MTN ADP x Bandit Running
The MTN Haus
Advanced Development
Project Group
In every era of meaningful innovation, the most important work begins out of sight. Care for a little history lesson? In 1943, the legendary Skunkworks division of Lockheed quietly changed the future of aviation, not by building on what already existed, but by making a complete departure from it. Speed, secrecy, and trust became the raw materials of progress. The same is true today for the most daring commerce, technology, and brand innovation efforts — but now the arenas are digital, cultural, and operational.
At MTN Haus, we are proud to introduce our own quiet division:
MTN ADP — the MTN Advanced Development Project.
The creation of MTN ADP is not a marketing exercise. It is a natural extension of how we’ve operated since the beginning. Our leadership, now nearing twenty years in brand-side eCommerce development, was forged in environments where building things quickly, quietly, and precisely was not an optional advantage — it was survival. In those early years at Rogue, the ownership group and he learned the value of disciplined speed. Physical product launches. Digital experiences. End-to-end operational builds. The projects didn’t exist until they did — and once they did, they spoke for themselves.
Skunkworks principles guided that work, even when we didn't yet call it that. Small teams. High trust. Absolute clarity. Urgency without panic. Simplicity over complexity. Momentum over meetings. The formula was pure, and it works in any era where new demands call for new methods.
Today, MTN ADP channels that same spirit into the modern landscape. We build for the future in commerce, brand infrastructure, and increasingly, in the blurry space where public and private sector needs collide. Not every project can be public. Not every advancement belongs in a press release. The best work often demands the opposite: a protective cocoon where ideas can mature, free from the noise, until the right moment to emerge.
Already, MTN ADP is actively operating. In partnership with Bandit Running and their agency of record, View Source, we are building something that challenges conventions in the world of direct-to-consumer brand engagement. Customers are not just a number, they are a full-spectrum cultural investment into the future of the brand. Infrastructure should be built not to "capture" customers, but to equip them or - even better - to improve their lives. A system that treats runners and brand loyalists not just as consumers, but as participants in a larger, more ambitious story.
We can't say much more yet. When the time is right, this post will be updated.
The importance of MTN ADP extends beyond any single project. It represents a commitment, a declaration that in a time when most agencies are incentivized to advocate for themselves as much as for their clients, there must be places where the work, and only the work, is the agenda. Public and private sector partners alike understand that the need for discreet innovation has only increased. We see this today in commercial hardware, AI software, and advanced commerce models. Brand infrastructure that must operate in contested or rapidly evolving environments. These are not just "interesting ideas." They are mission-critical necessities.
In Lockheed’s earliest days with Skunkworks, the idea was simple: the world demanded aircraft that didn’t exist yet, and conventional development processes were too slow and too fragile to answer the call. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, just 35 years old, built a new system from scratch. A team of a few dozen engineers. A building made of repurposed old engine boxes and canvas. A countdown calendar marked each day of progress as if their days were truly numbered. Because they were.
The result? The P-80 Shooting Star — developed, engine tested, and accepted for flight in 143 days. Far ahead of schedule. Far under budget. It changed history.
At MTN Haus, we recognize that the problems our clients face may not involve new airframes or propulsion systems, but the stakes are not lower. Brands face existential threats every day from complexity, from slow operations, from distracted partners, from cultural irrelevance. Building in the open, moving at the speed of committee, outsourcing conviction to third parties — these are recipes for failure.
Instead, we return to the original lessons. Build the facility yourself if you have to. Keep the team small. Give them a mission, not a manual. Mark the days and move forward. Innovate quietly until there is something to show, something that demands attention not by how loudly it is announced, but by how clearly it demonstrates its worth.
The MTN ADP division exists to create space for these kinds of projects. It serves:
- Brands who understand that true competitive advantage is built, not bought.
- Public-private partnerships where confidentiality, speed, and precision are non-negotiable.
- Visionaries who understand that if you want to build the next generation of commerce, culture, or capability, you have to operate in ways the previous generation would find uncomfortable.
We believe that commerce and technology are national strengths. They deserve to be treated with the same seriousness, the same strategic urgency, that our most heralded projects demanded in the mid-20th century. Those projects buoyed the American economy then; these projects impact the American economy now. MTN ADP is our humble contribution to that spirit.
We don't measure our success by the size of our awards case. We measure it by the strength and endurance of the brands and projects we build alongside.
If you find yourself reading this page and feeling like you understand, even without all the details, you might be the kind of partner we're here for. MTN ADP will continue to work in the shadows. Until the work is ready to step into the light.
When that day comes, it will speak for itself.
