Sarah DeKock

Associate partner/senior vice president of accounts, Flynn Wright

Age: 39

Spouse: Aaron DeKock

Children: Brynlee, 10), Holland, 8,and Anna, 5

Mentor: Aaron Kennedy, CEO, Flynn Wright 

Reasons he/she is a Forty: Over the course of 17 years, Sarah increased roles and responsibilities that grew into an ownership position in 2020, becoming one of the first associate partners in 13 years. She is a board member at Girls on the Run of Central Iowa, assisting in bringing more than 500 third through eighth graders to race in the first communitywide GOTR 5K. She is heavily involved in her Norwalk community through Women of Norwalk, Teaching/Learning Committee and her church, Crossroads. She created an avenue for Flynn Wright employees to actively give back to nonprofit organizations in the metro including Habitat for Humanity, ASAP, Salvation Army, YESS, Bidwell and more. 

What are your goals in your role at your company? Our agency has always stayed ahead of the curve and has been innovative for our client partners by creating customized, targeted marketing approaches. It’s crucial to continue raising the bar and pushing the envelope as advertising continues to become even more fragmented.

What are your goals for your community involvement? My late grandmother’s emphasis on female empowerment inspired me to do the same for young girls within our community. Through my involvement in organizations like Girls on the Run and Chrysalis, I’m working to pass along the same confidence and strength I received from my own family.

What's your biggest passion, and why? Being one of the first female owners at Flynn Wright in many years, I love that I can help empower my three daughters to chase their dreams and impact our world. I have a passion for positively changing the lives of girls and women in the community and increasing their chances for leadership opportunities. 

What is it that drives you? My competitive spirit. I love a challenge, and marketing boosts innovation. It pushes me to think outside the box and create new approaches for different problems. This “willingness to find a way” makes a difference in the business world and the community. 

What are your future aspirations? To become one of the largest Midwest advertising agencies over the next five years. We are already one of the largest in Iowa and continue to see solid year-over-year growth. To maintain this trajectory, it’s vital to have an organizational structure and financial system to support the growth.

Three hobbies: I enjoy traveling, kickboxing, spending time at our family lake home and attending Hawkeye football games. 

Fun fact: Sarah’s Dutch family heritage runs strong, and each year she celebrates by dressing up in Dutch costumes and attending the Tulip Festival in Pella. 

One word to describe you: Loyal.

What is your wish for the Central Iowa business community? For the downtown area to be as alive as it was pre-pandemic and continue to thrive. It’s exciting to see some companies transition back into the office, which is especially great for restaurants, retail stores and service providers in our area.

Anything else you haven't addressed that people must know about you? I would not be who I am without my faith and incredible circle of family, mentors and friends. My parents instilled a strong work ethic in me and truly made me believe I could achieve anything I put my mind to. I was fortunate to find passion while in college and I’ve only had one career, my dream job at Flynn Wright. I have had the opportunity to learn from our CEO Aaron Kennedy, and this continuous passing on of knowledge to team members is the reason we have such a promising future as a company. And last but certainly not least, my incredible husband and three young girls are my heart and soul. They drive me to be the best version of myself every day.

What's one piece of advice that you would give to a young professional? Practice empathy. By approaching every individual and circumstance with a posture of humility and an assumption of positive intent, we can better understand what others are going through and feel compassion for what they might be experiencing, ultimately creating stronger connections that will help in business and our community.

What is one issue you would like to see Central Iowa leaders address? The retention and attraction of the best and brightest talent to Central Iowa. This has become extremely challenging for many businesses over the last couple of years. We need to continue to promote the incredible opportunities, cultural attractions and affordable living because it truly is an amazing place to work and live.