Company: Schwartz Communications, Inc.
Company Description: Founded by the husband-wife team of Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz in 1990, Schwartz Communications, Inc., is the premier public relations agency for technology and healthcare. In 2004, Schwartz was recognized by the Boston Business Journal as the New England area’s largest public relations agency for the third straight year.
Nomination Category: Company, Office & Product Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Agency, Brokerage, or Satellite Office or Facility

Nomination Title: Bucking the PR Agency Trend: Schwartz has Tremendous Success in 2004

   1. Tell the story about what this nominated agency, brokerage, or satellite office or facility achieved in 2004 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

In 2004, Schwartz continued to demonstrate its leadership in technology and
healthcare public relations by capitalizing on its aggressive media relations
expertise and unmatched client service. For the past 15 years, Schwartz has
helped high-tech, medical technology and biotechnology companies promote their
products and services through the media and reach elusive contacts at industry
analyst firms and government organizations.

The dotcom bubble burst of 2001 was followed by a seemingly endless case of PR
budget slashing. During the downturn, Schwartz bucked a number of industry trends, growing in market share throughout this time. In 2004, Schwartz bounced
back with a vengeance, drastically increasing its number of clients, revenues and
employee headcount. For instance, Schwartz won 81 new accounts in 2004, as
opposed to 68 new accounts in 2003. The Agency ended 2004 with 133 accounts,
versus 113 in 2003. Schwartz had 12.2% revenue growth in 2004, compared to -
17.6% in 2003. In addition, employee growth in was at 13.85% in 2004, compared to -3.85% in 2003.

In addition to its own corporate success, Schwartz also received a laundry list of
public relation’s industry awards for media relations campaigns conducted for its
clients. For instance, Schwartz and client CheckFree took home the 2004 Silver
Anvil Award in June 2004, the second time in three years for the Agency and
CheckFree to win a Silver Anvil, the highest award honor give by the Public
Relations Society of America. The award recognized CheckFree and Schwartz for
planning and executing the year’s best consumer technology campaign, which
educated consumers on the benefits of viewing and paying bills online. The
campaign was selected from among a field of more than 600 entries in a variety of
categories by a panel of public relations industry experts. 

In addition to the Sliver Anvil Award, Schwartz has repeatedly taken top honors at
the Publicity Club of New England’s Bell Ringer Awards, walking away with more
awards than any other public relations agency in 2003 and 2004.

Schwartz has always been a client-focused, media relations powerhouse, and
2004 was no different. Since a number of Schwartz clients come from industry
referrals, it is no wonder that the agency’s focus on client services has helped
drive the new business success of 2004. For instance, below is a new client
testimonial:

--“I consider the results of the 2004 PR campaign for SightSpeed a success.
Congratulations on a great year. As a result of your (Schwartz’) diligence,
SightSpeed continues to stay in the forefront when people talk about video calling
for consumers. I look forward to another excellent year of PR in 2005!” --Brad
Treat, CEO, SightSpeed

The agency also re-launched its Web site in 2004, providing current and potential
clients with a tremendous resource for learning more about the benefits of
Schwartz’ PR services. In addition to the new Web site, Schwartz also revamped
its marketing collateral, helping the agency successfully communicate with more
potential clients.

Overall, Schwartz’s growth outpaced most similar-sized high-tech and medical
technology public relation firms in 2004. The Agency has learned for the
successes of 2004 and expects even greater accomplishments in 2005.

   2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: List each link on a separate line, begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.website.com]:

http://www.schwartz-pr.com/news_l2.php?id=127
http://www.schwartz-pr.com/news_l2.php?id=126
http://www.schwartz-pr.com/news_l2.php?id=132
http://www.schwartz-pr.com/news_l2.php?id=118

   3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated agency, brokerage, or satellite office or facility:

Prior to launching Schwartz Communications, Steve Schwartz had been the
speechwriter for General Electrics CEO Jack Welch and a vice president of
Interleaf.

Steve is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of Bowdoin College and
holds an M.F.A. from Columbia University’s School of the Arts (Writing Division).
He is a Trustee of Bowdoin College.

An avid outdoorsman and conservationist, Steve serves on the boards of the
Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and the American Alpine Club (AAC). He has
hiked all over the world, including the Everest region of Nepal, New Zealand,
Norway, Costa Rica, Iceland and across Wales.