Sachs Media Group’s motto is “shift happens” — and in this, the firm practices what they preach. SMG announced Monday the expansion of their highly acclaimed Florida-based public relations operation to Washington, DC, where veteran news writer and communications pro Mark Pankowski will head the office.
The DC expansion follows a year of other changes for the firm, namely the rebranding of Sachs Media Group from Ron Sachs Communications, a move that to president Ron Sachs “reflects a new reality that we are a prolific and prodigious creator of content” for various media contexts.
This year, SMG began working with two major national clients — the National League of Cities and the American Chemistry Council — making it a natural step for the firm to grow into the nation’s capitol.
This is not the first time that Sachs and Pankowski have worked together.
“Mark is coming back to his future,” said Sachs. “When I opened the company in 1996 I hired Mark away from the Tallahassee Democrat where he was the business editor. “
Pankowski was with Sachs for three years before moving to DC, where he worked for one of the nation’s leading crisis communications firms. The two stayed friends over the years.
But the firm that Pankowski once helped create has grown dramatically in the interim, earning 96 Addy Awards, 39 Image Awards, 7 Emmy Awards, and 7 Bulldog Awards including being named the national “PR Agency of the Year” in 2011.
Located 300 yards from Florida’s Capitol and with a staff that has served six Florida governors, SMG continually builds upon relationships to engage audiences alongside clients.
But while many on the Sachs team have political backgrounds, the firm itself is staunchly apolitical. They avoid candidate campaigns (despite the fact that they would be exceptionally good at it), and maintain a staff comprised of equal parts Democrats and Republicans.
SMG instead directs energies toward feeding its sweet spot: issues.
They take on ballot amendments and referendums, crisis management and issue branding , and develop multi-modal campaigns integrating digital and social media strategies with traditional advertising. Think hurricane preparedness, public adoption, and child abuse reporting, all of which the firm has driven public awareness on.
Somehow Sachs and his team still find time to foster issues close to their hearts. One hundred percent of SMG staff voluntarily contribute a portion of their paychecks to the United Way, and this year, the group will work to bring back their “Drive for Life” project, a nationally broadcast television special and outreach effort to educate and challenge drivers to improve their safety on the road.
The project collaborates with the National Safety Council, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and likely, the US Department of Transportation. Pankowski and the Sachs DC office will be deeply involved in this public service project.
“Mark had a terrific career up there, as he has had down here, and I’m excited to once again match our talents and needs,” said Sachs.
You know what they say about pasts predicting futures. And with that in mind, things look bright for this reunited team.
Karen Cyphers, PhD, is a public policy consultant, researcher, and mother to three daughters. She can be reached at [email protected].
