“The Founding Fathers didn’t outsource their creative work to New York City,” said proud native Philadelphian and Chief Executive Officer of Vault Communications, Kate Shields. “They found plenty of inspiration and muse right here in Philadelphia. And the rest is, well, history.” 

When Shields sat on the client side of the table early in her career, she would cringe as marketing executives began rattling off a list of favorite advertising and public relations firms. “I often found myself sitting in conference rooms overlooking the skyline of Philadelphia, listening to locally-raised executives opine about how great the creative agencies of New York City were,” she said. “I knew the talent of local agencies was being grossly underestimated, and I knew our city would realize significant economic momentum if companies based here would just give local agencies a chance. I was determined to reverse this trend line.”

Convincing clients to give Vault a chance meant finding the best creative talent in Greater Philadelphia, attracting new talent to the region, and giving both copious reasons to stay in Philadelphia for the long haul. In the fast-paced world of marketing and PR, Vault’s company core values of Heart, Hunger, Curiosity and Excellence remain the secret sauce that unifies employees. Now entrusted by some of the nation’s largest corporations and most beloved brands, Vault focuses so intently on retention that many colleagues began their careers as interns and remain at the firm more than 10-15 years later as agency leaders.

Unapologetically Diversified

Again with employee engagement at the forefront of its growth strategy, the firm intentionally and unapologetically diversified its client base to give employees frequent opportunities to exercise creative muscles across industries such as chemical, consumer packaged goods, healthcare, industrial, professional associations, retail, utilities and more. This approach to client diversification not only kept employees refreshed and vested in their work, but also prevented clients from receiving cookie-cutter thinking that comes from spending too much time breathing in the exhaust of a singular industry. Vault employees embrace work as a daily opportunity for continuous learning and constant expansion of their knowledge and viewpoints to realize career (and client!) satisfaction.

Wired into Emerging Communication Needs

While traditional services such as advertising, branding, content creation, graphic design, media relations, media training, strategic communications planning and social media remain popular client needs, Vault has witnessed a significant uptick in several areas of demand from communications and marketing professionals in today’s marketplace, such as: 

• Crisis Communications: Standing shoulder to shoulder with clients as they tackle risk-heavy scenarios and situations while safeguarding reputation
• Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Communications: Creating compelling (and compliant!) reports that showcase corporate commitment to environmental and social responsibility, and crafting an ongoing stream of CSR communication initiatives for year-long deployment
• Employee Value Proposition: Crafting a powerful narrative that authentically engenders pride in current and future employees in their workplace
• Executive Branding and Thought Leadership: Helping executives find their unique voice and showing them how to share their lessons and wisdom with a waiting world

Making History

A few decades into its journey, Vault Communications became the very first Philadelphia-area agency to become a finalist for PR Week’s Small Agency of the Year. This national recognition only bolstered Vault’s commitment to its employees as the firm’s greatest asset. As the firm continues to grow and receive national and global work, Vault invests heavily in professional development, providing ongoing training and mentorship programs to help professionals advance their careers. Noting the vital importance of supporting employees exactly where they are on life’s journey, Vault also continues to grow its investment in resources that support mental health and emotional well-being, including flexible work arrangements, year-long weekend jumpstart hours, 100% paid health insurance, ample paid time off and core values and employee recognition celebrations.

The result is a team that’s not just driven, but genuinely passionate about the work they do, empowered to reach their full potential, cognizant of their value, and of course, up to challenge any big NYC-based agency any day of the week—with signature Philly grit.