Bradley/Reid Communications: Where Creativity Spells Success.

• Author: BARBOUR, TRACY
• Position: Brief Article

This award-winning communications agency has been doing business in Alaska since 1968.

In the creative realm, there are no such things as roadblocks or barriers for Bradley/Reid Communications. There's always a way around them, says Connie Reid, president and CEO of the state's oldest and largest full-service communications agency.

Take, for example, Bradley/Reid's resourceful approach to promoting the Seward Sea Life Center. "When we did the Sea Life Center grand opening, there wasn't a brick or mortar (in place) and we needed to make a significant appearance to do the fund-raising," Reid recalled.

To pull it off, the agency borrowed a cruise ship and enlisted the Alaska Railroad to bring people together for the celebration. The feat produced an attendance of 1,000 people--including reporters from National Geographic magazine.

Reid applied similar innovation to get actor James Earl Jones to donate his time for a nonprofit client Knowing that Jones liked to fish, she faxed him a brochure on the legendary sport-fishing spot Waterfall Resort.

Bradley/Reid's vice president and creative director, Daryl Hoflich, doesn't believe in creative barriers either. Other agencies where he has worked imposed parameters on creative thinking. But at Bradley/Reid, he said, "we look for any tool we can use to get the message out to people."

Evolution of the Agency

Bradley/Reid was originally established in 1968 as Murray, Kraft & Rocky. With a series of ownership changes, it evolved into Murray Bradley, then Bradley and, finally, Bradley/Reid Communications.

A 20-year advertising and marketing veteran, Reid began buying out Bradley three years ago. The process will be completed over the next five years, she said.

Reid currently oversees a staff of 30 employees, guiding the strategic and creative direction of the agency's accounts. She co-labors with Hoflich and a third partner, vice president of public relations Debra Reinwand. Hoflich has been with the agency since 1990, while Reinwand joined the team five years ago.

Over the years, Bradley/Reid has built a solid reputation for delivering creative, effective public relations, marketing and strategic services. That expertise has earned the agency $23 million in annual gross capitalized billings, numerous awards and a client roster that reads like a corporate "Who's Who" in Alaska.

Bradley/Reid got its start with oil companies Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. and Arco Alaska. Its client base has become more...