It’s an exciting time to be a consumer brand, especially an emerging one with big ambitions. Chicago-based growth agency Smoketown helps entrepreneurs bring mission-driven visions to life, combining strategy, design, storytelling, and other key pillars to help build winning brands.

For Founder and Principal Ryan Pintado-Vertner, he says it’s never been a better time, even amid a global pandemic, to help build companies that have the ability to change the world.

“We have the right focus and the right tools in the perfect window,” Pintado-Vertner told ForceBrands. “Not every entrepreneur gets to have what they are passionate about line up with what the market needs at exactly the right time, and I believe we have that at Smoketown.”

A fifth generation innovator with a knack for uncovering extraordinary ideas and maximizing their potential, Pintado-Vertner has more than two decades of experience working in big CPG at Clorox, Conagra Brands, and Tyson, as well as experience working in social impact sectors.

We caught up with him to learn more about his work, his dedication to activism, and why being a purpose-driven brand in today’s busy industry makes all the difference.

Interested in learning more about Smoketown? Visit the company’s website.