Like most things ad-related in Portland, Mutt Industries was born out of Wieden & Kennedy. Steve Luker, Scott Cromer and Mike McCommon, the agency's principals, decided in 2009 to break away for what Mr. Cromer called "a new challenge... an opportunity to explore things that were maybe prohibitive or off-limits in our former roles."

Since then, the agency has grown, bringing in $3.2 million in revenue last year, with that figure expected to rise to $3.4 million in 2013. It has done arresting work for Gerber Blades, its oldest clients, which displayed the myriad uses of the knife, and positions it as a better tool than any other weapon you might have in your arsenal. It even teamed with AMC to arm survivors in "The Walking Dead" with Gerber products.

The shop has also retained its scrappy culture -- saying that the "Mutts," as its employees are known, hang out together, fight, make up, and even miss each other when they're apart.