Garfield Group adds eight new clients; broadens geographical footprint

Tom Paine

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This past spring, Newtown-based Garfield Group, one of the leading tech PR/marketing communications firms in the Philadelphia area, announced a rebranding and repositioning initiative. Goals were to build its digital, content and creative capabilities and become a more fully integrated marketing services firm, establish new ties to the tech startup scene, and broaden its regional footprint.

Recently, Garfield demonstrated progress towards these goals by announcing the addition of eight new clients over the past six months. Four of the firms are local, two are in the Chicago area, one is in San Francisco and one is in Atlanta.

A prominent local tech addition is Conshohocken-based NextDocs, whose enterprise-scale eTMF, regulatory and quality solutions automate workflow and document management to speed FDA submission, automating compliance to improve efficiency while reducing costs. The end goal is to get needed new medicines to market faster. NextDocs has substantial venture backing from OpenView Venture Partners.

Peak Equity Partners, Radnor, is a newly formed private equity firm focused on buyouts and recapitalizations of enterprise software and solutions companies. Its co-founders, Greg Case and Paul Winn, were previously responsible for much of LLR Partners' tech investing.

Turnberry Solutions of Blue Bell is an IT staffing and consulting firm; its practice areas include the latest cloud, collaboration, and information security technologies. Bethelehem-based FamilyWize is a community service partnership focused on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, through a discount prescription card.

The other four are:

Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) Chicago

Trulify San Francisco

Navman Wireless Glenview, Illinois

iMedX Atlanta


“We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with these dynamic companies,” said Larry Garfield, president and founder of Garfield Group, in a statement. “These are organizations run by people who are disrupting the status quo in a number of very interesting ways. They present the kinds of challenges we live for — the chance to tell stories that can change the dynamics of an entire industry, and truly make a difference in peoples’ lives.”

Garfield Group rebrands and repositions

Tom Paine

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Newtown-based Garfield Group, one of most established business to business, tech-oriented marketing communications agencies in the mid-Atlantic region, announced in late March changes to its brand and business, and the addition of new talent and disciplines.

Clearly indicating a broader emphasis than traditional public relations, Garfield says it "now functions as a united team — branding, public relations and digital — leveraging integrated talent and insights to optimize programs across all online and offline channels." It will use a new single "G" brand symbol, distinct enough so it won't be at risk of being confused with that of Gatorade's.

Two key additions to the team are intended to help implement this new direction. Garfield has recently added Matt Pfluger (formerly of G2) as vice president, digital strategy and Bryon Lomas (formerly of Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners) as vice president, creative director. The firm also elevated Steve Clark to vice president, director of account services and Amy Valli to vice president, director of public relations.


Although Garfield has represented many of the more prestigious, innovative tech firms that have grown up in the Philly area (and some beyond) since its founding in 1990, President and founder Larry Garfield said in a phone interview with me that he wanted to broaden the firm's regional footprint, get closer to the area's startup scene, and increase its content, digital and video production capabilities.

Current clients include tax software giant Vertex, Opportunity Finance Network, Lotame, rapidly growing healthcare navigation firm Accolade, IMS Health, FreedomPay and online medical supplies firm Burmans.



Last September, Gretchen Roede, who had headed Garfield's public relations wing,
left to form a new firm, Broadpath Strategic Communications, and a few Garfield people (and some clients) followed. Roede had been at Garfield for 15 years. The reasons for the split are not clear, but both Garfield and Roede suggested the two wanted to pursue slightly different paths. “I’m really interested in putting together a firm that I think fits with the needs of today’s technology companies, and certainly being able to do it on my own terms is important as well,” Roede told the Philadelphia Business Journal at the time her new firm was announced.


Garfield, a South Jersey native, Phillies fan and Wharton grad, worked at other agencies
before starting his own in 1990.