Actions Commemorate The Hannon Group’s 15th Anniversary
National Harbor, MD. (Nov. 14, 2016) To kick off its 15th year in business Prince County-based and minority-owned public relations firm, The Hannon Group (THG), has announced a $15,000 endowment over five years to the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School, and the creation of a Founder’s Circle, to honor and recognize the 11 key professionals who helped THG get its start in business and supported the company through its growth. Both the school and the THG Founders will be formally honored in a private ceremony on Thursday, November 17, 2016.
“The Thurgood Marshall Academy is making incredible impacts in underserved communities in the Washington metro area by providing superior education to underserved youth. Moreover, the Academy is broadening the world of so many youth by showing them the way to higher education with a 100 percent acceptance rate of its students to colleges and universities. That’s why I am very pleased to make a contribution to the school,” said The Hannon Group Founder and President, Dr. Sandra Wills Hannon.
Dr. Hannon opened THG as a sole proprietorship in 1994. Then, in 2002, it became a Limited Liability Corporation. Through the mentoring and encouragement of nearly a dozen key individuals, the firm became a Minority Business Enterprise and 8a certified in 1995 and 2010, respectively. In 2012, THG won its first 8a contract with the Centers for Disease Control, and was recognized as a Top Minority Business Enterprise in 2014. Later that year, THG opened its first office in Maryland and won its second 8a contract, this time with the Department of Energy. THG quickly ramped up to 26 employees by late 2015 to meet contract needs. The firm began the New Year in 2016 by nearly doubling its staff to 45, and opened its second office in Atlanta.
Over the last ten years, THG has won multiple public relations awards for its work including two Thoth Awards, conferred by the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) where she served in 2007 as its first African American Chair. THG also recently won a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence, one of the highest honors in the industry, for their work to promote health insurance enrollment to the African American community on behalf of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange.
“No one achieves the kind of success I have so far, strictly on their own. I owe a debt of gratitude to eleven amazing individuals, who over the last 15 years were my role models, guides, mentors and supporters. I honor each of them for their specific and unique contributions to our success, through creation of a Founder’s Circle.”
The full list of Founders and their bios, as well as additional background on Dr. Hannon and The Hannon Group is at www.thehannongroup.com/about/the-founders-circle/.
About The Hannon Group
The Hannon Group, LLC (THG) is an award-winning public relations and market research firm based in National Harbor, Maryland. Founded in 1991, THG operated for the first 10 years as a sole proprietorship, evolving into a limited liability corporation in 2002. In the last 15 years, THG transformed from a solo consultancy, to a virtual agency, to a full-service agency of close to 50 employees. The Hannon Group is one of the largest African American woman-owned PR agencies in the United States. In 2014, The Hannon Group was recognized as a Top 100 Minority Business Enterprises out of 4,000 businesses under consideration. The Hannon Group offers strategic planning, market research, brand development, technical writing, materials development and consulting services to help clients make a winning impact on their constituents and customers.
Editor’s Note: Head Shot of Dr. Hannon available upon request.