For more than two decades, we’ve experienced the demand for quality PR in the outdoors space, and we’ve also seen a real need for a more efficient, service-oriented agency. So we created SPEC and made a promise to ourselves and to our clients to be professional and passionate about Strategic, Pragmatic, Effective Communications.
SPEC is our framework for achieving our mission and vision, including delivering a high level value to clients. It’s how we organize our thinking, operate our business, and it guides the decisions we make and the stories we tell.
Strategic: Strategy comes from experience and expertise. We always start with strategy, understanding our client’s business objectives, and what tactics will (a) generate results, and what results will (b) map back to objectives. Our team’s diverse backgrounds and shared principles feed into our strategic thinking. It’s how we lead a meeting, refine a message, craft authentic stories, elevate brands, and differentiate clients within their market.
Pragmatic: We’re grounded in reality and efficiency. From our culture (efficiently remote and scalable), to budgets and bandwidth, we operate lean and activate quickly and efficiently. Pragmatic is setting expectations. We speak truth to power, whether that’s a client or team member. We’re not here to agree or overpromise – we’re here to be strategic, pragmatic, and effective based on goals.
Effective: Campaigns are only as good as their results. Our clients don’t hire us to write press releases or shoot photos – they hire us for results-driven strategies and tactics that maximize impact for their business. Only results that map back to business objectives matter. We must become indispensable to clients. To do that, we must be effective.
Communications: Fundamental to the human experience, we believe communication can drive value, solve problems, shape opinions, and inspire action. SPEC’s approach was founded on our combined big agency, corporate PR, and media experience. At every step, we are professional communicators and storytellers, and we bring that power to each client relationship and activation.
THE SPEC DIFFERENCE
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
01 Solve Problems
We lead with solutions and bring thoughtful responses to problems for our team and clients.
02 Get Results
Our job is not in the tactics, but in the results. Our worth isn't in hours worked, but in the value of our work product. We trust each other to pull our weight, and we deliver results.
03 Focus
In our fast-paced, evolving industry, discipline and focus on priorities is critical to survival and success. We focus on success for both our clients and our own business.
04 Build Relationships
We prioritize real, long-term, mutually beneficial human relationships. The moment our business becomes transactional, it becomes commoditized. We are not commodities, but strategic and creative communicators who depend on long-term relationships with real people.
05 Be Curious
Curiosity drives us to seek new learning, opportunities, and adventures to stay on top of our dynamic industry—for our own business and for our clients. We ask questions, we do research, and we wonder.
06 Lead by Example
We share our expertise to differentiate and grow both our own business and our clients’. We don't wall our gardens or hoard knowledge to "protect" ourselves.
07 Commit to Profitability
We can't do good if we can't stay in business. Profitable growth establishes a stable and sustainable foundation for learning and innovation, benefiting our business and our clients.
08 Prioritize Outdoor Experiences
Our mission to inspire outdoor experiences starts with us. By practicing what we preach, we're better positioned to do our best work. Real experiences—the sunrise, the fist bump, the podium finish—will never be replaced by a press release, a reel, or a bot.
TESTIMONIALS/QUOTES
Real Words. Real Results.
The SPEC PR team has been a valuable asset to our overall marketing communications efforts, providing a critical signal boost for our mission and message while tackling PR tactics in a professional, efficient, and effective manner. Their communications expertise combined with their knowledge of enthusiast segments provides valuable insights. It's obvious they are invested in our success.
SHANNON MARANG COX
Associate Executive Director, Los Angeles | Central Coast, Arthritis Foundation
DirtTrax has had the pleasure of working professionally with Van Holmes and the SPEC PR team for the better part of two decades. In our numerous experiences over the years, attending events with various companies, we can honestly say without reluctance that SPEC PR is the very best at what they do. The professionalism, passion, sincerity and attention to detail each member of the SPEC PR team exhibits consistently is unrivaled in all our experiences.
MATT LESTER
CEO DirtTrax
Working with SPEC PR has been one of the most impactful partnerships for our brand. The SPEC PR team doesn’t just execute traditional PR—they craft compelling narratives that resonate. Whether it’s managing our social media content calendar, writing press releases that generate industry buzz, or organizing media events, trade shows, and product demo experiences, they bring a strategic and hands-on approach that delivers real results. Beyond their expertise, what sets SPEC PR apart is their commitment to partnership. They operate as an extension of our team, always proactive, always engaged, and always bringing creative ideas to the table. If you're looking for a PR agency that understands how to tell your brand’s story, amplify your presence, and truly invest in your success, SPEC PR is the team you want. Highly recommended.
DREW ENGELMANN
Yamaha Bicycles Sales and Marketing Manager
