People power drives business success, but some organizations still take talent for granted. Conscientious culture setting can be the difference between navigating a steady flow of transient team members and firmly establishing a crew of core contributors who can help shape a business’s destiny.
The median tenure of U.S. employees is 3.9 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is significantly less time than it takes the average college graduate to earn a bachelor’s degree — a figure now approaching six years.
In a fast-paced industry defined by change, which certainly describes advertising, public relations and creative communications, longevity is rarer still. Anecdotally, many PR and marketing professionals leave agencies after less than two years.
So it’s a pretty big deal that Edge’s Chief Creative Officer, Aaron Pumfrey, is celebrating his 18th year with the company this month!
This milestone is a testament both to his individual dedication and superlative (and ever-evolving) creative talents supported by an organizational culture that prioritizes continuity and cohesion.
Thinking Dynastically
In past eras, job hopping was often culturally discouraged. Employees frequently stayed with one company from the beginning of their professional lives until the end.
Times have changed. Now, role rotation is a tried and true method of career advancement. In many cases, migrating employees really do find greener pastures. They unlock lofty titles that weren’t available on their old org charts and enjoy the salary and benefits packages that come with them. There’s nothing wrong with betting on yourself and striking out boldly on a new adventure.
Turnstile employment patterns do have their downsides, however. Top-level creatives may enjoy the challenge of a new role with a new company, but regularly jumping ship can interrupt the deep knowledge building and skill mastery that allow for greater professional success. For agencies, the downsides are clear. High turnover weakens institutional knowledge, wobbles client relationships and undermines team cohesion.
To borrow a sporting analogy — retention is the difference between building a one-off championship team and constructing a dynasty. Fostering a culture that keeps key team members in place for the long haul is a must for any organization looking to be a vital force today, tomorrow and beyond. Long-term retention allows for deeper client relationships, stronger collaborations, and an intimate familiarity with brand and strategy that yields consistently positive results.
Companies that prioritize retention are not just reaping the rewards of consistency. They often benefit from stronger individual output.
Just 20% of the world’s workforce reports feeling engaged with their role, according to a recent Gallup poll. But studies have shown that professionals with lengthy tenures (especially those of 10-plus years) comfortably exceed this baseline. This makes sense. Employees who remain with an organization for a long time have put in a lot of sweat equity. They feel a sense of ownership in group outcomes and will go the extra mile to ensure success.
Generating Staying Power
The benefits of retention may be obvious, but the implementation is often anything but.
Cultivating a culture that encourages workforce continuity isn’t something that can be boiled down to the “one simple trick” beloved of clickbait headlines. There’s no single initiative that can be implemented to guarantee success.
It requires organization-wide commitment and focus, beginning with the hiring process and radiating out from there. At Edge, several interlocking efforts are made to foreground employee appreciation. This, coupled with clear communication, dedicated employee resources and consistent support from leadership, lays the foundation for lengthy tenures like Aaron’s.
Our CEO, Lorri Rishar Jandron, can’t imagine doing it any other way.
“My team is my family,” she says. “I support their mental and physical health, help them grow in their careers and accommodate their family needs with flexible, hybrid work schedules.”
This compassionate approach fosters team trust and unity, which, in turn, informs client interactions, building external relationships that also stand the test of time. Edge is proud to retain clients today who have been with us since the very beginning.
Growing Together: A Creative Journey
Aaron’s journey with Edge demonstrates the impact a carefully curated culture can have. It began when he was freelancing and working as a designer elsewhere. Introduced to Edge through a pro-bono event, he quickly connected with the founders.
“I really enjoyed working with Lorri and Angela,” he remembers. “Thankfully, they seemed to enjoy working with me as well, because it quickly led to additional projects.”
What began as a project-based collaboration soon turned into a full-time role as art director. In the early years, Edge was still building its foundation, and Aaron often found himself holding down a quiet office while the founders were out cultivating client relationships and growing the company.
“As the lone employee at the time, I spent a lot of hours keeping projects moving,” he said.
This experience grounded Aaron’s connection to his work and the company itself. Having previously worked in a corporate environment where a familial culture was not an emphasis, he appreciated that Edge offered something different.
The intimate atmosphere helped spur his creativity to greater and greater heights
“I enjoy feeling connected to the work and knowing my contributions have a direct impact at the end of the day,” he said.
The longer Aaron has spent at Edge, the less it has felt like work and more like his creative home — a space where he can continue to push himself, build new skills and grow rewarding relationships.
“Edge gave me the freedom to develop my own creative approach,” he said. “Without a traditional creative mentor in-house, I was trusted to experiment, evolve and find what worked best for our clients and team. I think that freedom has really paid off.”
That trust also shaped his leadership philosophy. To Aaron, creative leadership is about more than just producing great work. It’s about solving problems — often in unorthodox ways. Guiding projects means creating space for strong ideas to emerge from anywhere and everywhere.
“Every client, project and timeline is different. When there’s time and an open-minded client, we can really push creative boundaries. When deadlines are tight, it becomes more about efficiency and execution. Learning how to balance creativity with practicality has made us stronger overall.”
As Aaron has evolved, so has the state of the industry. New digital platforms and design automation to artificial intelligence have wrought tremendous changes. Aaron’s perch at Edge has afforded him the opportunity to survey this landscape from a place of security.
“Technology has made creative work more accessible to everyone,” he said. “That’s opened a lot of doors, but it’s also created new challenges when it comes to standing out and demonstrating the value of strategic creative thinking.”
Today, Aaron stays inspired by doing what creatives do best, staying curious. Regularly exploring new tools and studying emerging trends, Aaron is always looking for opportunities to apply fresh approaches to future projects.
His drive helps ensure Edge’s creative future.
As the events management side of Edge blossoms, Aaron sees new opportunities for event design, experiences and innovative storytelling across evolving social media channels.
For Aaron, the bottom line is that 18 years at one agency has never grown stagnant. It has been defined by growth, adaptability and a constant drive to create what’s next. His journey reflects what happens when people are given not just a place to work, but space to thrive.