These 3 Mechanical Engineers Crafted a Marketing Powerhouse
Team specializes in custom apparel, branding and web design


After founding the apparel company Belong Designs straight out of college, best friends Ben Thomson, Shamus McNutt and Mark Grubbs noticed business owners peppering them with questions about their startup. Who was behind their apparel? Their website? Their logo?
The answer: They’d been doing it all themselves. Thatâs when the trio realized they were on to something. âWe said, âHey, we do that,â” Thomson explained. “What do you need?ââ
Two years later, the entrepreneursâall mechanical engineers by tradeâhave taken the lessons they learned to FlowState Marketing, a full-service marketing agency serving clients like Blue Moon Brewing Co., iHeartMedia and HomeAdvisor. The team specializes in branded apparel and merchandise but also offers web design and branding services. They recently designed and produced custom S’well water bottles and T-shirts for an upcoming event hosted by software company SketchUp.
âIn engineering, you look at the controls you have and work with them to get the result you need,â Thomson said. âWe took that approach and our work ethic and applied it to marketing. Because thatâs what everyone needs: a solution.â
The shop, about two-dozen employees strong, has come a long way from its beginnings in a house that the three friends shared. But other things have stayed the same.
âWe just bought a house togetherâmuch to our girlfriends’ dismay,â McNutt said.