A digital marketing and technology company has quietly grown in North Texas, employing more than 900 people and growing.
Over the past 14 years, PMG has built a portfolio that includes work at Nike, Apple, Whole Foods, Sephora, and local companies such as Omni Hotels & Resorts, Dave & Busters, and Nothing Bundt Cakes. After making two acquisitions last year, the company is preparing for its next phase of growth, starting with the move of its headquarters from Fort Worth to Dallas.
PMG, led by founder and CEO George Postefanov, will open a 75,000-square-foot property at Kaizen Development Partners' The Link at Uptown on Harry Hines Boulevard. I leased it. Located on Olive Street at the intersection of Uptown, Victory Park, and Downtown Dallas.
The three floors, connected by an outdoor staircase, are designed to encourage connection and creativity, in contrast to the sophisticated formality of surrounding law and financial firms. The names of the 18th floor conference rooms highlight Texas landmarks. The 19th floor pays homage to Nike athletes, including Kobe Bryant and Sheryl Swoopes. Number 20 introduces the street names of Dallas.
Most of the employees in the new office space were relocated from Centrum on Oak Lawn Avenue in Dallas. PMG's Link Office, designed by Kogan and built by K2, currently employs 300 people and has room for about 400 people. The company's founding offices in Fort Worth will continue to be occupied, but the move to Dallas will be completed with the completion of naming rights for the 25-story class. AA Tower also marks a shift for the company.
“We love Fort Worth. It's still near and dear to our hearts because it's a big part of our story, but obviously we're making a huge investment in Dallas. ,” Popstefanov said. “Dallas is a city that's a little bit more conducive for young professionals to work in, especially in this field. When we worked on designing and developing this office, we wanted to make it easier for people to collaborate, walk around, and have people come and see your work. We wanted to create a new way of working, a hybrid way of working.”
Popstefanov grew up in Macedonia.He had the opportunity to study as an international student in high school, and since the TV drama 90210 He was seduced because it was so popular at the time. He was placed with his family in Wisconsin, more than 3,000 miles from Beverly Hills, California.
Despite the decidedly unappealing location, Postefanov enjoyed the experience. This led him to pursue university studies in the United States. He first enrolled at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma, but thanks to a program supported by Microsoft and RadioShack, he ended up transferring to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth during his sophomore year. I did. He's been in North Texas ever since.
Popstefanov founded PMG in 2010 with $1,000 after learning the business for about six years at a small agency in Fort Worth. 14 years later, PMG's media billings hit his $4 billion mark and he went from a slump to 2023, when his revenue increased by more than 20%.
“My wife recently reminded me that 75 years ago we were driving through the United States and saw the TRG building,” he said, referring to the former Richards Group advertising agency headquarters. “I said, 'Maybe someday we'll have an office with our name, our logo, our brand on it.' But my personality is not one to stop and smell the roses. That's who I am. That's the way it's wired. I'm always asking, “What happens next?” “What else can I do?”
Popstefanov's urgency led the company to lean into technology and data analytics, even launching its own marketing intelligence platform, Alli.
“What we do in marketing needs to be impactful and fully integrated from a digital-first lens. , bringing together different types of experiences integrated with powerful technology.”
Postefanov acknowledged that it may sound simple, but said most agencies don't work that way. That's why he chose an open office, allowing different departments to interact with the ultimate goal of creating something for his clients.
For example, our new office has an in-house production studio. This setup allows PMG to collaborate face-to-face with clients in real-time on campaigns. Clients can view what has been assembled that day in the comfort of a luxurious viewing room, and PMG can immediately respond to any requested changes or improvements.
Mr. Postefanov's customer-first mindset led to the one-two-punch acquisition the company undertook last year. PMG first acquired Dallas-based Camelot Strategic Marketing & Media and soon took over the deal with UK-based RocketMill. His two acquisitions primarily involved cash and financing, added his 400 people to the company, and further grew the company's combined marketing and technology capabilities.
In addition to Dallas and Fort Worth, PMG has offices in New York, London, Austin, Atlanta, Costa Rica and Cleveland.
Like many leaders, Popstefanov said his staff are the driving force behind the company's success. In addition to perks like a staffed coffee bar and snacks at The Link, PMG offers four months of paid parental leave, $50 per month for wellness services and gym access, and four to five weeks per year depending on tenure. We provide our employees with benefits such as paid vacation. .
PMG also has a powerful means of attracting new employees through its Graduate Student Leadership Program. After evaluating approximately 20,000 applications, the company hired his 60 to 70 employees from around the world, and where appropriate, he sponsored H-1B visas and onboarding that expanded to full-time employment. We are implementing a program. The condition is that the new employee move to Dallas.
Integrating Camelot and RocketMill employees into PMG was an important step for the company as it looks to 2024.
“Sometimes agencies get ahead of themselves and try to grow by spending more money to grow. If culture is a factor in quality, you can't grow too much,” Postefanov said. . “You have to be very purposeful and intentional.”
