The Hodges Partnership

What The Hodges Partnership does

The Hodges Partnership is a privately held, full-service public relations and communications agency founded in 2002 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The firm operates under a unified earned-owned-paid (EOP) media model across seven integrated service lines: Media Relations, Content Marketing and Social Media, Paid Promotion, Strategic Communications, Research and Insights, Crisis Communications, and Creative Services. Its client roster is vertically concentrated in Education, Nonprofit & Association, Tourism & Hospitality, Economic Development & Retail, B2B & Logistics, and Advocacy, with anchor relationships including a nine-year engagement with Kroger Mid-Atlantic and multi-year work for Virginia's Community Colleges, the Virginia Spirits Board, Mercy Chefs, and No Kid Hungry Virginia.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on standard industry tooling (Mailchimp, WordPress, social-media schedulers, video and photography coordination) and the firm deliberately emphasizes human-crafted content over AI-generated output. Distribution is purely direct: services are sold and delivered through partner-led client engagements, with demand generated by an extensive content marketing footprint (The Gong blog with 102+ posts, a podcast, The Press Box monthly newsletter, and The Phil nonprofit digital publication), industry award recognition (PRSA Richmond Best in Show 2025 plus seven awards; consistent annual recognition 2021-2024), and the founder/partner brand (Jon Newman, CEO/Partner, an ex-TV reporter and former Martin Agency head of media relations).

Revenue is generated through custom-scoped, fee-for-service professional engagements structured as retainers or projects, with no published pricing tiers and no SaaS or product revenue. Pricing is set via direct consultation; paid media execution is partly supported by unnamed third-party media partners when buy scale demands it. The firm is co-owned by its partners (Jon Newman, Sean Ryan, Paulyn Ocampo, Lindsay O'Bar, Greg Surber) with no disclosed institutional capital, parent company, or outside investors. O'Dwyer's annual rankings recognize The Hodges Partnership as one of the largest US public relations firms.

Name

The Hodges Partnership

Legal name

The Hodges Partnership

Website

https://hodgespart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Full-service public relations agency headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, delivering integrated earned-owned-paid communications for education, nonprofit, tourism, B2B, and advocacy clients across the Mid-Atlantic and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional PR & Communications Consulting Services: The Hodges Partnership generates revenue through fee-for-service professional communications consulting. Services include media relations, content marketing, paid promotion, strategic communications, research & insights, crisis management, and creative services. engagements are project-based and retainer arrangements. No product or SaaS revenue streams are described.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Hodges Partnership is a full-service public relations and communications agency that delivers earned, owned, and paid (EOP) media strategies for organizations across Virginia and the U.S. The firm sells a unified suite of communications services including media relations, content marketing and social media management, paid promotion, strategic communications, research and insights, crisis communications, and creative services. Engagements are structured as project-based work and retainer arrangements tailored to each client's goals.

Product overview

The Hodges Partnership is a full-service PR agency offering a unified suite of communications services organized around an earned-owned-paid media approach. The core service portfolio includes Media Relations, Content Marketing and Social Media, Paid Promotion, Strategic Communications, Research and Insights, Crisis Communications, and Creative Services. These services are designed to work together as an integrated communications solution, with Creative Services bridging strategy across earned, owned, and paid media channels. The agency operates as a single-service offering rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Media Relations
• Content Marketing and Social Media
• Paid Promotion
• Strategic Communications
• Research and Insights
• Crisis Communications
• Creative Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Virginia's Community Colleges enrollment increased 4.3% and likelihood to enroll increased 19 points from 'Find Your Answer' campaign (45.3M digital impressions)
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers34 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Trusted Paid Media Partners (unnamed)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFor larger media buying strategies, the firm brings in trusted third-party paid media partners to help deliver results, while core services (media relations, content, crisis, creative) are handled in-house. Partners are not publicly named.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prosek Partners: Independent mid-to-large public relations and marketing firm with full-service capabilities across financial services, professional services, healthcare and B2B — competes in adjacent verticals to Hodges at a larger scale.
• The Martin Agency: Iconic Richmond, Virginia-headquartered advertising and creative agency that is the most geographically comparable peer to The Hodges Partnership. Hodges CEO Jon Newman previously served as Head of Media Relations at The Martin Agency before founding Hodges, and both firms serve overlapping Mid-Atlantic clients across creative, content, and media services.
• Padilla: Mid-sized independent public relations and communications firm serving healthcare, food and nutrition, education and government clients — a near-mirror of Hodges' vertical mix and full-service PR/earned media model.
• rbb Communications: Mid-sized independent PR and integrated communications firm covering consumer, healthcare, professional services, and nonprofit verticals — comparable in size and full-service scope to The Hodges Partnership.
• Crosby Marketing Communications: Mid-Atlantic-headquartered integrated marketing and communications firm with significant federal agency, healthcare, and nonprofit client overlap — comparable mid-size structure to Hodges with similar vertical exposure and creative-services capabilities.
• Gregory FCA: Mid-sized independent public relations and integrated communications firm with a comparable full-service model and emphasis on earned media programs for B2B technology and consumer clients.
• INK Communications Co. Independent B2B-focused public relations firm offering media relations, content, and integrated communications — comparable independent mid-sized business model with shared emphasis on earned-media-led programs.

Broad incumbents

• Weber Shandwick: Global public relations firm (part of IPG) with deep education, nonprofit, public affairs, and B2B practices — competes for the same enterprise, government, and mission-driven clients as Hodges from a much larger global platform.
• Edelman: World's largest public relations firm and direct competitor in nonprofit, government advocacy, healthcare, and education verticals — Hodges' clients overlap significantly with Edelman's U.S. practices, though Edelman offers a far broader global service portfolio.
• Finn Partners: One of the largest independent public relations firms globally, providing integrated communications across consumer, health, education, and social-impact verticals — a larger-scale peer that competes for similar clients as Hodges.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HodgesTweets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hodges-partnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The Hodges Partnership