Tom Hirons opened his namesake communications agency after graduating from Indiana University Bloomington in 1978. Forty years later, Hirons is one of Indiana’s leading advertising, public relations and digital marketing firms.
INDIANAPOLIS
Community and business leaders from across the state recently celebrated the milestone at Hirons’ offices in downtown Indianapolis. During the event, Tom Hirons announced he will transition to a chairmanship role with less involvement in the company’s day-to-day activities. He will continue to consult on client work.
With the transfer of Hirons’ ownership to employees now fully complete, Tom says this is the perfect time to delegate greater responsibility to Hirons’ employee-owners.
“I’ve been preparing for this transition for quite some time,” he said. “Given the seasoned leadership and immense talent at the agency, our company is poised for a tremendous future.”
Former Chief Operating Officer Jim Parham will now lead the company as CEO, and longtime Hirons Senior Vice President Deana Haworth will assume the role of COO. Parham and Haworth, along with CFO Ann Kneifel and other senior Hirons leaders, look forward to continuing the agency’s growth trajectory launched by Tom Hirons.
“When it comes to advertising and marketing in Indiana, there are no bigger shoes to fill,” said Parham. “Tom’s legacy in this industry will always be remembered, and our charge is to build on that foundation for even greater success and growth moving forward.”
The celebration included several colleague- and client-driven surprises for Tom, including the prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash award, one of Indiana’s highest distinctions, given to those who’ve shown exceptional service to their communities and the state and contributed greatly to Hoosier heritage.
In addition, Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili, Council Minority Leader Michael McQuillen and District 17 Council Member Zach Adamson presented Tom with a City-County Council proclamation recognizing his collaboration across the aisle and successful bipartisan efforts at the county and state levels. A companion proclamation from the City of Indianapolis was also presented.
Wrapping up the presentation, Emily Harrison, director of Development and Alumni Relations at Indiana University, announced the Tom Hirons Scholarship at the Indiana University Media School, which will support undergraduate and graduate Media School students interested in a career in branding and/or advertising. Harrison, a former Hirons employee herself, also revealed that the Media School is finalizing an internship program that will be named in Tom’s honor.
Later in the evening, Hirons leaders announced the launch of its new website, www.hirons.com.
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About Hirons
Hirons, an award-winning advertising, public relations and digital communications firm based in Indianapolis, has been concepting, designing and distributing some of the state’s most widely recognized advertising campaigns since 1978. An established provider of bold and innovative communications solutions, Hirons’ research-based approach starts by first establishing the problem at hand and then tailoring our services to best fit our clients’ needs. With clients in both the commercial and government sectors, Hirons is leading efforts to spread both digital and traditional messages across the state of Indiana and beyond.
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