Fahlgren Mortine won the competitive pitch from the North Dakota Dept. of Commerce to promote tourism for the Peace Garden State.

Issued in March, the RFP called for a firm to "further evolve the 'legendary' brand' through branding, PR, media, marketing and advertising in a bid to position as a year-round travel destination."

The document listed a $7M two-year marketing budget.

Tourism is the state's No. 3 business with an estimated $5B impact from non-resident spending. ND logged 20M visitors in 2013, primarily from the West and upper Midwest.

North Dakota is home to the Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Neil Mortine, president of Columbus-headquartered FM, is a big fan of North Dakota, having visited there every year since 1999.

His firm is among the top ranked travel firms on the O'Dwyer list of independents, representing clients such as Office of Tourism Ohio, Wyoming Office of Tourism, Experience Columbus, TravelNevada, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Boise CVB.

In announcing FM's recruitment, Sara Otte Coleman, ND Dept. of Commerce tourism chief, cited its travel experience and national media savvy.