Next PR Honored in Nine Industry Awards Recognizing Its Fresh Approach to Agency Operations and Client Work

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Sep 12, 2023, 09:00 ET

Individual & Agency Awards Highlight the Firm's Commitment to Workforce Development, Collaboration & Work-Life Balance to Drive Client Results

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Next PR, an award-winning integrated public relations firm, today announced the agency has brought home nine industry awards in the first half of 2023, recognizing agency operations, individual team member performance and the firm's social media and crisis management services.

Next PR puts team collaboration and employee wellness at the forefront of its operations, enabling team members to excel and earn major industry accolades, including:

PR News Top Women in PR Award, "The Motivators" for Next PR Managing Director Holly Tibbitts: This award recognizes Tibbitts' exceptional mentorship and coaching. Beyond ensuring Next PR's internal operations run seamlessly, Tibbitts empowers those around her to confidently stretch their skills and grow both professionally and personally. Tibbitts was recognized alongside professionals from major U.S. companies including USPS, Fleischman Hillard and Lockheed Martin.
Ragan & PR Daily's Communicator of The Year, "Rising Stars" for Next PR Coordinator Jackie Sales: Jackie Sales' technical expertise, along with her ability to translate complex concepts into digestible, compelling media opportunities, has established her as an emerging leader within the agency and the industry, being recognized among PR pros from ESPN, IHOP and T-Mobile.
PR News People Awards, "The Ones to Watch" for Next PR Specialist Kerri Taranto. Taranto was recognized as a PR professional to watch due to her unmatched ability to understand her clients' business goals, generate measurable results and mentor team members of all levels. Taranto has cemented herself as a leader in the industry and at Next PR, currently serving as the most junior team member to ever join the agency's leadership team.

"I'm so proud of our team members for their eagerness to learn, support one another and lean into the hard," said Next PR CEO Heather Kelly. "These three award wins are incredible examples of the team embodying our agency principles every single day."

Next PR also earned agency-wide recognition for its culture and client work, including:

A second consecutive Great Place to Work Certification. 95 percent of Next PR employees said the firm is a Great Place to Work, which far exceeds the U.S. average of 57 percent. Team members cited the agency's healthy work-life balance, employer-covered healthcare, opportunities to earn new business commission and flexible schedules as reasons they love working at Next PR. 100 percent of the team agreed the agency cares for and prioritizes their individual, unique needs.
PR News Digital Awards in the LinkedIn Campaign category. Next PR earned an honorable mention for its work with AutoRABIT, a DevSecOps company for Salesforce, on the brand's paid and organic LinkedIn social strategy. The firm's campaign boosted website clicks by 30 percent from paid social ads targeting specific job functions, outperformed LinkedIn's forecasted brand awareness impressions by nearly 55 percent and garnered over 1,000 engagements.
PR News Platinum Awards in the Crisis Management Campaign category. Next PR was named a finalist for its resounding success in the crisis management of a leading finance organization, following the FTX collapse. The Next PR team redirected the crisis as an opportunity to establish the client as a go-to industry source for honest insights.
PRWeek Purpose Awards in the Small Organization of the Year category. Next PR was recognized for the work it's done to support its overarching mission to "tell stories that change the world." In the past year, the firm has supported three organizations as part of its Conscious Capitalism pro-bono program and team members have used over 300 hours of Volunteer Time Off to help organizations that align with their passions.
Ragan's Workplace Wellness Awards in the Top Place to Work for Employee Wellbeing category. Next PR received an honorable mention in Ragan's Workplace Wellness Awards for the firm's staunch commitment to investing in team members' financial, mental and physical health.

Kelly credits the firm's unique approach to agency operations for its client success, giving the Next PR team the freedom and flexibility to be creative, experiment and push the boundaries of conventional public relations. The agency's emphasis on employee wellness doesn't just support its team and its clients; it redefines PR's reputation across the industry.

"We're proving that PR doesn't have to be toxic, competitive and stressful," Kelly said. "We want our team to feel empowered and supported with ample opportunities for career growth. Changing the PR agency culture is essential for industry growth and retaining top talent by making PR a field where team members can thrive."

To learn more about Next PR's award-winning culture and client work, visit www.nextpr.com.

About Next PR
Next PR is an award-winning public relations firm with one major focus: results. Next PR is agile, fresh and hyper-focused on helping clients achieve their next big PR goals. Founded in 1978, the company has offices across the nation in San Francisco, Denver, Colorado Springs, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston. The team boasts the best and brightest in public relations, but more than that, it brings the fun – and the motivation – to the daily grind. The company has been twice-selected as a Top Place to Work by PR News, has been named to PRNEWS' Agency Elite Top 100 list for two consecutive years, Great Place to Work^® certified two years in a row, and has been recognized by the Dave Thomas Foundation as an Adoption-Friendly Workplace for eight years running. Team members are consistently selected as PR Rising Stars and Communicators of the Year.

SOURCE Next PR