When Jennifer Hawkins founded Hawkins International Public Relations she had a couple of goals in mind. The first was to create an award winning public relations agency within the luxury travel industry. That one was quickly achieved through a cultivation of strong media relationships, a keen sense of industry trends and exceptional client relations. Her second goal was to foster a productive, positive work environment for all employees – which isn’t always the easiest feat, especially in a Manhattan-based agency. But Jennifer was determined, especially after coming from an agency with a competitive ethos, and set out to make Hawkins International a place where people love coming to work every day.
It’s the people that really set Hawkins International apart, and that’s what Jennifer wanted to focus on. When hiring, the HR team looks for genuinely good people. Yes, experience and drive are important, but positivity in the workplace ultimately leads to better retention and morale. From company-wide brainstorms to quarterly philanthropic initiatives, agency collaboration goes beyond the workday and motivates the team to continue to grow both as employees and people.
When the Business Owners Council presented Jennifer Hawkins with the “Best Company Culture” honor at their recent awards ceremony, all of the employees here at Hawkins International were thrilled, but not completely surprised. We have been around the sunny, Chelsea agency long enough to know that we were involved in something special. We had seen the recent opening of Hawkins International’s second office turn into a fun, naming competition for all, they had celebrated monthly birthdays and special personal festivities with wine and cheese in our large conference room and had opened our yearly bonuses with pride.
If it’s the people that make the place, then Jennifer has created something special here at Hawkins. Our bright, newsroom-style office brims with creativity and innovation because of the environment that she has fostered. We look forward to showcasing this award in our offices as a daily reminder of what has been built and we look forward to being a part of the ever-evolving journey every day.
You can find the “Award Spotlight: Jennifer Hawkins” on the Business Owners Council website here.