Firepower Design was founded in late 1998 to serve local, regional, and national clients in the areas of general graphic design, catalog and publication design, marketing pre-press consultancy, web site design, digital photography, copywriting, and general advertising services. Together we share a commitment to outstanding design, software mastery, exemplary client service, and one fundamental goal: Building a client’s image, business, brand, and bottom line.

Kris Perlberg, Partner. After leaving a ten-year career in nursing to pursue graphic design, Kris studied at Madison Area Technical College by day while assembling a marauding pack of chihuahuas by night. Before co-founding Firepower, she worked as a designer at Artville and Publisher’s Toolbox, designing catalogs, packaging, corporate ID, and collateral material for both companies. Kris brings extensive experience and in-depth software knowledge to Firepower Design. She also brings incredible perspective, highlighted in her ability to intelligently converse on subjects ranging from ice fishing to Matchbox cars to batting averages. Her work at Firepower has included a variety of catalogs, brochures, space ads, logos, and corporate ID projects, spanning in scope from national publications to small brochures for local charities. Her work has been honored with three separate Addy awards.

Andrew Billmann, Partner. A journalism/advertising graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Andrew has worked for companies large and small, including Kennedy Communications, Lab Safety Supply (a W.W. Grainger company), Kitson Marketing, SYCOM/NEBS, Publisher’s Toolbox and Artville (a Getty Images company). Andrew is a rare bird: a multi-faceted combination of writing expertise, marketing ability and technical/ production savvy. Under his care, puny ideas become articulate marketing manifestos, notes on cocktail napkins become ad copy, a web of deadlines becomes a production schedule, and bytes of data become a beautifully printed page rolling off the presses at Quad/Graphics or Quebecor. But most importantly, his diverse experience provides the perfect tool to hit the sweet spot—your marketing objective. Along the way, Andrew became a catalog expert—from creative to workflow to printing,
he knows the process inside and out. To prove it, he is the recipient of three Catalog Age American Catalog Awards.

Heather Lins, Senior Designer. After graduating from the UW-Madison with a BS in Art and a graphic design concentration, Heather held a variety in-house design positions in state government agencies (also known as her “young artist as a state worker” period). However, she soon found the variety she craved through freelance work and at Firepower Design. From coasters to billboards and lots of stuff in between, Heather does work for a range of local, regional and national clients. It may be ad writing, publication design or a letterhead package. It may be for the coffee shop down the street or a regional healthcare system. Privately, she’s admitted to a soft spot for business-to-consumer branding with logowork for local businesses Ananda Salon & Spa and StudioBloom as examples. But, she loves all her clients equally. Really. When not obsessing about letterspacing or cooing over paper swatchbooks, Heather preaches the gospel through teaching stints at UW-Madison and MATC. Furthermore, she’s taken her designs off the page and to the street as half of Sturm/Lins Design Team, LLC. Together, they won a national bus shelter competition held by the City of Madison. You might have seen their work on State Street.

Nichie (Ní - kee) Bendt, Designer. After earning a degree in Industrial Design, Nichie literally bounced around: She played basketball in Ireland and coached at the collegiate level. You might be thinking to yourself, “Hey, wasn’t she the interim head coach for the UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team in 2001-2002?” If you are, you’d be right. Later, Nichie studied graphic design at Madison Area Technical College, and as a student, she received four Addy awards for illustration and design. Nichie’s design portfolio caught the eye of the Firepower staff and she interned with the company for about a year. Not content with intern pay for top-notch work (we can’t say we blame her), she honed her design and production skills during a stint at Discover Color, working on projects for national
players like Lands’ End and The Home Depot. Firepower needed her graphic design skills and insights on zone defense, so she rejoined the team in 2004, applying her talents to catalogs, collateral materials and other print projects. In a Welcome Back Kotter kind of way, she currently teaches a computer graphics course at MATC.

Gretchen Butts, Senior Designer. A graduate of MATC, Gretchen logged endless design hours at Magna Publications and national cataloger SYCOM (a division of NEBS) back in the early days of the Clinton Administration. Later, longing for more variety, she landed at Malcolm Marketing as a staff designer. With an eye for excellent design, efficient production skills, software mastery and big-picture thinking, she ultimately advanced to Creative Director. Whether it is catalogs or brand identity, a new marketing campaign or TV spot, Gretchen gets it—from marketing strategies and creative concepting to great design. Her work has ranged from food and financial to insurance, healthcare and biotech, and includes both B-to-B and consumer. At night she escapes Madison to her home in Spring Green, spending free time mentoring teens, attending concerts and hanging out with family. She recently led a youth group work mission in the Dominican Republic. Gretchen excels at racking up two things: miles on her car, and industry awards. She's the recipient of a Catalog Age American Catalog Award and 10 Addys.

Rachel Bohn, Director of Operations. After graduating from UW-Oshkosh with a BS in journalism/advertising, Rachel spent more than four years managing a commercial photography studio honing her organizational and operational skills with clients including Miller Brewing Company and the Inside Sports swimsuit issue. She later moved on to Malcolm Advertising and held many positions over the next nine years: Project Manager, Senior Account Executive, and finally Executive VP. At Firepower, her eye for detail and close working relationships with designers ensure deadlines are met, projects are meticulously coordinated, and whips are cracked. But perhaps her most useful talent involves the spitting of watermelon seeds, as Rachel is the current national (yeah, national) champion of the famed Pardeeville Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest. Go ahead—ask to see the trophies.