It’s hard to believe Leonard & Finco Public Relations, Inc. has been in business for 30 years. And boy have there been changes through the years. When the late Charlie Leonard and I started the firm, we both worked out of our homes for the first six months to make sure it would work out! When you’re starting a business, you hope and pray it’s successful, but you never know for sure until you do it. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart!

Fortunately, we hit the ground running focusing on media relations because, as the media was growing in platforms and influence, local businesses and organizations realized they needed help in getting their stories told in a way that was accurate and impactful. With both of us having backgrounds in journalism, we were able to quickly develop strategic communications plans that got results.

As we started growing, and gaining clients throughout the U.S. and Canada, we started adding more services. Initially, it was in response to our clients’ requests but then we became more strategic about it, looking for ways to better serve our clients. We added issues management, internal and external communications, branding and reputation management, social/digital/online media and crisis management.

As the years go by, a lot can and does happen. The last two years are proof of that. We were so fortunate to be able to get through the pandemic continuing to work and continuing to help people communicate during one of the most challenging times in our lives.

It’s no small accomplishment to be in business 30 years, but I don’t take credit for it. There are two things that have made L&F successful: the people who have and are working at L&F and the clients we have served. I am constantly amazed at the talent and energy of our team members. No communication effort is too big or too small for them. They are constantly learning and innovating to better themselves and the work they do for our clients. They’ve built the reputation that has clients and prospective clients reaching out to us. And, speaking of clients, we are incredibly fortunate to have many longstanding clients who believe in us and work with us year in and year out. It’s incredibly gratifying to help our clients reach their communication goals whether it’s ongoing communication or guiding them through a crisis. Through the years, many of these clients have become not just professional friends but personal friends as well.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to all of the L&F employees, clients and supporters. Here’s to celebrating 30 years – and more to come!