Company Culture

Inside the Archer Group’s colorful Wilmington offices [photos]

“Delaware is a badge of honor for us,” said the Archer Group's managing partner. "It’s a little bit of a hidden gem.” The company is one of the state's leading design agencies.

Inside the Wilmington offices of the Archer Group. (Courtesy photo)

Three decades ago, Todd Miller was the kid in the back of the class doodling, drawing and looking out the window daydreaming.
By high school, he had harnessed his artistic talents, creating award-winning murals and sculptures. But there was another side to him. With little knowledge of design, he chose to study communication design at Kutztown University since it combined his two interests — computers and art.
That degree, plus his experience working at PBS and at various agencies in and around Philadelphia, helped land him a position in 2005 at the Archer Group in Wilmington.
Miller, 38, is now principal and a managing partner of firm, whose mission is to engineer meaningful experiences that inspire action. Miller, along with partner Mike Derins, purchased the digital design agency in 2011 from its founders.

The Archer Group’s annual, in-office miniature golf tournament. (Courtesy photo)


Much has changed in the nine years since Miller began at the Archer Group, which launched in Delaware in 2003. Miller remembers a time when just six employees checked into work each morning.
“Now we’re near 60. It’s the same organization, but wildly different,” Miller said. “As we’ve grown, we’ve been able to bring in some really talented people. The challenges — how do you recruit? How do you keep up with the times? That’s the fun part about it.”
Employees at the Archer Group enjoy company picnics, launch parties, a yearly company gathering with a mini-golf course in the office and other amenities. These benefits, Miller said, help the team enjoy their work, feel invested in the company and deliver results.
“It’s very common for agencies to ask clients what they need and do what a client is looking for,” Miller said. “But if you’re good at digital, clients might say they need a new website, when what they really need is a content strategy or a social media strategy. We map appropriate tactics.”
ArcherOffice36

(Courtesy photo)


The Archer Group boasts a client list of three-dozen, including Comcast, Chase, DuPont, Time Warner and Wawa, just to name a few.
One of the organization’s longest relationships has been with Wawa, a Delaware Valley icon.
The Archer team recently wrapped up production on the Hoagiefest 2014 campaign, which is now in full swing. The Archer Group does everything digital for the company, Miller said, as well as its marketing campaigns, store signage, email communications, mobile strategy, mobile website and even the in-store touchscreen hoagie ordering system, which was recently updated.
“It’s really cool work. But it’s also really cool work that works,” MIller said. “It’s fun to see our work get shared and mentioned and it’s great to see people using the things we create every day.”
ArcherOffice32

(Courtesy photo)


The Archer Group, Miller said, hopes to continuously evolve and serve its clients in the best ways possible.
“The challenge of digital is that it changes every day,” Miller said. “The awesome part of digital is that it changes every day.”
As more tech companies and creative endeavors are starting to take shape in Delaware, Miller said he is proud of his company’s reputation in the First State, based just off Wilmington’s Market Street.
“Delaware is a badge of honor for us. It’s not Philadelphia and not New York. It’s a little bit of a hidden gem, and we have a big untapped area here,” he said. “It’s quiet, which allows us to focus and be unique.”
[slideshow_deploy id=’16878′]

Full disclosure: The Archer Group is a founding sponsor of Technical.ly Delaware.
Companies: Archer Group

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Trump may kill the CHIPS and Science Act. Here’s what that means for your community.

Not all jobs are the same. Why do workforce agencies treat them like they are?

After nearly a decade, the federal program for immigrant entrepreneurs is finally working

Block the bots or feed them facts? How Technical.ly uses AI in journalism

Technically Media