This is something I’ve touched upon in a previous post, but as PAN just celebrated 20 years of business in 2015, more and more I’m thinking about those early days in Andover. In the beginning, I had this vision of creating a firm that not only produced exceptional work and helped clients meet their goals, but an agency for people who were as passionate for their craft as I am. A place where people could grow their careers, without fear of office politics, and a place where company culture and employee opinions matter.

Looking at where we are today, I can still confidently say that PAN has never abandoned that vision. As we continue to grow, I am holding steadfast to that vision. As those of you who follow PAN news closely now, the past few years have been monumental to say the least. Just last week I was honored to attend an exclusive event held by The Boston Business Journal that awarded the top 76 fastest growing private companies in Massachusetts. As a result of our team’s exceptional performance, PAN Communications was officially introduced and awarded as a top 50 company. Truth-of-the-matter was that we came in at #50, so I kicked off the celebration with a 30-word speech, contributing $750 to Special Olympics Massachusetts ($25.00/word donation).

This award encompasses PAN’s growth over the past three years, which includes client wins, overall agency performance and our recent acquisition of Vantage PR that took place in December of last year.  Mark Nardone joined me at the event and no one could have taken more pride than him when they announced that our revenue growth grew 125% from $6M (in 2013) to $13.5M (in 2015). Mark has been a part of the PAN fabric since the very early years, so these types of awards truly hit a chord for him.  I loved that we shared the event side-by-side.

Our momentum has been strong these last few years (I mean, 125% strong!), and has given us the opportunity to develop a remarkable culture. Our staff is now located nationwide including: Boston, San Francisco, New York and Orlando providing our clients with integrated marketing communication teams from East Coast to the West. And, all teams experience – and in my opinion love — our culture including weekly PAN pubs, 1:30pm Fridays during the summer and the occasional work from home day, along with many other rewarding perks.

I’m also thrilled to see that we have opened doors to more verticals when it comes to our client roster. We are happy to be winning clients in several new industries like mobile, security, consumer tech and healthcare. PAN has come a long way over the last 20 years but a notable change has certainly included the new services that we now offer to the modern marketer: Digital & Content Marketing; PR & Social; Creative Services and Insight & Analytics.

I’ve read everywhere businesses need to transform in the “always on” world we live in.  I know this could be a daunting task at times, but we’ve built an agency for the long haul.  We remain motivated about the transformation in our industry and excited by what the future holds. I’m looking forward to bringing on new employees and innovative brands to help foster this change in marketing. We are proud to be a part of the fabric that makes up Boston’s innovative DNA – and this BBJ award in particular is a great sign that we are on the right track!  I stand proud with not only the other companies that comprise the Fast 50, but the more than 100 PAN employees that helped make it happen!!!