What Crescenzo Communications does

Crescenzo Communications is a Chicago-based, privately held communications consulting firm founded in 1998 by Steve Crescenzo, with his wife Cindy Crescenzo serving as a partner and their son Zach Crescenzo joining in 2020. The firm offers customized training and workshops, communication strategy and planning, audits and research, leader and manager communication development, content and storytelling, and employee experience and engagement services. It is primarily a service business with no underlying technology product, delivering engagements virtually via Zoom/Teams to a global client base that includes Fortune 100 companies and internal communications teams.

The business model is anchored in project-based professional services engagements, augmented by keynote speaking and a subscription-based professional development community called The Strategy Studio, which is managed by Zach Crescenzo and serves corporate communicators across career stages. Go-to-market is consultative and sales-led: prospects reach out through the website contact form, receive a response within 24 hours, and are routed into customized training or consulting engagements. The firm invests in top- and mid-funnel demand generation through its "Low-Hanging Fruit" blog, a weekly newsletter, LinkedIn presence, and recurring webinars and events.

Crescenzo Communications is bootstrapped and family-owned, with no external investors or funding rounds disclosed and 1-10 employees. Its principal intangible asset is the personal brand of Steve Crescenzo, a seven-time #1-rated speaker at the IABC World Conference, which functions as the primary driver of inbound demand and client trust.

Name

Crescenzo Communications

Legal name

Crescenzo Communications

Website

https://crescenzocomm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Crescenzo Communications is a Chicago-based, family-owned communications consultancy providing customized training, communication strategy, audits, and research to Fortune 100 companies and internal communications teams globally. It also runs The Strategy Studio, a subscription community for corporate communicators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Communications Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

CRM Strategy & Consulting (BPAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Engagement & Messaging (Email, SMS, Push, In-App) (BPAFAFAI)

Keywords

• Corporate communication consulting
• Internal communications training
• Communication strategy planning
• Communication audits research
• Executive communication coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Customized Training and Workshops: Bespoke training programs built around client's team, content, and real-world challenges. Training covers topics including writing fundamentals, corporate communication best practices, storytelling across media, measurement and research, executive communication, and manager communication.
2. Communication Strategy and Consulting: Strategic consulting services including communication audits, research, assessments, and planning. Focuses on helping organizations transform from reactive communicators to strategic counselors.
3. Speaking Engagements: Keynote speaking and workshop leadership at conferences and corporate events. Steve Crescenzo has been rated the #1 speaker at IABC World Conference seven times.
4. The Strategy Studio Membership: Professional development community and network for corporate communicators, with community management and ongoing member engagement.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Crescenzo Communications provides customized training, strategic planning, communication audits, and research services to help organizations transform their corporate communications from formulaic, jargon-ridden messaging into creative, engaging content. Offerings include workshops, communication strategy and planning, audits/research/assessments, leader and manager communication training, content and storytelling, employee experience and engagement consulting, speaking engagements, and The Strategy Studio professional development community.

Product overview

Crescenzo Communications is a consulting and training firm that operates as a unified service offering rather than a software platform. The portfolio centers on professional communication consulting and development, comprising The Strategy Studio (a professional development community), Customized Training and Workshops (tailored to specific client needs), and strategic services including Communication Strategy & Planning, Audits, Research & Assessments, Leader & Manager Communication, Content & Storytelling, and Employee Experience & Engagement. Additional offerings include speaking engagements, retreat facilitation, webinars, and the Low-Hanging Fruit Blog. The company primarily serves corporate communicators and internal communications professionals across Fortune 100 companies and smaller organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customized Training and Workshops Bespoke training programs built around client teams, content, and real-world challenges. Topics include writing fundamentals, corporate communication best practices, storytelling across all media, communication measurement and research, executive communication, and manager communication training.
• Communication Strategy & Planning Strategic consulting services helping organizations transform from reactive 'order taker' communication approaches to proactive, modern, and strategic communication planning based on industry best practices.
• Audits, Research & Assessments Communication research and assessment services that measure effectiveness and identify improvement areas for organizational communication programs.
• Leader & Manager Communication Training and development programs designed to help executives and people managers apply modern communication strategies to connect effectively with employees.
• Content & Storytelling Services focused on creating compelling content and storytelling across written, visual, video, audio, and photographic media channels.
• Employee Experience & Engagement Consulting services aimed at improving employee experience and engagement through effective communication strategies and programs.
• Speaking Services Keynote speaking and presentation services delivered by Steve Crescenzo, who has been voted the #1-rated speaker at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) World Conference seven times, including three years in a row.
• Retreat Facilitation Offsite and retreat facilitation services for communication teams and organizations seeking intensive training and strategic planning sessions.
• Webinars Online webinar events providing professional development for communicators at various career stages.
• The Strategy Studio A professional development community and membership network for corporate communicators, providing ongoing workshops, master classes, and learning opportunities to develop communication skills.

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ragan Consulting Group: Ragan is the most direct peer — a long-established training, consulting, and content business serving corporate communicators. It offers workshops, webinars, conferences, and consulting closely overlapping Crescenzo's customized training, workshops, and Strategy Studio offerings.
• The Grossman Group: Grossman Group is a strategic internal communications consultancy that helps leaders and communicators improve employee engagement and leadership communication. Highly comparable as a small, specialist consultancy in the same niche as Crescenzo.
• Brilliant Ink: Brilliant Ink is an internal communications agency offering content strategy, employee engagement, and communications training. It is a direct competitor in the employee experience and internal comms strategy space Crescenzo serves.
• Schaefer Advertising Co. Schaefer is a full-service agency with a notable internal communications and employee engagement practice. Comparable as a similarly-sized consultancy offering strategy, content, and training for corporate communications teams.
• Westside Consulting: Westside Consulting specializes in strategic internal communications and change communications. Comparable as a boutique consultancy focused on helping organizations improve employee engagement — closely aligned with Crescenzo's service portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Melcrum: Melcrum (now part of Gartner) is a research, training, and advisory firm specifically for internal communication professionals. Comparable as it offers research, benchmarks, and training to the same buyer persona as Crescenzo.
• Ketchum: Ketchum is a major global communications consultancy with internal communications and employee engagement practices. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering overlapping corporate communications strategy and content services to large enterprises.
• Edelman: Edelman is the world's largest PR firm with dedicated corporate and internal communications practices. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving enterprise clients with strategic communications advisory and content services that overlap with Crescenzo's enterprise work.
• Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a top global PR and communications agency with employee engagement and change management capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose corporate communications practice overlaps with Crescenzo's enterprise engagement work.

Others

• IABC (International Association of Business Communicators): IABC is the global trade association for business communicators and the body that awards Crescenzo its #1 speaker recognition. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive — it sets industry standards, runs conferences, and provides networking that Crescenzo leverages as a marketing channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crescenzo-comm
• Facebookfacebook.com/crescenzocomm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crescenzo Communications