Fifth Ring unveils new Houston office
Fifth Ring Integrated Corporate Communications has today extended its international reach with the opening of its Houston office in partnership with established branding, advertising and marketing communications firm Pennebaker, launching Pennebaker Fifth
The new entity, Pennebaker Fifth Ring, will now work heavily with the energy sector across a full range of corporate communications services with a presence in the three main energy capitals – Aberdeen, Dubai and Houston.
Fifth Ring launched in Aberdeen in 1991, Dubai in 2003 and Inverness in 2007. In the past year, turnover in Fifthring's Aberdeen base has increased by 25% to more than £3.25m. In 2008 / 2009 group turnover (Aberdeen, Dubai and Houston) is expected to grow by 35% to more than £6m.
Ward Pennebaker, principal of Pennebaker, said: “We have been working on international projects at arm’s length for many years and this was the next logical step for us in achieving true international coverage. Our clients appreciate what we can do for them from our Houston base, but they have told us they would like a presence of the same quality on the ground in Europe and the Middle East. Joining with Fifth Ring will help us accommodate our clients’ growing needs, as well as provide value-added, seamless services around the world.”
Pennebaker, established in 1984, has a team of 22 and offers a variety of marketing communication support, such as strategic marketing and research, corporate identity development, marketing collateral production, advertising, packaging, web design, multimedia and motion graphics. An impressive client list includes the Bristow Group, ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, Mitsubishi and Schlumberger. Pennebaker Fifth Ring’s portfolio will be further enhanced with the addition of a PR offering, headed up by Brad Leone who joins the company from a major Houston-based PR firm.
Ian Ord, (left) business development director of Fifth Ring in Aberdeen, said: “We’ve been searching for a compatible business in Houston with matching business principles and complementary skills for some time and Pennebaker has proven to be the ideal fit. The opening of the new Houston office is another milestone towards accomplishing our vision to build a truly international company within the major energy hubs of the world. But energy, although important, is not the whole story and it’s not just our oil and gas clients who stand to benefit. With a strong increase in commercial links between Houston and the Middle East, other core sectors such as financial and professional services, medical and education will also profit from our new offering. We are very excited about this new venture and confident that Pennebaker Fifth Ring will help grow our international client base.”