Happy 30th anniversary at Adcom to me! And what better time to take a moment to ask myself, “Why exactly Adcom?” Why do people come here? Why do they stay? And in several cases, why have they left only to come back again?

Maybe the better question to ask is, why are we still here while so many legendary ad agency names have gone missing?

The answer to all these questions comes down to one thing: culture.

So, what exactly is culture? Well, first off, it’s something above and beyond compensation, employee benefits and job descriptions that sets the work experience apart. And things like atmosphere, amenities, events and management style don’t really define culture. They support it.

Culture really comes down to a feeling you get, one that goes outside of the physical bounds of the company. Here at Adcom, it’s a feeling of being in continuous motion. Everything we do is about stirring the pot, the ingredients being emerging technologies and diversely skilled people who are not afraid to leverage what’s next to enhance business practices and support new ways of thinking.

The stirring was evident from Adcom’s inception. The day our founders drove down to Columbus to buy something called a Macintosh computer set the tone for the agency’s forward-looking way of life. Since then, it continues to be a place that views the finish line as a beginning to something new. The act of perpetually transforming creates an energy and sense of purpose people live for. Yes, shapeshifters are a real thing here.

Over the course of Adcom’s 36 years, acquisitions of firms like Fitzsimmons, Landau, Stein & Company, Arras-Keithley and, most recently, Spark Your Brand, have been key to moving forward and enhancing agency chemistry. New skillsets have allowed us to stir up new capabilities to address new client challenges, while many of Cleveland’s agency giants let their ingredients congeal, comfortable with what got them to the top.

The late nineties formation of Optiem (acronym for “opt-in email”), the opening of the Adcom Phoenix office and, later in 2005, the launch of Uppercut Motion & Sound, were ways to explore new mediums and geographies. From Cleveland’s Old River Road to West Sixth to West Ninth, the agency literally has never stood still.

Here are a few signs of Adcom’s stirring culture today:

• A dozen meeting spaces of various sizes, including the Maker’s Lab, theater, game room and amply named “STIR” gathering space, which accommodates all 100+ of us, encourage diversely skilled people to mix it up in ways that move the agency ahead.

• Events like the annual Halloween costume contest, chili cookoff, speed chess tournament and VeloSano Bike to Cure fundraiser are ways we celebrate our chemistry and stir up a healthy spirit of competition. (Extra stirring for the chili).

• Agency workflow systems, communication channels and a relatively flat org chart support a working mindset that stirs proactive thinking on behalf of our clients. (The “ball” is never left in the client’s court. It’s continuously in ours.)

• Experiences like Adcom’s Future Marketers internship program, the “Adcompanion” buddy system for onboarding and Lunch ‘n Learns keep us closer in touch with new talent and perspectives.

• Heavy involvement on local boards, in industry-centric clubs and in community-enriching programs keeps the agency well connected with the future aspirations of people and organizations stirring the region’s bigger picture.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned regarding agency chemistry (i.e., stirring the right blend of people), success comes down to having a shared sense of what to take seriously—and how seriously you take those things (including yourself). Yes, like any workplace, we have our fair share of differences, disappointments and deadline drama. Adcom has a water cooler and beer tap, but we’re not Kool-Aid drinkers. One way or another, even the conflicts amount to a resolution around doing what’s right today and, more importantly, tomorrow for our clients’ well-being.

Stir-on, my Adcomrades.

About the author:

Mike Derrick is an Adcom partner and executive creative director. He dedicates this article to the loving memory of Wyse Advertising, Liggett-Stashower, Meldrum & Fewsmith, Manheim, Griswold, Watt-Roop, Lowe-Marschalk, Stern, Hitchcock-Fleming, Jayme, Axelband & Brown, Harlan, Mills Hall Walborn, Haselow, Malone, Silverman and many others that inspired Adcom to be different.