Bicoastal marketing and public relations firm mdg (Marketing Design Group) challenged its employees to shop small on November 28, 2015, aka Small Business Saturday, reimbursing participants for a portion of their purchases. mdg’s, 52-person workforce, spanning three locations, joined the Small Business Saturday movement and patronized shops related to industries served by agency clients.

When co-owners Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes and Vincent Polito purchased the agency in 2012, mdg was a very small business, with an eleven-person team based in Southern California. Since then, the dynamic duo has opened two additional offices (Washington, D.C. and Reston, Virginia) with a workforce that has more than quadrupled. “An integral tenant of mdg’s culture is giving back” explains mdg President, Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes. “Reflecting on the successes and growth of the past several years, mdg has so much for which to be thankful. We wanted to give a grateful nod to our clients, our employees and our communities who have fueled our success by supporting theirs.”

mdg employees who participated in Small Business Saturday were simply required to take a picture of their purchases, which included items ranging from artisan breads, craft beers, and farm-to-table meals to pet toys and cookware, and submit their receipts for reimbursement.