Thompson & Bender marks 30 years

The Briarcliff Manor-based public relations, marketing and advertising firm Thompson & Bender celebrated its 30^th anniversary in business with a reception at the Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown. Current and previous clients, colleagues and government officials were among those attending.

Initially providing only public relations services, T&B consisted of Geoff Thompson and Dean Bender. They had spent 15 years working as reporters and editors in Westchester for the Gannett newspapers and established their PR agency in White Plains in 1986. Liz Bracken-Thompson, who also had been with Gannett locally as vice president of marketing, joined the firm in 1990. In 1997, T&B moved its headquarters to an 1890 Victorian house in Briarcliff Manor.      

The agency has worked with more than 170 clients as it focused on being a regionally oriented player. It expanded the services it offers to include all aspects of advertising, promotion, public affairs, strategic marketing, crisis management, social media, and more.  

Geoff Thompson said, “Our goal was to be the experts, the leaders in the market we serve. We have also had a remarkably stable, dedicated and loyal staff.  You aren”™t going to be successful in a highly competitive business like ours without a strong support team.”

T&B currently has annual billings of more than $5 million. Among its clients are The Westchester mall, Westchester County Office of Economic Development, Westchester County Tourism & Film, NewYork-Presbyterian (all Westchester locations), Westchester Community College, the Business Council of Westchester, Cross County Shopping Center, Simone Development Companies, Fareri Associates, MacQuesten Development, Chappaqua Crossing, the French-American School of New York, the Food Bank for Westchester and ArtsWestchester.

The firm”™s principals take pride in their personal efforts to give back to the community. Liz Bracken-Thompson served as chairman of the Westchester Parks Foundation and currently serves on the boards of The Hudson River Museum and the Business Council of Westchester. She has also served on the board of the American Red Cross of Westchester, and was founding chairman of Go Red for Women at the American Heart Association in Westchester. Geoff Thompson has twice served as board chairman of The Teatown Lake Reservation. Dean Bender serves on the board of directors of the Building Owners and Managers Association.