In 1996, we started what is now known as CTP in an office that was closer to a closet than a company headquarters. It was just two of us, a couple of phones, and an oversized belief that we could build something meaningful. Over the years, we’ve moved from that little space in Reading to a slightly bigger one in Lynnfield, and eventually, in 2007, to our current home on North Washington Street in Boston’s North End. Along the way, we’ve grown from two people to six, to 18, to nearly 50.
With every move and every new member of the CTP team, we’ve evolved. Our services expanded, our client list grew more diverse, and our approach became more sophisticated. But even as we evolved from 1990s cubicles to gorgeous red brick walls and hardwood floors and the team got stronger, one thing has never changed: our culture and our passion for working with organizations that aren’t just looking to grow their business, but also to make a broader impact.
A New Chapter, Built on Familiar Values
That’s why I’m especially proud of the step we’re taking today. We’re reintroducing ourselves with clarity and purpose: we are the agency that helps brands tell the stories that drive meaningful change. And we’re launching five dedicated practice areas: clean energy, community banking, healthcare, social enterprise, and sports.
These aren’t new territories for us. In fact, they’ve long been home to some of our most fulfilling and impactful work. But by formalizing them as practice areas, we’re sending a clear signal: we’re focusing on the work that matters most.
Over nearly three decades, we’ve had the privilege of helping tell the stories of organizations that are shaping healthier communities, building stronger economies, and inspiring people in ways that go far beyond the products or services they sell. From Beth Israel Lahey Health to Eastern Bank, from the Red Sox to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and from Delta Dental to Fundación MAPFRE, each partnership has reinforced that when business goals align with a higher purpose, the impact is lasting.
Growth That Reflects Our Clients
When I look back at our journey from a two-person office to a dynamic team of people I’d put up against any in the industry, I see more than numbers. I see the values that have guided us. We’ve always believed that strategy and creativity are powerful tools, but that they reach their fullest potential when they’re used in the service of something bigger. Our clients believe that too, which is why so many of them have stayed with us for years, even decades.
Our growth as an agency has mirrored that of the clients we serve. Just as they’ve had to adapt to changing markets, technologies, and consumer expectations, we’ve adapted too. We expanded our capabilities in digital, media and analytics, public affairs and brand communications over the years. But we’ve held fast to the conviction that what sets us apart isn’t just what we do, it’s why we do it.
I sometimes find myself thinking less about how much has changed, and more about what hasn’t. The energy that fills a burgeoning shop. The passion for helping organizations achieve something bigger than themselves. And the belief that culture is the soul of any company.
So here’s to the next chapter. To the clients who’ve trusted us, to the colleagues who’ve joined us, and to the communities we’ve had the privilege to impact: thank you. Our story is inseparable from yours, and we’re excited for all the chapters still to come.