Meet Debbie Fitzgerald and Regan Petersen | Co-owners, Fitzgerald Petersen Communication, Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Debbie Fitzgerald and Regan Petersen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Debbie Fitzgerald and Regan Petersen, how has your work-life balance changed over time?

When we started our business almost 18 years ago, we had young children and knew a work/life balance was important. Little did we know what was ahead and how much we would appreciate this decision. From day one we knew that balance as career women, and mothers, were something we wanted for ourselves and our employees, but that meant ensuring that each and every client project or campaign was done with excellence. 18 years ago ‘working from home’ was viewed differently, so we knew we had to go the extra mile to show our clients that their work product wasn’t affected in the least. If anything, results were even better because we believed in our mission and knew exactly what it took to build a successful business.

We always say ‘our name is on the door’ and that has held true every single year we’ve been in business. It’s also what we expect from our employees. Yes, we provide a very flexible work environment, but that means hiring amazing team members who can handle the ‘work at home’ culture. We might be at our child’s lacrosse or soccer games in the late afternoon because we don’t want to miss a second of their childhoods, but that translates to working from 10pm to midnight sometimes to ensure the high quality our clients are used to.

Here we are 18 years later and it’s very ‘normal’ to have a work from home model. The pandemic changed the corporate landscape and especially how and when people can be productive, while balancing all of the other obligations in their lives. Fitzgerald Petersen went through this period with ease on the ‘work from home’ front and we were very appreciative that we had all of those years under our belts of figuring out the best and most productive work models for our company.

We’re also very proud of our team! We hire senior level PR professionals, people with a depth of experience who don’t have to worry get their work done at the highest level. When we assign a project to one of our employees, we have faith that they will be representing our company very positively and our clients feel that.

Our clients have adopted a more flexible work style as well, improving office cultures and providing more opportunities to be there for their children, attend important personal events and fit in things that are significant in their own lives. We are proud that Fitzgerald Petersen’s work/life balance paved the way, long before it become a more popular option in our society.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Starting a business is never easy, but it’s one of the most rewarding things we’ve ever done in our careers. Of course, along the way, there have been many lessons and mistakes, as it’s the only way you learn and grow! Fitzgerald Petersen is a public relations agency that provides a variety of services like media and community relations, crisis communications, sponsorship negotiation and activation, event management, reviews programs and many other services that move the needle in a big way for our clients. Our longtime clients like McDonald’s, Walmart, Feld Entertainment and Cirque du Soleil know that when they continue to hire the Fitzgerald Petersen team, we are an EXTENSION of their team and we care deeply about providing excellent, meaningful work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

There are so many things to do in Denver, a week wouldn’t be enough time, but we’d have them stay at one of the amazing boutique hotels in Cherry Creek North with so much dining and local shopping it would blow their minds! Denver has grown so much over the past 10 years and that has contributed to its burgeoning arts and culture scene. We’d then take them on an art tour of our amazing city – the Denver Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Meow Wolf, Clyfford Still Museum and The American Museum of Western Art – The Anschutz Collection.

A visit to Denver isn’t complete without a concert at Red Rocks, the famous amphitheater near Morrison, Colorado, just ten miles west of Denver. This incredible venue is built into a rock structure and has hosted such world-famous musicians as The Beatles, Louis Armstrong, Stevie Nicks, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, and many more. A concert at Red Rocks can’t be matched!

The dining scene is Denver is incredible too! With new restaurants coming to Denver on a monthly basis, it’s become hard to ‘keep up’ with all of the options, but sure is fun to try! Some of our favorites are Le Bilboquet, Cucina Colore, Hillstone and Cherry Creek Grille in Denver’s Cherry Creek North neighborhood.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

We dedicate this Shoutout to Laura Love, founder of GroundFloor Media, who has been an incredible mentor to us, and the legacy of her son Sam Aden, who lost his life in May of this year. On December 1st of every year, they celebrate Sam’s “Gotcha Day” – the anniversary of the day Sam joined their family from Russia. On this special day each year moving forward, they will honor Sam’s legacy by providing grants through the “Sam Aden Kindness Fund” which  supports youth mental health awareness and fund other critical and much-needed mental health support for children. To donate: https://foundation.groundfloormedia.com/the-sam-aden-kindness-fund/

Website: www.fitzgeraldpetersen.com

Instagram: @FitzgeraldPetersenComm

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fitzgerald-petersen-communications/?viewAsMember=true

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitzgeraldpetersencomm

Image Credits
Fitzgerald Petersen Comm. Inc.