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In a milestone moment for Moore, PR NEWS named both Karen Moore, founder and CEO, and Terrie Ard, president and COO, to its 2023 list of Top Women Award winners in the “entrepreneur” and “change-maker” categories, respectively.

The pair recently joined the other national and international winners at an awards celebration in New York City — where smoke from the Canadian wildfires cast a cloud over the sky but not their spirits. I sat down with our leaders for their thoughts.

Q: Congratulations! Tell us about what this moment means to each of you.

Karen: An entrepreneur sees a problem or challenge and creates a solution. I started the Moore Agency 30 years ago as a young entrepreneur with no office, no computer and no clients — just a strong reputation, some community connections and the will to make it work. Now, we are ranked among the nation’s top 50 largest public relations and public affairs agencies providing solutions to clients worldwide. Attending the event was a proud moment, but the honor must be shared and celebrated with our entire team.

Terrie: It was energizing to be in a room filled with ambitious women leaders, all at the top of our game. This was also a moment to recognize our many successes at Moore, including a 79% revenue growth over the past five years.

Q: Terrie, what do you think makes someone a change-maker?

Terrie: Being a change-maker is like being a magician. Instead of pulling rabbits out of hats, we pull out ideas, solutions and positive impact. And it stems from intentionality — the driving force behind our actions. Intention fuels our determination, allowing us to overcome obstacles and push beyond our limits. It gives us clarity amid chaos, helping us to prioritize what truly matters. With intentionality, we transform dreams into realities and ideas into innovations.

Q: Karen, as an entrepreneur, you cast a long-range vision for smart growth. Tell us about that.

Karen: One key to our success is cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit within the leaders of our organization. Five years ago, Moore embarked on a program to expand client services, grow revenue and develop the next generation of ownership and leadership. That culminated this year — our 30th anniversary — with the appointment of seven key agency leaders to become Moore Partners. These individuals share a multi-disciplined background to lead key strategic service areas. And they hold an astonishing 90-plus years of collective experience with Moore!

Q: Terrie, you’re the change-maker. Where do you see change happening in the industry and how are you responding?

Terrie: I think we deliver results better than anyone in part because of our three differentiators: data and analytics, digital and technology innovation and multicultural marketing. We constantly observe trends and proactively build new approaches and best practices.

For example, let’s talk about multicultural marketing. We see incredible growth in populations we typically consider “multicultural or diverse,” but the truth is in many areas these populations are the mainstream. Effective multicultural marketing needs to be less about specialized campaigns and more about incorporating the tactics and practices we once used only for them into the main body of work.

In data and analytics, the rollout of GA4 has been years in the making, and it shined a light on the analytics industry in general. There was a lack of support, a lack of a clear plan and a continually buggy interface. At Moore, we have spent the past year discussing GA4 internally and externally. We have initiated migrations for clients, supported migrations from other parties and audited data. And in digital innovation, we’re leveraging multiple AI platforms to boost efficiency and serve clients better. I could go on and on!

Karen: I’ll jump in to say Terrie’s knowledge about industry trends is clearly incredible. She is also supported by a phenomenal team of experts. And, with a 92 percent employee retention rate, we credit our strong culture with encouraging them to stay. They grow the breadth and depth of their expertise right here at Moore. Even Terrie started here as an intern! We have a knack for recognizing, nurturing and retaining talent, and I think it’s the biggest reason behind our 98 percent client retention rate.