15 Years of Truscott Rossman
by John Truscott
It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since Kelly Rossman-McKinney and I created Truscott Rossman. Two fierce competitors, and even fiercer friends, coming together to build the agency we had both dreamed of.
Our anniversary date is January 11, 2011 (1/11/11) for a reason. We took two of Michigan’s top-rated public relations firms and created a statewide powerhouse. It surprised a lot of people, but we had a blast doing it. Still, if Kelly were with us today, I think she’d be amazed by just how far we’ve come, how different the firm looks, feels, and operates.
Kelly’s influence is deeply ingrained in the very foundation of this firm. That hasn’t changed. But so much else has.
Kelly and I on WOOD Radio in Grand Rapids. We frequently appeared together to present differing perspectives on the key issues of the day.
Back then, the decline of earned media had already begun, but none of us could have predicted the speed at which the media landscape would shift. Social media existed, but it hadn’t yet become the ubiquitous force it is today. I don’t remember people walking around like zombies glued to their phones.
That’s our reality now. Because of the foundation Kelly helped build, Truscott Rossman hasn’t just kept up. In many ways, we’ve stayed ahead of the curve. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve become.
Today, reaching the public takes more than a one-size-fits-all strategy. People consume information in wildly different ways—and getting their attention is just the beginning. We have to educate, influence, and sometimes even inspire them to act. In a world flooded with misinformation that often looks credible, our job has become even more critical and more complex.
To do it well, we rely on a full arsenal of modern tools. Our video team, Say More, brings stories to life. Our designers and analysts help ensure every message hits the right audience in the right way. And yes, we still have the best earned media and strategy experts in the business. Not to mention, we have been voted the Most Effective PR firm in Michigan since our founding in 2011, according to the MIRS EPIC-MRA poll. But today, if you're not doing everything, you're falling behind. We are proud to tell clients, “We do it all.”
A selfie I took of the last time I saw Kelly. It was the end of Covid and she was still battling cancer. We were masked up to protect her from germs. Despite all of that, she was still joyous.
Growing up in Lansing, I remember the tagline “This isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile.” These days, I think about that a little differently: this isn’t the old Truscott Rossman.
And that’s a good thing.
We’ve grown into something even bigger than we imagined. However, the perception of who we are hasn’t always kept pace with that reality. We’ve evolved a great deal over the last 15 years and we’re thriving in this era of change.
Kelly would be proud. She’d probably walk in, look around, and shout “WTF?”—as only she could. But I know she’d be smiling, too.
I think about her every day. And I still miss my “work wife.” But I’m grateful beyond words for what we built together—and for what’s still to come.