How Kathy Tunheim built a pillar of the Twin Cities' PR industry

Kathy Tunheim recalled driving to media outlets and hand delivering news releases as an intern for Gov. Wendell Anderson in the 1970s.

That would never happen today at Tunheim, the communications agency she co-founded in 1990.

"We've come a long way in a relatively short period of time. It's pretty extraordinary when you think about it," she said. "The tools of communications have become very, very sophisticated, but the world in which we operate has become even more challenging."

Tunheim, 67, has built a reputation as a key public relations adviser in Minnesota as well as a civic booster who has helped bring business and major events to the region, including the Super Bowl in 2018 and the 2019 NCAA Men's Final Four. Her clients span across various industries and include Cargill, Medtronic and affordable housing developer Dominium.

The University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism honored Tunheim last month with the first Aluminary Award in recognition of her impact.

Her agency has been the launchpad for many careers, including for Amy Jo Meyer, Medtronic's vice president of corporate communications.

"Kathy's ability to earn trust is a secret to her success and what makes her that ultimate strategic adviser," Meyer said.

As the tools of the trade shift dramatically, Tunheim shared some insights — edited for clarity and length — from her storied career:

Q: What were the challenges in building your own company?

A: When we started, there were five of us who parachuted out of Honeywell together to start the agency. We came to the realization we could be more valuable as outside advisers than inside, where the fight was always about how can you do more with less. We didn't really know anything about running a company. Early on, we were learning the challenges of running a small business, like offering benefits and attracting, retaining and motivating employees.

Q: How do you build your client base?

A: Much of our growth has come from referrals: people who suggest us when brands or companies need help with an opportunity or a problem. We also make sure we're engaged in civic life here in the Twin Cities, and we are very actively involved in organizations that do the work we do nationally. In the past few years, we've also become eligible to compete for federal government contracts.

Q: How do you advise clients on communications?

A: Strategic communications is an increasingly important set of skills for organizations to prioritize. We work to help companies do a better job of explaining decisions. For example, an organization may face a decision about launching a new product or service. To minimize downside risk, they have choices to make, like which customers to prioritize, how are they going to explain that to their employees and to take some responsibility for how and why it's happening. We spend a lot of times making sure executives, leaders and policymakers take the time to try to be understood because it's key to their success.

Q: How has social/digital media changed your industry?

A: When I was a kid, there were three TV networks and three or four publications that everyone got. Our way of being in touch with the world was shockingly simple. We got our worldview shaped by the same context.

The days of saying, "Walter Cronkite told me what happened in the world today, and I now feel I know what happened in the world," that's not where we are anymore. Now, there are so many ways people get and stay informed. Many of them are mutually exclusive.

My own team at the agency laughs at the naïve questions I ask about digital. To some extent, they can't appreciate how far I have come from when I first got into the business.

Q: There is an "OK, boomer" meme going around. How do you feel about that?

A: We have to be careful not to be victims because there was a time when people in my generation were at that stage of wanting to break through. We had an outsized influence because of our scale. Other generations have every reason and every right to want to break through.

Q: How do you reach targeted audiences?

A: You have to acknowledge the extraordinary complexity of how to communicate and consider the channels you use as well as the messages. It forces prioritization. Even watching television, even reading the Star Tribune, we opt into some parts of the experience and opt out of others. The idea that there's a mass way to reach people is just about extinct.

Q: How do you feel about the state of gender equity in business?

A: I don't think we're at parity yet, but having women in roles today pushing on corporate and public policy on things like child care is very gratifying to see. My observation on the early part of my career is I saw women getting more and better opportunities in the public sector. When I came into the private sector, we were at the point of the sword. Women in senior roles found each other and supported each other. You always knew you were different. The '80s women's clothing and silk ties we wore to try to fit in were terrible.

I remember being the first female executive at Honeywell headquarters to go on maternity leave. Unfortunately, my husband and I lost our first child. He was stillborn. My next pregnancy, I worked from home for a number of months. The company was fantastic. I was treated as a valued colleague.

Q: Now that you're established as a regional leader, do you still face disparities?

A: Every once in a while, you find yourself in a group thinking, "Is it just me or am I being overlooked in some respect?" But overall, I feel very valued. I hope that I'm sensitive to that dynamic so I'm lifting up other people's voices.