Jennifer Thompson and Thompson & Co, public relations: anchorage media mogul finds success in a 'New York minute'.

• Author: Stricker, Julie
• Position: ENTREPRENEURS

"Don't be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try." The advice by basketball great Michael Jordan is one of Jennifer Thompson's favorite sayings and is a blueprint for how she runs her business, Thompson & Co. Public Relations.

"I love that quote," Thompson says. "I use that personally because every day I try and do something that makes me a little afraid. I try to do something that's a little bit risky. It's OK if you fall flat on your face, because at least you tried."

So far, the strategy has paid off for Thompson, who was named one of PR News' Top Women in PR in early 2015.

Thompson, alongside public relations executives from CNN, Coca Cola North America, and Time Warner Cable, is one of the "women who have made bold advances in managing crises, developing brand messages, protecting and building brand reputations, and creating content for digital platforms for their own organizations or for clients," according to PR News.

'Heart of Anchorage'

In April, Thompson took home the George M. Sullivan Award from the Heart of Anchorage Awards in Anchorage. That award recognizes members of the Anchorage downtown community "who demonstrate strong leadership qualities and work well with a team."

Thompson says she was "completely and totally blown away" by the honors, giving much of the credit to her staff for putting together "an impressive entry."

"I really believe our little agency is pretty top notch," Thompson says. "Collectively, at the end of the day, it really is the agency in its totality that's much more impressive than me."

Thompson's career has grown hand in hand with the company. She started as an intern at respected Anchorage public relations firm Bernholz & Graham in 2000. Roberta Graham says she hired Thompson on the recommendation of a trusted staffer at a time when the agency was in transition.

"I really needed someone who was fearless, who could think, and think creatively, and someone who had the desire to succeed both professionally and personally," Graham says in an email. "From her first day on the job, it was apparent that Jen possessed all of those qualities. But even more importantly, she had strong values and an ethical standard, and that was very important to me."

One of Thompson's first assignments was to handle the logistics for a three-day live broadcast by "Martha Stewart Living" in Southeast Alaska and the Yukon for a tourism client, Graham says.

"It would have been a daunting task for the most seasoned pro," Graham...