WHAT’S NEXT FOR BOSTON:
ALLEN & GERRITSEN MOVES TO THE INNOVATION DISTRICT
Advertising Agency is Number One Best Place to Work According to Advertising Age
Watertown, MA (August 22, 2011)— Taking inspiration from a city known for discovery, CEO of Allen & Gerritsen (a&g) Andrew Graff announced today that the 120-person advertising agency, which was named the best place to work in the US by Advertising Age, is moving to the Innovation District of Boston. The Innovation District on the South Boston waterfront was created to attract clusters of innovative people and companies to fuel economic engines for the region. a&g will be moving to Seaport East in September 2012 from its home for 25 years in Watertown and Newton. Once the move is complete, the agency is projected to add up to 50 employees.
"Allen & Gerritsen is a forward thinking advertising agency, a company that is driving innovation," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "Their business will benefit from collaborating in close proximity with companies such as Vertex Pharmaceuticals, AisleBuyer, Communispace and Babson College. I am thrilled that they are bringing 120 new employees and adding 50 after their move, to the Innovation District -- this is great news for Boston."
“Creativity, technology and curiosity are at the heart of Allen & Gerritsen's core,” said Graff. "That's why the Innovation District will be the perfect home for our agency."
For the past four years and through a down economy, Allen & Gerritsen has achieved double-digit growth: landing clients, hiring employees and developing new areas of business. One of the few independent advertising agencies in Boston and throughout the country, its forward thinking has bolstered its expansion. Its clients range from Boston brands such as the Boston Celtics, Ninety Nine Restaurants and Bright Horizons Family Solutions to global businesses such as life sciences giant Waters Corporation, financial services company MFS and Toyota Industries’ Raymond Corporation.
Allen & Gerritsen will take advantage of its Innovation District address to attract strategic hires and build on the strengths as an agency for the next generation of marketing. The agency delivers strategic and creative expertise ranging from broadcast and print to the latest emerging technologies in digital, mobile, search and social media marketing as well as brand promotions and media planning/buying. The new space will allow for expansion of the Digital Incubator, where a&g researches, tests and invests in emerging marketing technologies that will affect how companies communicate with consumers and businesses. The offices will house a&g's in-house production studio, which plays a major role in the creation of the agency's media channels and original programming. In addition, the location will be integral for business development, given the national and global range of the agency's client base.
The location will also allow the agency to advance its leadership in the Boston business community. Allen & Gerritsen is actively involved with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce (a&g's CEO Andrew Graff is on the Board), MITX and Suffolk University Sawyer Business School. Graff is also the Chairman of the Ad Club of Boston, which represents 8000 members of the advertising industry. The agency supports nonprofits such as the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester, Citizen Schools and the New England Sports Museum by donating marketing services, volunteering time and serving on boards.
"Boston has a history of being on the forefront of invention and culture," said Graff. "Allen & Gerritsen will play a major part in Boston's economic future as a world class city of innovation."
About Allen & Gerritsen
Allen & Gerritsen (a&g) is a 25-year-old advertising agency with an entrepreneurial spirit. Always focused on what’s next, we view the agency as a lab, incubating ideas to build business (including our own media channels like #Techi). a&g is ranked by Advertising Age as one of the Top 50 Independent advertising agencies in the US and named a Best Place to Work by the Boston Business Journal. Our client roster is comprised of a mix of consumer and BtoB including: The Boston Celtics, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Bonefish Grill, Comcast, Hannaford Supermarkets, MFS Investment Management, Ninety Nine Restaurants, WBUR, Partnership for a Drug Free America, Raymond Corporation (a division of Toyota Industries Corporation), Toy State, Waters Corporation and Zildjian.