As I write this, the moving boxes are stacked and Reputation Partners is preparing to move from our home of the last eight plus years to new office space a couple of blocks away in the center of Chicago’s Loop. We’re also getting ready to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I am usually focused on the future and whatever comes next, but these two events are prompting me to reflect a bit.
As I do, I am incredibly grateful to our clients – more than 700 – who have given us a great many opportunities and trusted us with their brands, businesses and reputations for so many years. I’m also grateful to the numerous friends of the firm who have referred us to many of those clients. We couldn’t have done this without you. The fact that, over 15 years, our clients have delivered the firm a Net Promoter Score of 99.6 percent demonstrates how seriously we take that responsibility.
I am also very proud of my colleagues, both past and present, for consistently doing such great work and helping make Reputation Partners a success – one that has survived at least two recessions and a global pandemic. More than 100 people have worked for the firm since its founding. We have strived to be a great place to work, and are struck by the fact that, over the years, we have had five employee “boomerangs” – folks who left RP for other jobs only to return.
The recognition from our clients, friends and employees is the most meaningful feedback we could ask for, but winning the PRNEWS Agency Elite award two years in a row is very gratifying as well.
Lest you think this is just a nostalgia tour, you should know that I’m incredibly excited about our future. Public relations and reputation opportunities and challenges for companies and other institutions are greater today than ever before and are only growing.
I am filled with gratitude and hope. Our clients value Reputation Partners. They appreciate the great work we do together, and they give us increasing opportunities to expand our work with them. Our friends continue to refer us in for exciting projects. Our employees continue to grow their skills, earn promotions and bonuses, and we receive a steady stream of applications from talent at all levels. Finally, in Amy Littleton, we have added a president who strengthens our leadership team and positions us for success for years to come.
It has been an incredible ride these last 20 years. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.