Silicon Valley agency Highwire PR has moved to Boston, in a bid to continue expanding its East Coast presence while placing a footprint in a city known as a hub for tech and innovation.
The Beantown outpost will be led by senior vice president Ross Levanto. Levanto joins Highwire from corporate communications and investor relations giant ICR, where he served as senior vice president. He previously held an SVP role at MSLGROUP, where he was also Boston technology practice lead.
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Boston recently ranked fifth among geographic markets represented by companies listed in the Deloitte Fast 500. Levanto told O’Dwyer’s that many organizations now rate the city as one of the country's top innovative markets.
“Many many new ideas in technology are born in the Boston region and New England, and we believe Highwire’s approach to PR is well-suited to represent them and the companies behind them,” Levanto said. “Highwire has driven PR results that match strategic business objectives for companies in technology areas where Boston is strong, such as enterprise tech, IT security and digital health. For all these reasons, we are bullish about our prospects for success in the new market.”
Highwire in 2015 opened a New York office to serve East Coast clients and establish a presence in that media and advertising hub. In the year since, that outpost has doubled its staff headcount. Levanto said the agency, which is in the midst of its 2017 planning, also plans to add staff to its Boston location next year in a bid to align with growth expectations.
San Francisco-based Highwire, which was founded in 2008, rebranded from its former moniker, Borders + Gratehouse, in 2013. The agency in 2015 posted nearly $11 million in net fees, revealing 34 percent year-over-year growth.
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