In this special edition of Inside PR, Terry continues his series of discussions with fellow PR agency presidents.  This week he spends just over 25 minutes in conversation with Pat Mcnamara, President and founder of Apex Public Relations in Toronto.  In a wide-ranging discussion, Terry and Pat kick around how to build a PR agency from the ground up and how to solve the mystery of successful new business development.  The conversation unfolded as follows:

1:00    Pat McNamara's PR journey

2:35    Why would anyone start their own agency? (beyond "because I'm crazy")

5:35    How not to leave an agency

7:13    Various approaches to building an agency

10:10  The importance of "culture" in a successful agency

16:50  The mysteries of new business development

22:30  The power of relationships

25:55  Wrap-up

Background on Pat McNamara

Pat McNamara founded APEX Public Relations in 1998. As a communications professional with more than 20 years of experience, she provides senior client counsel in consumer marketing and corporate communication to leading organizations including Absolut, Bank of Montreal, Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss & Co., Kellogg's and Tetra Pak. McNamara was recently recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs by Canadian Business magazine.