ArcStone Spotlight: Annie Ketcham

Annie Ketcham

Position: Marketing/Product Manager [AMO]

Start date: October 2016

Close a door, open a window. Before ArcStone, I was working at the Marsh as a personal trainer. I started as a college intern while I was at St. Olaf, and the Marsh offered me a job when I graduated, which was great. After awhile, I knew I wanted to challenge a different side of myself. I started to look into other fields related to exercise science – specifically physical therapy. After a lot of research and an internship with a PT clinic, I felt my heart wasn't in it.

After some serious reflection, I realized that what I liked about my job was connecting with my clients and helping them grow, but not necessarily in the context of personal training. I wanted a more creative environment. That's when I discovered the world of marketing and advertising. I quickly found it's an industry that's so vibrant in Minneapolis.

Back to square one. When I started looking into the online marketing industry, I asked Lisa [co-owner of ArcStone] for advice. She gave me a ton of ideas and encouraged me to look into an internship. When I reviewed all the qualifications for those internships, I realized that since I didn't have a background in marketing, I was truly starting from square one. 

Luckily that’s something St. Olaf drills into you – being able to pick up new skill sets quickly. It's helped me take on a new job where I didn’t have the background knowledge or education.

Work it out. I’m a pretty avid exerciser. My routine contains a lot of different things. I weight lift, bike, run, and love checking out new gyms / studios in the area. In cold Minnesota winters, I love to down hill ski and just recently learned how to cross country ski. I'm quite bad, but it's good for me. When I’m really busy, I'll make up something to do at home – it forces me to stay creative. 

I think the reason I'm so into fitness is because my dad has always been super active. I saw how exercise affected his attitude – he's always positive, happy and motivated. I wanted to be like that too. Also, he can kick my butt at any endurance sport any day – especially cycling. We can get kind of competitive – it's fun!

There's no place like home.  I'm originally from Red Wing, MN, a pretty little river town an hour south of the Cities. I have so much appreciation for my home town. Everyone’s close in Red Wing, it was a really supportive community to grow up in. I have great memories there.

I'm happy to be in the cities now, though. Minneapolis is great. I love the food, culture and the people – and all the dogs! I can see myself living here for a long time. 

Food for thought. One of my favorite things to do is go out to eat with my family and friends. We’re all big foodies and love to try new things. We find an awesome restaurant and make a night of it; I remember some meals lasting 2+ hours. I love cooking too, but if we’re going out, some of my fav. restaurants are The Red Cow, Bar La Grassa, and Tilia.