Not all Mad Men are found on Madison Avenue. In fact, as Aaron Hugo ’97 proves, one doesn’t have to be in a major city to thrive in the ad business and grow a world-class agency. Hugo is a founding partner and vice president of Pinckney Hugo Group (PHG), a full-service agency headquartered in Syracuse, New York, with a client roster that spans across the globe. What he lacks in Don Draper-like style and wit, he more than makes up for in creativity and competitiveness.

The team at PHG has grown from seven to 70 employees in the 15 years that Hugo and his partners have owned it. At age 26, with little more than an abundance of confidence, a sense of humor and a “junker car that wouldn’t go in reverse,” Hugo and the Pinckney brothers bought a small agency in Syracuse. “We quickly got to work to grow the agency, winning lots of new business, working every relationship we could,” said Hugo. Despite the poor economy of the early 2000’s, they significantly grew the business year over year.

“As we grew, we always had something larger in mind. When we were 15 employees we bought a 40,000 square foot warehouse building and a phone system for 100 people,” said Hugo. Today, that warehouse is almost to capacity—fitted with offices, meeting spaces, a “Workshop” brainstorming room complete with fireplace, tablet technology, and white boards; outdoor courtyard, and the agency bar for Friday night happy hour. 

Their work in the early days consisted of local restaurants’ matchbooks and menus, while today it spans the world. Their work has been presented at the United Nations and the Vatican. Their clients are global in scale and are located throughout the country in Washington D.C., New York City, Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, and Knoxville, Tennessee. They include brands like Bush’s Baked Beans, United Technologies, Aetna and Snyder’s-Lance. A player in the Syracuse community too, they provide marketing services for area businesses, as well as giving in-kind services to many not-for-profits and donations to local programs.

Having won their share of industry awards, Hugo is most proud of their company awards. PHG has been listed nine times on Inc.’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America, named to Best Companies to Work for in New York State four times, and has won both Small Business of the Year and Business of the Year in Central New York. Hugo was named to Greater Syracuse 40 under 40 in 2007.

 “It’s all about the culture and workforce environment we create for our employees,” says Hugo. “We’re a work hard/play hard agency. We offer our employees an environment where they can work on large brands and enjoy the quality of life they are looking for in a smaller city. Some of our recent hires are coming from New York City, Boston, and San Francisco. And, we’re always open to IC interns and staff. Happy, fulfilled employees, make great work.”

Hugo has also hired IC alumni and has taken part in IC’s student-alumni networking group, called Business Link, in Syracuse.

A creative entrepreneur from an early age—he drew cartoons in elementary school and sold them to his classmates—Hugo always knew he would go into communications. “I was making and selling art all along,” says Hugo. “The Park School of Communications was the right choice. I loved the town and area—excellent places to hike, bike and swim. I attribute getting multiple offers and ultimately getting my first job to my IC relationships.”

Hugo’s advice to current IC Bombers: “Work hard because as hard as you think you’re working, someone is working harder. Cultivate relationships. You never know when they will impact you or how they will impact you, but they are very important. When I look back, my IC relationships have played a role in helping me build this business.

“And have fun,” he adds.