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What’s in a name? For our firm, a rebranding/name change that’s launching this week amounts to much more than a website makeover and new business cards.
As we approached our tenth anniversary this year, we realized we were overdue for the rebranding. After all, we started out in 2003 as Welz & Weisel Communications when our high-tech PR agency only employed two people, and that was us: Tony Welz and Evan Weisel.
We had dedicated our careers to tech PR/communications, and we came together on a unique vision about what our agency could become. We rented out an office condo in downtown Fairfax and went right to work, committed to building an active presence in the heart of D.C.’s technology corridor. We signed on a great mix of clients, organizations which work with elite government agencies and corporations on industry drivers such as cybersecurity, telecommunications, enterprise software and mobility.
Today, by taking leadership positions with the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), Women in Technology (WIT) and AlphaTech, as well as and running events such as Run! Geek! Run! (which has raised nearly $100,000 in donations to purchase technology equipment for youth centers throughout greater Washington), this presence is only elevated. In addition, we are on the GSA Schedule, opening up our availability to the U.S. Federal government.
While we maintain a strong footprint in Northern Virginia, we also have developed an enviable national presence with many clients located in the Silicon Valley, as well as in other parts of the country. With our rock-solid D.C. grounding, however, we’ve cultivated a keen understanding of the federal government and have helped organizations build brand within this very important market – it is unlike any other vertical! Yet, unlike many of our competitors in this region, we are not a government firm. We’re more like a West Coast technology communications shop that happens to exist in DC. This enables us to cover both the federal and commercial markets for our clients.
Given this, word about our agency has quickly grown and, with it, our size and reach. We’ve moved to larger, nicer offices. We added staff, and now employ a team of senior-level professionals with long track records in comprehensive tech PR/communications. We’ve expanded our service offerings well beyond what a traditional agency offers: content marketing and production, social-media, SEO programs, video development, website design, go-to-market services and overall business strategy consultation. With respect to the latter two services, we’ve helped launch many new companies and implemented strategic communications programs for numerous others.
Our vision, expertise, client dedication and highly personalized touch have combined to offer a level of professionalism that the mega-agencies with dozens of offices worldwide can only dream of. Our clients know we are extremely hands-on. We make sure their critical messaging points are heard by the right target audiences, and then they reap the business-benefiting rewards. Through our vast industry knowledge, access to thought leaders and above-board ethical practices, we’ve established strong bonds with the countless industry influencers (including the media, analysts, VCs, event organizers, associations, etc.) with whom we’ve developed relationships over the years.
We bring a wide variety of valued core competencies to the table: Our go-to-market Vice President, Wayne Schepens, has advised companies through all phases of business, and formerly served as a top network security executive with the National Security Agency (NSA). Vice President Tom Resau is a respected cyber security pro, having spent more than 14 years with major players such as Symantec. Vice President Jayna Kliner has helped launch startups and also provided PR counsel to brands such as AOL, VeriSign, Qualys and Verizon Business. Director of Content Dennis McCafferty came to us after 20 years as a journalist for major metro newspapers, tech B2B press and national magazines, most recently with USA WEEKEND/Today. We could go on about every employee we have … Each one supports a key, strategic function.
Individually, these executives are some of the best in the business. Together, they help us form a team that puts senior teams of larger, multinational firms to shame. They’re smart. They work hard. And they truly care about our clients, delivering results and empowering employees.
In other words, we’ve built quite a company and assembled a great dream team to keep building upon it – all for the benefit of our clients. (In fact, two of our original three clients are still with us – a testimony to client loyalty to our vision, as well as our capability for delivering results.)
All of which means our agency is about much, much more today than “Welz & Weisel.” Hence, the need for a new name and brand, one that speaks to our current and future scope.
And, with that, allow us to introduce you to the ‘new’ total services tech PR/communications firm in greater D.C.: W2 Communications.
Tony Welz and Evan Weisel are founders and principals of W2 Communications, formerly known as Welz & Weisel Communications.