It’s not surprising that over my almost 30 years as CEO of PAN, my role has evolved significantly. Despite the changes, maintaining our steady growth has remained a core pillar.
When people hear “growth,” their minds often first go to revenue or to clients: the accounts you expanded and the new ones you brought in. But growth can extend to different areas. It can refer to employee development. (That’s why I encourage employees to be their authentic selves – because I know they deliver their best work when they do.)
Growth also manifests in more strategic ways, like acquisitions. I’ve always been extremely intentional in our acquisition strategy. In 2017, we acquired Vantage PR. And in 2019, we added the Capella PR team to our family. Between those two moves, we were able to further expand PAN’s services to execute top-tier PR and marketing strategies and become a trusted partner to even more tech and healthcare brands looking to tell their stories. The founders of those companies Ilene & Rob Adler and Gareth Thomas & Nia Evans, respectively, will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart. Lessons I learned from them are ingrained in my mind forever.
I’m thrilled to share that today that we are continuing on our growth trajectory. Proudly, we announced the acquisition of BLASTmedia. Founded in 2005, BLAST has built an impressive reputation for its expertise in representing emerging to high-growth brands in the SaaS technology sector. With this move, we reach our strategic objective of representing tech brands at all stages of their growth journeys – from emerging to late stage in the U.S. and across the globe.
BLASTmedia will be a wholly-owned division of PAN and will be known as PANBlast. Our combined expertise will equip us to better serve organizations with focused needs across various verticals, including AI, climate tech, supply chain, HR tech, fintech, and healthcare. The complementary strengths of both agencies mean that we can provide our clients with deeper industry expertise, innovative PR strategies, and an unmatched global reach.
As for BLAST, the acquisition provides growth opportunities for its people and clients. PANBlast’s B2B SaaS clients can access additional Integrated Marketing services, like creative, paid social, digital advertising, and data analytics, as well as access to PAN’s UK and its extended global network.
PANBlast’s team members will have access to PAN’s rich support services in HR, finance, marketing, and IT to support with scale. What’s more: BLASTmedia will be exposed to some of PAN’s best-in-class people development programs, like our Dedicated Career Coach model, as well as ongoing training and development. Finally, with the support of a larger agency, BLASTmedia can scale at a faster pace providing new client opportunities and experiences for its team members to grow and evolve in their careers.
While all the business sides of things seemed to make perfect sense, I still lead with heart and empathy. I know the PEOPLE are a critical component of any acquisition. To that end, I felt and, continue to feel, a strong connection to BLAST. Much like PAN, BLASTmedia has a long history (20 years!) and has built a leadership team that believes in the purpose and growth of the company. They’ve stuck around for a long time to see the company’s goals come to fruition. I spent a lot of time with the leaders at BLAST, including Kelly, Mendy, and Lindsey; and I can see they have built a truly special team. That, in my experience, is the foundation for doing great work. It’s what made me a true believer in what we could accomplish together.
Pictured (L to R): Phil Nardone (CEO, PAN), Lindsey Groepper (EVP of Business Development & Marketing, PANBlast), Mendy Werne (Managing Director, PANBlast), Kelly Hendricks (Founder, BLASTmedia & Advisor, PANBlast)
Looking ahead, I am incredibly excited about the future of PAN Communications and PANBlast. Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, helping our clients achieve their goals and reach new heights. Hats off to the PAN and BLAST leadership teams for all their hard work and dedication during the due diligence process; I could not have done it without you.
So, as Kelly Hendricks & Mendy Werne join that illustrious team of founders I met during the M&A process, I say a special “thank you” to you. I value and admire what you have created and am excited to be taking the torch. Like Ilene, Rob, Gareth & Nia, I’m honored to call you my friends.
Nothing makes me prouder than to lead PAN, and I’m so thrilled to see what we accomplish next with PANBlast.
Check out the PANBlast website for more information.
