Upspring PR secured a place in the 2019 honor roll of the most influential PR firms in the architecture and design industry. Founded by Tiffany Rafii and Sarah Terzic 10 years ago, the firm has an impressive roster of clients. Brands on the roster include DIFFA, Perkins and Will, PaintZen, Pininfarina, AERIN, and Ethan Allen.
Upspring PR’s Inception
The idea of Upspring PR came from when the two childhood friends decided to try their hand in public relations. During their final year, they decided to take on pro-bono clients from New York and Washington DC and, while at it, try to convert some of them into paying clients. Upon graduating, Sarah and Tiffany hit the ground running with one paying client and they’ve retained the client to date. One of the major milestones in solidifying the plan (which was to create Upspring PR) was to transition from working from Starbucks and their apartments to a communal office. They even traded some PR work to get a negotiated deal for the office spot.
To scale the heights, Sarah and Tiffany have made some strategic choices. The childhood friends made a conscious decision to narrow their focus on the fields of design, architecture, and real estate, their target niche being the hospitality industry. Despite specialization being risky since they had to turn away clients in the early days, the strategy has shored up the company. Over the past decade, they’ve developed an extensive network of invaluable designers, mentors, and entrepreneurs, which has been an important contributor to today’s success.
