Two longtime Inland Northwest marketing and public relations companies say they’ve reached noteworthy agreements to provide services to new clients.

Desautel Hege Communications Inc., of Spokane, has landed contracts with both the city of Spokane Parks and Recreation Division and Northern Quest Resort & Casino.

Meanwhile, Coeur d’Alene-based Hanna & Associates Inc. says it has inked Mashantucket, Conn.-based Foxwoods Resort Casino, which it describes as the largest casino in North America.

Ironically, Northern Quest was a 10-year client of Hanna’s before the Airway Heights casino and resort selected DH last month. 

However, DH was no stranger to Northern Quest as the firm performed public relations duties for the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, which operates Northern Quest, for the past 15 years, says Meg Miller, Northern Quest’s executive director of sales and marketing.

Miller says the existing relationship with DH and its multimedia approach in using traditional and contemporary media gave the firm the nod as Northern Quest reviewed several other solicitations from marketing firms.

“We also selected in DH a firm that places a strong value in the community in the same way the tribe does,” says Miller, who declines to reveal the financial terms or contract length.

Spokane Parks and Recreation Division selected DH to handle public relations and marketing for primarily recreation, golf, and Riverfront Park expansion. According to city parks and rec documents, the contract calls for an amount not to exceed $315,000 beginning this year and extending through Jan. 17, 2017.

The contract may be extended for four additional one-year contract terms subject to mutual agreements, with the total term of the contract not to exceed five years for advertising, marketing and brand development, the documents say.

 “We had a good year last year,” says Andrei Mylroie, a partner at DH. “We have 21 people on staff, a record high. Growth is positive and morale is high.”

Mylroie says he believes the firm’s recent success is a direct result of its early entrance into integrated marketing, which involves the application of consistent brand messaging across both traditional and nontraditional marketing channels such as direct mail, public relations, and digital media. Mylroie says DH also has invested heavily in its employees during the last five years.

“Creative services has really taken off,” Mylroie says. “I personally think that’s why we’re winning work from other agencies that maybe haven’t taken our approach.”

DH’s primary client base remains companies and organizations in the health care and energy sectors, Mylroie says. However, securing the city’s parks and recreation contract is something that Mylroie believes is unique for the firm.

As for Hanna and Associates, Foxwoods Resort Casino selected the firm to create two separate multimedia ad campaigns. They are set to start this month with a media mix including TV, radio, online and social media. The firm has also been charged with crafting messaging in and around the gargantuan 9 million-square-foot casino property.

“Each of these projects is being crafted to build upon Foxwoods already staggering success,” Hanna CEO Jeff Hanna says in a press release, adding, “It’s an honor to be trusted with work of this scale.”

The firm has added five more employees in part to address the increased workload that’s a direct result of the work obtained from Foxwoods. Hanna opened an office in Gainesville, Fla., more than three years ago for the purpose of expanding its services.

The company was founded by Dayne Hanna in 1977 and operated as Hanna/Wheeler & Associates Inc., until 1990. Hanna occupies 6,500 square feet of space overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene at 1090 E. Lakeshore Drive, where it’s been for 23 years.

Hanna has garnered top honors for Best Website and Best Television Spot at the international Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. Locally, the agency’s popular “Mark & Brooke” campaign, developed for Northern Quest, was named Best Local TV Commercial in the Inlander weekly’s annual reader’s poll.