Our new journey has begun.
As of today, I’m proud to announce the re-launch of my agency: Strong, a marketing communications firm engineered to help clients succeed in an increasingly complex marketing landscape.
We’re also celebrating three years past the 20-year mark—a milestone nearly 80% of entrepreneurial ventures never reach.
It hasn’t always been easy, and there’s still much more we want to achieve. But it’s deeply rewarding to reflect on the good times, the strokes of luck, and even the occasional setbacks that shaped us into the agency we are today.
This agency is far different from the one I started in my dining room almost 24 years ago.
Taking the leap
Back then, a close college friend and I were only a year out of school when we conjured up the idea of starting our own shop. Companies were still reeling from the post-9/11 collapse. Jobs were scarce. It was perhaps the worst possible time to start a business. But what did we have to lose?
With $3,000 between us and two desks in a small Dallas duplex, we set up shop. No clients. No connections. Just a desire to prove ourselves. It was April 2002. Aars | Wells was off and running.
We took every project we could. We stretched every dollar. We made cold calls, wrote letters, and learned how to turn rejection into motivation.
We sought mentors and found some of the very best. People like Jim Stuart, Mike Gustafson, Ernie Capobianco, Carolyn Faulk, our parents, and a handful of others shared priceless knowledge and gave us opportunities and encouragement.
Eventually, we picked up steam. And thankfully, the resilience we learned in those early years stuck with me.
A turning point
By 2013, we had six employees, a solid client roster, a good reputation, and young families at home. I was stretched thin and putting in long hours, but it was an exciting time.
Then, one afternoon, my partner abruptly announced he was leaving the business. Within a few days, I was the sole owner of the firm.
The shakeup devastated me, but it also lit a fire. My personal mantra became “whatever it takes.” I even had the words tattooed on my arm with a lightning bolt—a symbol of both the shock of the split and the energy I felt for moving the business forward.
As the new structure settled, we pressed the gas. We hired great people, refined our processes, expanded capabilities, and even acquired a small firm that doubled our team. We adopted a simple ethos that perfectly articulated our culture: Be nice. Work hard. Have fun.
Soon, we moved into a beautiful new office building with room to expand. It was a leap of faith, but I was emboldened by the strength of our team and the results our work was generating. Everything was clicking.
A new vision takes shape
Around this time, it became clear that we needed to evolve.
We weren’t just a creative boutique anymore. We were tackling increasingly complex challenges and helping clients with critical business initiatives.
Our strategic skills and technical acumen had also advanced, and our clientele began to narrow into a few key verticals: primarily health care, energy, technology, and manufacturing.
We began focused work on a new identity—Strong. The name came easily, but distilling 18 years of experience into a clear, modern articulation proved challenging, especially while running an active business and balancing family life. Still, we were making progress.
In late 2019, we even ordered an illuminated “STRONG” sign for our entry wall, certain that we were close to launching. Then came the second major setback.
The ultimate test
Everyone remembers the chaotic months that followed the COVID-19 outbreak. Like so many other businesses, we were hit hard.
Practically overnight, we had to reinvent the systems that powered our work. Clients paused or canceled initiatives. The only projects moving forward were crisis-driven. And our beautiful, spacious office? It became a crushing cash drain.
I lost two family members in late 2020, within a three-month span. And the following May, a beloved client—who had become a true friend—was killed in a shocking act of gun violence.
2020 and 2021 were the hardest years of my life. Momentum was shifting in the wrong direction. Though my team continued to deliver, I quietly wondered if I had what it took to complete my vision for Strong.
Digging deep
Fear is a constant companion in entrepreneurship. The pressures—especially in times of crisis—can be overwhelming. It’s why so many small businesses don’t make it.
That we crossed the 20-year mark during such a difficult period means a great deal to me. It validated that there’s something inside this business that refuses to break. And just as we did following the partnership shakeup a decade earlier, we adapted, refocused, and moved forward.
Building our day-to-day business back while also completing a total reinvention of the firm certainly wasn’t easy—but it proved something. We were Strong.
Stronger every day
Now, it’s official. The core value that has always defined this agency is finally the name on the door. But, true to form, we’re still evolving.
We’re still creating campaigns, but we’re connecting the dots more effectively, leveraging more channels, and helping clients forge seamless, end-to-end customer experiences through tightly choreographed, integrated strategies.
We’re embracing AI, and consulting with our clients through the complex maze of tools, trends, and techniques that are redefining how communications are created and delivered. And we’re helping them accomplish more and better work on their own—ensuring high productivity and optimal cost efficiency without sacrificing quality.
Our goal isn’t just campaign impact. It’s to help our clients become stronger marketers.
That’s what Strong is all about.
And no matter what comes our way in this next era, you can bet we’ll be nice, work hard, and have fun, every step of the way.
To all those who have supported us throughout this long journey—especially my team, my family, and the clients who have entrusted their brands to us—thank you.