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OVF Member Profile: Saxum Strategic Communications
By Lori Williams email »
The ball is up for grabs with only minutes left in the game. Tension is high and exhilaration is palpable. The buzzer sounds, but the ball is safely in Saxum’s control. It’s crunch time, and this team of public relations professionals has once again beat the clock.
Such analogies are familiar to the group at Saxum Strategic Communications. After all, just a few years ago Saxum CEO Renzi Stone was a three-year starter for the OU basketball team. “During those games,” recalls Stone, “the most exhilarating times for me were when somebody needed to make something happen.”
For Stone, therefore, the segue from the basketball court to the public relations field was little more than an outside shot away. “When the score’s tied at the end of a game,” he notes, “there are the people who want the ball – and the people who want to pass the ball. At Saxum, we want to be the type of firm that can be counted on when the clock is ticking down.”
Such moments are commonplace at Saxum, where targeted PR campaigns are individually crafted for clients as varied as
How effective is it to integrate these three models into one strategic communications plan? Consider this year’s Metro 50 awards, in which the fastest growing, privately-owned companies in the
So the strategic game plan works. But what are the rules of the game? Renzi Stone spells out high, non-negotiable expectations for his team of PR professionals:
- Implementby Noon. “I like to think that decisions made during our 9:00 am staff meetings will be implemented by noon of that same day,” says Stone. “Everyone’s ideas are considered, and the good ones are put into effect as quickly as possible.”
- Deliver an “A” Effort. “There’s nothing wrong with a “C” if that’s what your level of expectation is,” Stone says. “But I create an atmosphere where I demand that everyone give an “A” effort all of the time.” Such efforts have their rewards, as in The Super Saxum Spiffy Award. This distinction is given weekly to the team member who has made the biggest contribution.
- Embrace Crunch Time. “How you react to crunch time moments defines how good you are at what you do,” asserts Stone. “So at Saxum we’ve tried to take it to another level. When crunch time comes, we embrace it, because if you can embrace it you can deal with it.”
- Achieve Innovation. “As a leader, I always challenge my team to think outside the box,” says Stone. “We’ve grown our company by evaluating how things have typically been done, and then we try to turn that thinking upside down. This generally creates a superior end result.”
Clearly, innovation is the pulse of Saxum’s game plan. Read Renzi Stone’s blog (www.saxumcommunications.blogspot.com) for examples of just how original this CEO is. He’s teaming with Enye Media to give a bicultural as well as bilingual edge to Saxum’s endeavors. He’s engaging in political discussions to spotlight emerging public policy issues. And he’s learning about capitalism and customer satisfaction from Harold, the shoeshine man at the airport. “Harold is one of the brightest guys I’ve ever been around,” Stone says.
Those Bacco Bucci loafers sure take the shine better than the Nikes ever did.
For more information on Saxum Strategic Communications, visit the company’s website at www.saxumcommunications.com.
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