15 years in business: Celebrating our alleeversary

September is our anniversary month and this year, it’s a big one — 15 years in business. To kick off the month, we’re sharing some Allee Creative history and fun facts. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram all month long for more fun content (and some freebies!) in celebration of our #alleeversary (see what we did there?).

15 fun facts about Allee Creative

1. Our original name was Harrison Communications

CEO and founder Melissa Harrison started the business out of a spare bedroom in her home. She needed a name fast as her first client was already signed from the get-go. And so, Harrison Communications was born.

2. We used to track billable hours by hand

You read that right. In the beginning, we had paper charts for each client where we filled in time worked to calculate billable hours at month-end. We kept this by-hand invoicing method for a few years until we were able to invest in a digital time-tracking and invoicing tool.

3. We rebranded in 2010

Melissa had a vision to expand the brand into something both clients and employees could resonate with and be fully integrated into; she wasn’t sold on using her last name as a way to do that. So, she reached out to her colleague Renita Faye at Affina to work through a brand redesign. That’s when Allee was born.

4. Allee is French

We love that our company name is a talking point. “How do you pronounce that?” “What does it mean?” “How did you come up with the name?” are all questions we’re asked year-round and it’s great! It allows us to explain our name and how it feeds in to who we are and what we do.

Allee (ah-lay) is French for a path or walkway between trees. It is a perfect fit — we guide our clients down a path lined with marketing expertise. If you look close, you will see that ‘path’ in our logo as well.

5. Our niche started in print communication and publications

Social media what?? While it’s easy to see what we do digitally, we actually spent a lot of time designing and writing annual reports, printed newsletters, magazines and brochures in the early years. Some of our clients didn’t even have websites. Fast-forward 15 years and we’re still doing those traditional pieces we love, but have completely ramped up the digital game–everywhere–for ourselves and for our clients.

6. Our team was fully remote until 2016

We were in business for 10 years before we even considered moving into an office. Even after the lease was signed on our first office building, we still encouraged remote work if and when needed. This hybrid model has allowed us to work with clients (and employees) from all over, not solely based on geographic location.

7. Our reach is international

We have worked with clients in 16 countries.

8. We have served over 100 clients

To date, we have worked with 115 client–from small business, nonprofits and associations, to large corporations, professional services and educational institutions. The best part is the relationships we’ve built over the years. In fact, we have many clients we’ve worked with for 5, 7, even 10 years!

9. We love collaboration

We have worked with amazing contractors, agencies, creatives and partners over the years. The work we do is always better when great minds come together. We love these collaborations and encourage you to check out some of long-standing partners such as: Whiteley Designs, Introworks, Adore, First Impression Group, June UX, Falco Creative Media, Coppersmith Photography and Flying Orange Web Design.

10. We’ve penned more than 3,000 blog posts

Creating content is our jam and we sure have done a lot of that in 15 years. By our estimations, we’ve written well over 3,000 individual blog posts for our clients. That’s a lot of words!

11. We’ve managed 100+ social media channels

Content calendars, source lists, Instagram stories, reels, Twitter chats, Facebook Live, LinkedIn articles — you name it, we’ve likely done it. The best part about our jobs is the variety of clients, projects, content, strategies and channels.

12. Our first international job was in Montreal, Quebec

Our CEO was invited to present a break-out session and workshop for IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) World attendees in 2018. What a perfect first gig outside of the U.S.; a French-speaking province. They loved our company name. 😊

13. We’re tagline people

During our rebrand in 2010, we added the tagline: Think. Create. Communicate. It succinctly describes what we do: Strategize custom marketing strategies for business growth; craft effective communication pieces that support these strategies; and execute the plan on all available platforms to elevate our clients’ brands.

14. We once had 3 coffee machines in our office

Which may not seem like a lot if you work in a large office, but let’s be clear: It was for a team of 5 at the time. You want to know the secret behind crafting good content? Good coffee.

15. Our CEO had 1 kid when she started the business, now she has 4

Working moms unite! Melissa founded the company with a toddler at home. Fifteen years later, she is a busy mom of four (three teenagers and a tween). Things escalated quickly!

We are grateful to be where we are today, celebrating 15 years in business. Through the years, our work, our clients, our team and even our office locations have ebbed and flowed, but we have remained steadfast as an agency. We are proud to say we reached this milestone and will continue to work hard for you, our clients. Thank you for continuing on this journey with us.