Consolidation creates a $55 million agency and strengthens operations in core sectors and capabilities
Padilla and SHIFT Communications announced today that SHIFT will become a Padilla operating brand effective January 1, 2022. Along with Padilla, SHIFT joins FoodMinds, Joe Smith and SMS Research Advisors in the Padilla portfolio of brands.
The combined agency will have approximately 240 employees across seven U.S. offices – Minneapolis, New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia – and approximately $55 million in revenue. Padilla and SHIFT are owned by AVENIR GLOBAL, a Montreal-based holding and management company of public relations and communication firms.
“Padilla and SHIFT are both extremely well-respected brands in the industry, and as part of AVENIR GLOBAL we’ve had great success sharing both operational and client-facing resources like creative, digital and channel strategy,” said Matt Kucharski, Padilla president. “We’ve also collaborated on client assignments, particularly in technology and health care, and during that time, our teams have come to know and respect each other. This natural progression brings exciting new opportunities to our clients and our people.”
Rick Murray will remain managing partner for SHIFT and will become an executive vice president at Padilla, assuming oversight of Padilla’s channels and digital strategy teams. Additionally, SHIFT’s two managing directors – Annie Perkins and Alan Dunton – will join Padilla’s sector leadership team and continue to lead their respective sectors within SHIFT.
“We’re everything SHIFT has been historically, now with way more muscle behind us in areas like creative, paid, digital, analytics and branding. When we look at where both Padilla and SHIFT are headed, we see so much opportunity. By consolidating our operations, we’ll strengthen our leadership and bench strength in core sectors, foster greater collaboration and ultimately deliver the kind of growth we all know is possible,” Murray said.
About SHIFT
SHIFT is an integrated communications firm that operates at the nexus of art and science to help brands break through and thrive. We leverage data and analytics to engineer the who, what, when, where and how behind programs. We harness deep human insights, empathy, and expertise to craft compelling narratives and campaigns that connect on a personal level, and then use advanced targeting to get them in front of the people who matter most. Established in 2003, SHIFT is an AVENIR GLOBAL company representing global brands and emerging category disruptors in the technology, b2b, health care and consumer sectors. Clients include Cengage, Citrix, Foxwoods Resort Casino, RSA and TELUS International. Learn more at shiftcomm.com.
About Padilla
Padilla is an independently operated, globally resourced public relations and communication company with offices across the United States. The agency helps clients transform by building, growing and protecting their brands and reputations worldwide through public relations, advertising, digital and social marketing, investor relations and brand strategy. Padilla includes the integrated communications experts at SHIFT, the food and nutrition experts at FoodMinds, the brand consultancy of Joe Smith, and the research authorities at SMS Research Advisors. Clients include 3M, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Cargill, CommonSpirit Health, Dole Food Company, Edward Jones, Mayo Clinic, Medtronic, Prosciutto di Parma, Rockwell Automation, Sanofi Pasteur, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and Winnebago Industries. Padilla is an AVENIR GLOBAL company and is a founding member of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, a partnership of 132 independently owned partner offices in 115 cities on six continents. Transform with purpose at PadillaCo.com.
