By Leanne Prewitt – President & Chief Executive Officer
Last week, Ervin & Smith was the presenting sponsor for year two of the Hustle Conference — an ambitious event for entrepreneurs, creators and business leaders who want to build something bigger.
It’s easy to write sponsorships off as “brand awareness plays.” But in reality, they’re one of the most powerful ways to stay relevant (if you treat them like an investment, not an obligation.)
For us, being part of Hustle wasn’t just about having our logo on stage. It was about immersing ourselves in the energy of Omaha’s business community, creating a brand experience we could be proud of and testing how our own team shows up under pressure.
Here’s what we learned and why it matters for any company that wants to grow.
1. There’s nothing like a hot deadline to pull a team together.
When we partnered with Hustle founders Eric Gautchi and Curt Drew, the event already had a logo but not much else. Our creative team turned that starting point into a full brand system in just 7.5 weeks:
That’s 112 assets, concepted, created and approved in less than two months without an in-house project manager. The entire creative team worked in parallel across channels, using Figma’s collaborative workspace so designers, writers and video editors could see each other’s progress and let it influence their own. They met weekly (in person and virtually) to sprint through deliverables, keeping Slack’s Project Tracker as their single hub for communication, approvals and real-time updates.
“We brainstormed together, divided and conquered by channel, and stayed in sync the whole way. Our client was open to our ideas, we had fun, and it showed in the work.”
– Erin Gambaiana, Associate Creative Director
It’s proof that creativity and accountability don’t have to compete. When people are clear on the goal and empowered to own it, process becomes fuel — not friction.
2. Getting out of the office together is always a good idea.
Ten or so of our team members attended Hustle, spreading out across two days of keynotes and workshops. Between us, we soaked up ideas on leadership, marketing, AI, personal growth and storytelling.
We also had teammates on stage — sharing their own perspectives alongside local creators. One of them reflected afterward:
“It was a great experience to collaborate with a creator and share our POV from both sides of the coin on social media marketing. There were teammates, clients and new faces altogether in the room, and I felt supported by the energy the audience brought.”
– Abbie Perry, Senior Strategist
Moments like that remind us: your people are your brand. Putting them in environments where they can represent your company and speak from experience builds equity far beyond any ad campaign. It strengthens your internal culture while amplifying your external credibility.
3. Sometimes “marketing” is just good old-fashioned networking.
As the presenting sponsor, our name was everywhere — signage, digital campaigns, stage presence — and I had the honor of introducing keynote speaker, Dr. Ben Hardy. But the real value came from the hallway conversations.
Face to face. Human. IRL!
We met founders, CEOs and marketing leaders who are hungry for genuine connection — not another pitch deck, but real conversations about what growth looks like right now and how marketing can accelerate it.
That’s where relationships start. That’s where trust is built. And that’s what every brand (including ours) needs more of.
The bigger takeaway.
We didn’t sponsor Hustle to “get our name out there.” We did it to stay in the game, alongside the people who are shaping what’s next for Omaha.
For us, it was a reminder that growth isn’t just driven by strategy decks or performance dashboards. It’s driven by people who collaborate under pressure and build real connections.
So if you’re thinking about where to invest next year’s marketing budget, consider this: sometimes the smartest move is simply showing up.