Hidden Gems: Meet David Tracy of Northgate Marketing

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Tracy.

Hi David, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Northgate’s story starts with me, I suppose. I’ve always enjoyed connecting people, rallying them together for causes, and advocating for what’s right. I function best creatively and have always thrived on envisioning how things could be, in making them better or more beautiful. While working overseas in the nonprofit sector most of my adult life, I discovered that marketing let me take advantage of pretty much all of my strengths and passions and started my career there. I came to Des Moines in 2019 for strategic and family reasons, but it soon became home. It’s great for my wife and four daughters. Des Moines is growing. Things are happening here and the cultural diversity and commitment to refugees fits in great with our personal and professional goals. Everyone’s connected here and that fits right in with who we are. It was a natural move to birth Northgate here and happened pretty organically by just tapping into some of the connections I’d made over the years all over the world, people who I already knew were talented and could bring Northgate their best. And they have.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve always had to overcome sickness: I had cancer twice and survived a number of surgeries. I’ve always struggled with health issues, but have also been taught I could do anything I put my mind to. I believe these struggles taught me the frailty of life, and how short our time is on the planet to make a difference and to love others and that, if we put our efforts in those directions, our time will count.

We’ve been impressed with Northgate Marketing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Northgate is proud to be Des Moines based, but has a presence currently in 22 states, including Minnesota, and four continents. Our team can speak nine languages. We truly have a global heart and that makes us unique. At the same time, we operate as a one-stop shop and we do branding, social media, email marketing, content writing, SEO strategy, video production, commercials, photography, interior design, illustration, and are still finding new opportunities to add to our portfolio. Our team is culturally diverse and decided from the onset to be philanthropic and give back. As a result, the culture at Northgate isn’t only diverse from a global perspective, it’s lifegiving for both our clients and our team. We not only want to participate in our own success story. We want to share the stories our clients have to tell with the world.

What makes you happy?
The short answer? When macarons turn out…the ones I made this weekend didn’t. The longer answer is anything that’s creative, whether it’s designing the interior of a coffee shop, or beautiful branding or logo, or cooking a wonderful dinner for family and friends, because I’m a chef as well. Anything that makes the world more beautiful or unique.

Contact Info:

• Email: david@wearenorthgate.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidallentracy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearenorthgate
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidnightFoodComa
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/northgate-cafe/id1609775253