Finalist
Media, Entertainment and Communications
For Scott Allison, it’s all about the work. And that philosophy has permeated the culture at Allison & Partners, the public relations company he and his partners launched in 2001.
The company almost didn’t get off the ground as Allison and his partners scrambled to raise capital to execute a management buyout of the failing firm they’d been working at. They succeeded but couldn’t have launched their firm at a worse time — one week before Sept. 11, 2001. That timing, combined with clients who felt the industry’s quality of service was poor, dealt a blow in the wake of the dot-com crash.
But Allison — who serves as the company’s CEO — felt the general PR firm model was broken and strove to create a new way to serve clients. He wanted his firm to be a midsized, independent company with a national footprint, with the service of a boutique agency and the resources of a larger option. And to avoid being pigeonholed, he took a generalist approach with the idea that no company was too small to take on as a client.
To counter the perception of a lack of quality in the industry, Allison hired top senior communications professionals and ensured that every client had access to them, and today, higher-level employees are involved in all aspects of the business. He also built strong relationships by positioning his team as a partner to clients, not just as a vendor.
And instead of having branch offices compete against each other, Allison has just one profit-and-loss statement for the entire company, encouraging collaboration and leading to a team-oriented approach.
Under Allison’s leadership, the company has achieved year-over-year growth of more than 50 percent and has offices in seven cities, serving clients in the consumer/digital technology, consumer, professional services and nonprofit/public affairs industries.
How to reach: Allison & Partners, (415) 277-4933 or www.allisonpr.com
