PublicCity PR recently celebrated the opening of its first office with a party for friends, family and clients, a roster that keeps growing as the four-year-old firm succeeds at getting local businesses' stories into the media sphere.
The three-person firm started by Jason Brown in his home in 2008 went into a separate office, albeit an untraditional one, in Southfield last January.
"In Michigan, as you know, there are a lot of solo-preneurs out there doing great work," says Brown, remembering. "I got a little tired of meeting at coffee shops. There were meetings at clients' offices, but it's nice to have a place for them to come to, for us to come together as a team."
"The lightbulb moment for me," he says, was the time four women were slapping tiles onto a table during a game of Mahjohg as he met with a client.
Brown says the decision to work from an office that's shared with other business owners in the Century Office Plaza in Southfield has helped his firm grow and feel more professional. The office has a common space shared by all the users, a lobby, kitchen, conference rooms, and separate offices. Overall it has a creative, urban, fun feel with renovations that turned a stodgy office into a modern design with red walls and modern materials.
Brown runs PubliCity PR with Monica Cheick-Luoma and his wife, Hope Brown, who left Lambert, Edward & Associates to join the family firm in April.
Its client list includes Zoup! and Just Baked Cupcakes. The latest client: Townsend Hotel in downtown Birmingham.
"Our clients' first impression is important," Brown says. "When they walk in, there's this sense of wonder."
Brown says the office has also allowed his firm to hire an intern for the first time, something he's wanted to do but didn't feel was right not having an office.
"It's been a great move for us," he says.
Source: Jason Brown, founder, PublicCity PR
Writer: Kim North Shine
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