Principal Emeritus Willoughby
Ann Willoughby (founder), Megan Stephens (managing principal), Abby Woolsey (studio manager) and Jamie Housh (account manager)
Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Ann Willoughby has founded and maintained a woman-led creative agency that has thrived for decades and successfully transitioned to the next generation of female owners. A brief glimpse of their website shows clients such as Hershey's, Williams Sonoma and Panera Bread but we didn't speak much about their impressive client list. What we did talk about was "Design Here" which is an initiative to identify and capture all design originating from Kansas City over the past 120 years. As you will see this team is notably down to earth in their interaction which I believe has been a part of their "secret sauce" towards success. LinkedIn, @annwilloughby, website
Because Willoughby doesn't pitch to clients. And Willoughby has a long history with legacy brands like Lee Jeans and Wonder Bread. And they were founded by a woman in the 1970's and are run by women to this day. And they keep the work the number one focus by just just sitting down and having discussions to get to the heart of whatever problem needs solving. And Ann's leadership role in the initiative "Designed Here" aimed at recognizing 20th century designers who previously haven't been acknowledged. And because Willoughby stands for a "culture of support" throughout everything they do.