Twelve years ago, Amanda Lucey was a VP managing multiple departments from marketing, communications and board and industry relations, traveling 80 percent of the time and managing a team in an office. “The people I worked for (dairy farmers at the time) were the most inspiring people I knew,” she said. “They worked seven days a week producing an incredible product and they got to do it with the freedom of a framework.”
Since she was already working 80+ hours a week, Lucey decided to venture out and start her own endeavor to have the flexibility to set hours and manage her time. What started as a consultancy firm started at her kitchen table led to Lucey acquiring The Partnership in 2018 in an effort to scale faster.
The Partnership is Atlanta’s oldest privately held marketing and brand communications agency, serving Atlanta, Southwest Florida and beyond since 1979. Offering marketing, communications and digital services in one integrated package, the firm strives to create deeper connections with its partners by investing in relationships and committing to responsibility.
After merging her own firm and The Partnership, Lucey built an office overlooking the Braves stadium at The Battery. “I believe in staying hungry, hustling and being humble (the three H’s),” she said. “While I’m proud of the 40-year legacy I’ve acquired, the kitchen table reminds me that the three H’s are vital to success.”
According to her staff, Lucey is a thought leader in agriculture, dairy, healthcare and all things public relations, reputation management and crisis communications. “Amanda is a titan because of her fearlessness in leading crisis communications and brand communications,” they said. “She manages multiple crisis situations sometimes for multiple clients at a time.”
While leading The Partnership, Lucey is also co-authoring a book with a CEO of a healthcare system, “Disruption: Brand Communications in Times of Crisis.” Under her leadership, the firm has been awarded the Atlanta Chronicle Pacesetter Award, named one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies and ranked in the top three Gulfshore Business Best Marketing and PR Agencies in Southwest Florida.
“As entrepreneurs, we always take risks,” said Lucey. But, dropping everything to step in and help others while traveling during a global pandemic to work on crisis communications stand out the most to her.
What motivates her as a leader is learning from others. “Listening and brainstorming with others helps me see the problem in different ways and from different perspectives,” said Lucey. “I appreciate brainstorming and working with people smarter than me to help me review possible solutions and bringing different opinions helps us get to the strongest solution.”
