Unlike some PR firms, who choose to remain in the background and do work quietly for their clients, Ronn [sic] Torossian has never been one to be a wallflower in his own right. And so when PR Week neglected to include him in their shortlist for Agency of the Year, no one was more upset than Ronn [sic] himself, as he expresses in a letter to the magazine this week (sadly, online only for subscribers):

Shortlist missing 5W PR

I am simply amazed that a firm founded in January 2003 with one person and that in 2006 exceeded $9 million in revenues with 75 employees between two different offices and a number of blue-chip Fortune 100 companies didn't make PRWeek's shortlist for Agency of the Year.
We have the only CEO of a top 50 PR firm under the age of 45. We're doing things no other agency has ever done. But we don't make the shortlist?

This is the third year in a row we will be the fastest-growing firm in the US, and we have never made a new-business call. That doesn't speak for itself? Are the judges our competitors? The agency CEOs who we beat on the 85% of new business we pitch? Or are they our competitors who call us for ideas on how to win clients in consumer pop culture or to understand new technology? We aren't part of the agency "old boys' network." We'd rather spend time with clients than competitors. The agency does not have a team dedicated to submitting awards. We'd prefer to overservice clients... which is where all our referrals come from. Is that why? Could it be PRWeek simply doesn't like our style? It doesn't like PR firms that don't play by the book? I was named to Ad Age's 2006 "40 Under 40" list as one of "a group of young dynamos who are making their mark now and are destined to dominate the marketing scene for years." The fact that 5W isn't an Agency of the Year finalist is unbelievable. In the real business world, results and numbers are what count, not playing by the rules of an industry with no leadership. PRWeek may resent our style, but the bottom line is that it works for clients and 5W. Jealousy may abound, but we are building a brand and succeeding, and will continue to exceed our clients' expectations. Ronn Torossian President and CEO 5W Public Relations New York

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