Pace, the largest woman-owned independent full-service marketing agency in North America, was named among Ragan Communications’ Top Places to Work Class of 2021. Recognition was given to organizations—within the communications space—that embody workplace cultures that champion their talent with meaningful work, growth opportunities and community engagement, and even more so amid COVID-19.
“Pace is famous for its fanatical client service. But we’re also fanatical about offering our talent the very best place to be creative and flourish,” says Leigh Ann Klee, president and chief operating officer. Klee continues, “Our agency’s way of working is to ‘work with heart,’ and we understand that we can’t expect our talent to work with heart if we don’t integrate ‘heart’ into everything we do as an organization.” Gordon Locke, president and chief marketing officer adds, “Despite having distributed people and offices, and the capabilities of remote work long before COVID-19 came into the picture, the pandemic did challenge us to use our resiliency to find new ways to continue what makes Pace such a vibrant place to work—and our team made it happen with such commitment.”
Employees at Pace come from all walks of life and work across many time zones for clients in 17 different industries; therefore, it has always been important for the agency to create an environment that feels connected and like that of a family. “Every manager I’ve had at Pace has been fully invested in their job here, and that has translated to engaging with me to support my success. That was true in my start as an Associate Editor a handful of years out of college, and it’s true today as a group creative director helping lead a portfolio of work,” says Britta Waller Melton, who has been with Pace for 23 years.
Jaimey Easler, group creative director, and Lymari Miranda, senior art director, second Waller Melton’s sentiment and reinforce the role of colleagues and leadership in creating a work environment that feels genuinely supportive. Easler has been with Pace for close to 30 years, while Miranda joined in 2010. She further explains, “Not only is there someone always there to help and uplift you during the day-to-day, but we’re always looking for ways to stay connected to one another. And this is not just at the individual level, but it’s also at the organizational level. There are so many examples of Pacers coming together, whether it’s our United Way campaigns or food drives, we’re always looking for ways to support each other and our community.”
Among the factors that led to Pace’s recognition in Ragan’s 2021 Top Places to Work are:
- Employee tenure, which doubles the industry average at an average of seven years. Pace promotes from within, recognizes employees each month through the Martha Leonard Spirit of Pace Award and nurtures a “work hard, play hard” culture through a variety of activities through its Wellness and Fun committees. While employees are working from home, food trucks and group outings have transformed to Grubhub and Starbucks gift cards.
- Focus on diversity, equity and inclusion by making DEI a priority in recruitment efforts, providing ongoing DEI training and investing in a culture where everyone has a seat at the table.
- Community initiatives that promote the talents and fuel the passions of employees all while giving back—from the Pace Impact Project to Project Echo, Pace offers a variety of opportunities for staff to get involved in the communities they call home.
- In-kind and financial donations to a wide range of organizations including the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, The One Club, Harlem Children’s Zone and many others. In fact, Pace donates 10% to 15% of profits to philanthropic causes every year.
“We’re honored to receive this recognition on behalf of all of our employees who make Pace the award-winning company that it is. This award is a testament to them and the time-tested culture of Pace,” says Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, founder and chief executive officer.
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