MP&F History: Do Great Work. Have Fun. Make Money.
McNeely & Associates was founded by Mark McNeely in 1987. He was soon joined by Mike Pigott and David Fox in 1988 and 1990, and the firm became McNeely Pigott & Fox. The three partners were all former newspaper reporters, who believed that they could do public relations better than what they had previously seen in Nashville.
MP&F’s early clients included U.S. Senator Al Gore’s campaign for president in 1988 and ADT Automotive (now Manheim). In fact, Manheim remains an MP&F client to this day.
Katy Varney and Dave Cooley joined MP&F as partners in 1993. Later that year and into 1994, the company directed the groundbreaking of the Nashville Arena, sparking a dramatic shift in the appearance of downtown Nashville. The Arena became the home of NHL team the Nashville Predators, and has since hosted countless concerts and shows.
Partner Keith Miles joined MP&F in 1995. That same year, Job Corps, a U.S. Department of Labor program, hired MP&F to carry out a marketing plan to recruit more students. The campaign helped bring the lowest performing region in the country up to 100 percent enrollment.
In 1997, the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee and hired MP&F to conduct a hugely successful campaign to approve funding for a downtown stadium in Nashville. The stadium opened two years later, and the Tennessee Titans went to the Super Bowl in their first season playing at the stadium (though MP&F can’t take credit for that).
Dell, Inc., hired McNeely Pigott & Fox in 1999 to conduct a campaign to help the company secure its future in Middle Tennessee. As a result of MP&F’s campaign, the Metro Council voted by an overwhelming majority to give Dell the go-ahead to move to Middle Tennessee.
In 2001, partner Dave Cooley took a leave from MP&F to run Phil Bredesen's gubernatorial campaign. After Bredesen's victory, Cooley joined the administration as deputy governor.
Another large project took place in 2002, when MP&F launched a recycling campaign for Metro Public Works. As a result of the “Curby” campaign, resident participation in recycling increased from 8 percent to 50 percent in seven months and recyclable materials per home increased by 1,700 percent.
In 2003, MP&F was honored to be named one of the best PR firms to work for by
The Holmes Report. The company also received a Silver Anvil, the highest award given by the Public Relations Society of America, for the Metro Nashville Public Works recycling campaign, and an Emmy for the Job Corps TV commercial "The Wall." MP&F became the largest PR firm in the state in 2003, according to
O’Dwyers.
The next year, MP&F began its Speaker Series. These events bring MP&F’s friends and neighbors together in appreciation of great writing. Since 2004, MP&F has hosted authors including Rick Atkinson, Jason DeParle, Eric Dezenhall, David Maraniss, Dana Thomas, Oliver “Buzz” Thomas, Bob Woodward and Jim Wooten.
MP&F was awarded another Silver Anvil in 2005 for its work on a campaign to reform the state workers’ comp program. That year also marked the third year in a row that
The Holmes Report named MP&F one of the best PR firms to work for.
Nashville Electric Service became an MP&F client in 2005, and the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference hired MP&F to conduct a statewide anti-methamphetamine campaign that year.
In 2006, MP&F was awarded the Job Corps consolidated marketing contract, expanding the company’s work with the program nationwide.
McNeely Pigott & Fox marked its 20th anniversary in 2007 and established satellite offices in Washington, D.C. That same year, MP&F formed a strategic alliance with Atkinson Public Relations. Dave Cooley left his position as deputy governor of Tennessee, returned to MP&F as a partner and formed Cooley Public Strategies. Also in 2007, MP&F received its third Silver Anvil for the Meth Destroys campaign.
In 2008, MP&F was awarded the Metro Nashville Airport Authority and downtown Convention Center contracts.
In 2009, Cooley spun out from MP&F into his own consultancy.
Also in 2009, MP&F won its fourth Silver Anvil for the Nashville for All of Us Special Election campaign.
During the past 20-plus years, MP&F has proved that with vision, integrity and dedication, great things can be accomplished. The company’s history exemplifies its mission statement: “Do Great Work. Have Fun. Make Money.”
