Franco Values in Action: Forward Motion

We “officially” celebrated our 60th year in business on January 9, 2024, but our year-long celebration of  Franco’s 60 years in business  is just getting started. While I love and praise reflection, our ongoing success as a company and a team wouldn’t happen if we weren’t constantly looking to the future. 

For this first post in our 60th anniversary series on core values, we’re putting the spotlight on  Forward Motion. I firmly believe that  our core values  are the most important aspect of our business. Redefining them in 2018 was a milestone that was just as significant as our 60th anniversary. They guide us every day as we function as a team, client partner and community member. At Franco, we model Forward Motion through the deliberate actions we take that help us reach a collective vision for our company and our community. 

All our core values start at the employee level, and Forward Motion is no different. Franco leadership looks for continuing education opportunities that help our team members build new skillsets, including professional group/organization memberships, events, webinars and trainings. 

But Forward Motion for our team members goes beyond skills training. We’ve brought in various experts, coaches and speakers who have done trainings related to emotional intelligence, DiSC and forming good habits, helping us better collaborate with each other and our clients. This, along with additional training for our leadership, creates a team that strives to trust and understand each other and our clients’ needs. This is the foundation of our people-powered approach that makes our team who we are. 

Our "never stop learning” mentality and growth mindset ensures we offer our client partners the most integrated, cutting-edge approach to their communications and marketing initiatives. However, beyond the day-to-day work our skillsets and people skills support, we aim to be true partners with our clients, recognizing their value as companies and nonprofits and investing in their Forward Motion from day one. 

Any recommendations that we make are backed by data, and we analyze data and optimize our strategies to generate results. We always aim to tie our work to our clients’ goals, whether they’re related to increased sales, heightened awareness or more donations, and we take the time to celebrate wins and reflect on what didn’t work to do better next time. Our unwavering commitment to our clients’ goals and missions is what makes us an extension of their teams and brings Forward Motion to the forefront of our collaboration. 

At Franco, we’re proud to have our roots in Detroit, the city we love, and we’re proud to support Forward Motion in the community every day. We strive to support the city’s progress through volunteer efforts, like when we participated in a neighborhood cleanup event through Life Remodeled, a nonprofit that provides hubs for youth programs, workforce development and human services to tens of thousands of Detroiters every year. 

We also support local businesses both through our team building activities and by working with metro Detroit organizations that are improving the city through their nonprofit and business efforts. By supporting and working with the organizations and businesses that make up the fabric of Detroit, we’re doing our part to support a city that’s growing. The upcoming NFL Draft is an obvious sign of Detroit’s growth, and we’re thrilled to help showcase our beautiful city to everyone coming to town for the event. 

Forward Motion will continue to be central to our values and culture as we celebrate our 60th anniversary and more milestones to come. 

Tina Kozak is Franco’s CEO. Connect with her on LinkedIn.