In March 2009, Sagus International, an innovative furniture-supply company, hired us to boost their visibility in their hometown of Chicago. But if you’ve been paying attention over the last 35 years or so, you know we tend to – how shall I put this – do more.
This time, the more came from PR Vice President Annette Maggiacomo, who came upon the story of a Dillon, South Carolina teenager who’d written to President Barack Obama about the terrible conditions at her school.
Annette and her team viewed the situation at J.V. Martin Junior High School as an opportunity for Sagus to not only emerge as a leader in transforming school classrooms for the 21st century, but to actually make a difference. A few days later, Sagus agreed to donate all new furniture to the school, and we began the process of developing the company’s messaging, guiding its decision-making, and preparing Sagus officials for media interviews. Concurrently, we pitched dozens of major media outlets and by May, were on the ground in Dillon. Together, our efforts resulted in – first and foremost – many, many happy students, teachers, staff and parents.
Beyond that, we garnered an article in People magazine as well as a front-page story in The Chicago Tribune – the client’s hometown newspaper.
The AP story was published in nearly every major U.S. metropolitan newspaper, including USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Denver Post, The Miami Herald and The Seattle Times.
CNN and MSNBC ran multiple reports, and the Sagus story blanketed the local news in South and North Carolina, with features on the ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates, as well as in The State, South Carolina’s largest newspaper, and The Charlotte News & Observer. A number of local Chicago affiliates even reported on Sagus’s good work. Today, Duffy & Shanley continues to position Sagus as a leader in remaking today’s classrooms for tomorrow’s learners.
And a company with a great big heart.
