slow off the green light. You have that reflex where you get ready to honk, but then you tell yourself, “Wait a minute. I shouldn’t do that. I’m in Iowa.” Here, there isn’t as mad a rush to get from point A to point B because you’re not spending an hour in gridlock. Whereas, that frustration gets pent up when you live in a place where going five miles may take you 45 minutes. In those cities, you are itching to go when the light turns.
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