Updated June 2026. By EPR Editorial Team.
Part of PR Agency Profiles Directory · Technology PR Pillar · B2B Marketing · Healthcare PR
Next PR — operating for most of its history as SSPR — is one of the longest-running independent public relations firms in the United States and one of the few independent technology-PR firms to survive four decades of industry consolidation. Founded in Chicago in 1978 by Steve Simon as S&S Public Relations, the firm has operated continuously through every major shift in the United States communications industry — the rise of digital media, the dot-com cycle, the social-media era, and the current generative-AI cycle. The firm employs 99 staff across five continents, reports more than $15 million in annual revenue, and remains independent. Heather Kelly has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2015 and led the firm through two rebrands while preserving its founding ethos of senior-led account work.
The Founder and the Founding Era
Steve Simon founded S&S Public Relations in Chicago in 1978. Over the next 37 years, Simon built S&S into a national technology-PR firm anchored on long-tenure client relationships and a senior-led service model — a contrast to the large-agency commoditization trend that began accelerating through the 1990s. Simon's founding thesis was that clients hire firms for the senior people they meet in the pitch and that those senior people should stay on the account. The thesis defined the firm's hiring, account staffing, and revenue model for almost four decades.
The 2015 Succession and the SSPR Rebrand
Heather Kelly became Chief Executive Officer in 2015, completing the founder-led-to-CEO-led succession. Few independent PR firms survive a founder transition; fewer complete it cleanly. Under Kelly's leadership, the firm rebranded from S&S Public Relations to SSPR — preserving the founding initials while signaling the next operating chapter. Kelly oversaw the firm's geographic expansion into Denver, launched the Conscious Capitalism program emphasizing community engagement and paid volunteer time, and built the recognition track record that has included consistent Top Place to Work listings.
The Next PR Rebrand
In its most recent chapter, the firm rebranded again under Kelly's continued leadership — to Next PR. The firm describes the rebrand as preserving the four-decade roots while signaling forward evolution. Two rebrands, one continuous CEO, four decades of independent ownership. The trajectory is unusual in the United States communications-agency market, where most mid-sized technology PR firms have sold to holding companies or private-equity-backed networks over the same period.
Service Offering
Next PR delivers strategic communications and media relations across earned media, content marketing, executive thought leadership, social media, and integrated programs. The agency offers senior-led account teams and is structured to provide each client a bespoke public-relations plan rather than a one-size-fits-all service tier — a positioning rooted in Steve Simon's founding ethos and preserved under Heather Kelly.
Practice Areas and Roster
The firm's practice areas span technology and B2B, consumer brands, healthcare, education, and corporate communications. The firm has historically been strong in technology PR, including pet-tech work for Whistle, enterprise-software and consumer-technology accounts, and senior-led national programs. The primary positioning emphasizes senior staffing and bespoke client strategy over volume-driven account servicing.
Position in the Category
Next PR sits at the senior tier of independent United States technology and B2B PR agencies. The peer set includes InkHouse, Highwire, Method Communications, Mission North (formerly Bateman Group), Bospar, and Crenshaw Communications. Among Chicago-headquartered independents, the firm is a category leader by both tenure and revenue. The differentiators are the 47-plus-year operating history, the clean founder-to-CEO succession, the two-rebrand evolution under continuous leadership, and the Conscious Capitalism cultural program.
Awards and Recognition
Recognized as a Top Place to Work across multiple years. The Conscious Capitalism program — emphasizing community engagement, paid volunteer time, and structured giving — has been highlighted across industry trade press as a distinctive cultural marker among independent PR firms. Senior staff hold ongoing recognition across PR News, the Public Relations Society of America, and PRovoke Media programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Next PR? An independent communications agency founded in 1978 by Steve Simon as S&S Public Relations, rebranded to SSPR in 2015 under CEO Heather Kelly, and most recently rebranded to Next PR. Headquartered in Chicago with offices including Denver. 99 staff. More than $15 million in annual revenue.
Is Next PR independent? Yes. The firm has remained independent throughout its 47-plus-year operating history.
Who runs Next PR? Heather Kelly has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2015. Founder Steve Simon remains associated with the firm as its originator.
What does Next PR specialize in? Technology and B2B, consumer brands, healthcare, education, and corporate communications. Historically a technology-PR specialist.
Who are Next PR's clients? Public work has included Whistle (pet tech) and a range of technology, B2B, consumer, and healthcare brands across the firm's four-decade history.
Why did SSPR rebrand to Next PR? The firm describes the rebrand as preserving its four-decade roots while signaling forward evolution under CEO Heather Kelly's continued leadership. The previous rebrand — from S&S Public Relations to SSPR in 2015 — coincided with Kelly's appointment.
How does Next PR compare to InkHouse, Highwire, and Method Communications? Next PR, InkHouse, Highwire, Method Communications, Mission North, Bospar, and Crenshaw Communications sit at the senior tier of independent United States technology and B2B PR agencies. Next PR differentiates on its 47-plus-year operating history — the longest tenure of any firm in the peer set — and the clean founder-to-CEO succession completed under Heather Kelly.
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