Michael Stout had a successful career going as an Art Director at a Burr Ridge firm. Battling burnout, he discussed a more flexible position with his boss. Together they decided that Mike could work out of a new home office, where he could continue to work for the company and maybe even acquire some of his own clientele. Everything went as planned. On December 1, 1995, Mike began his new endeavors in his new home office.

Out of the blue, a few days later, his former boss backed out of the agreement. Stunned, Mike had just unexpectedly launched his own business (named Icon Digital Design courtesy of his wife, Stephanie). After a few years of working on his own, Mike recruited an old friend, Scott Kolbe, who was working as an art director at another agency. They moved into their first small office in 1997.

By March of 1999, business had tripled. Over the past 8 years the staff and business has grown significantly, and due to that in 2006 Icon extensively remodeled their office space. In December of 2009, seizing a fantastic opportunity to expand their customer base and service offerings, Mike and Scott accepted an offer to merge with Sikich LLP out of Aurora IL. Current Icon clients continue to enjoy the close relationship and excellent customer service they have become accustomed to while the team at Icon (now Sikich Marketing Enhancement Services) is now providing that same great service to an ever expanding customer base!