IMPACT Award Finalist: Park&Co

Story Time

Ad Firm Stresses Creativity and Consciousness

As a child, Park Howell was often told, “Stop telling stories.” But as the fifth of seven children, he often found creative storytelling was the difference between a new pair of shoes and hand-me-downs or the best way to score an extra pizza slice at the dinner table. Today, Howell and his eponymous creative and marketing agency, Park&Co, tell stories that produce results for clients and positively impact the planet.

Sixteen years after Howell and his wife, Michelle, founded their agency in a shed behind their home, Park&Co is a thriving, 18-person firm whose clients include Coca-Cola, Chevron and The Home Depot. It has earned acclaim in the niche of “sustainable storytelling,” creating ads for the international “Water – Use It Wisely” campaign, Maricopa County’s “Bring Black Blue” clean air campaign and Coca-Cola’s Eco-driving initiative.

“It’s not just about ‘green marketing,’ but being responsible to the people, processes, profits and planet your company impacts,” says Howell.

Park&Co employees give back and are laid-back. They lend time and talents to Valley organizations like the Phoenix Girls Choir and Arizona Animal Welfare League, while enjoying a fun work environment. Flexible schedules, a “creative garage” with musical instruments and a big-screen TV and a “family first” attitude have paid off. The agency keeps employees three times as long as the industry average, and maintains client relationships for an average of eight years (four times the national average).

“You spend so much time in the office, it should be a fun, rewarding environment,” offers Howell. “If employees are happy, engaged, educated and empowered, they’ll run through brick walls on fire for you and your clients.”

Having endured the worst of the recession, Park&Co is enjoying new business opportunities and its future is as bright as the bouncy red logo-adorned balls you’ll find all over their office.

Get Connected
Park&Co
www.parkandco.com

The 2011 IMPACT Awards will be presented at a luncheon on Thursday, May 19 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa. Will you be there? Click here to reserve your seat for the event.