Since 2014, when Melissa Lackey bought Standing Partnership, she has shown that she is an entrepreneur who comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. Under Lackey’s ownership, the firm transformed from a traditional PR firm into a successful and profitable marketing consultancy.
Standing Partnership is a marketing consultancy that helps organizations grow by acquiring new customers, retaining existing customers and removing barriers to growth. In the last three years, Standing Partnership yielded 20 percent year after year growth. After operating for 32 years as a privately held, women-owned business, in November 2023, Standing Partnership joined forces with Dix & Eaton and operates as a division that continues to focus primarily on complex and highly regulated B2B industries.
“Lackey would say that negotiating the sale of the business has been her greatest accomplishment in the last year,” said her staff. “For Melissa, employee ownership was an important part of this transition as a way to provide every single employee direct benefits from the firm’s success.”
Under Lackey’s leadership, the company continued to pursue a growth driven strategy, focusing on the technology industry and on sustainability as a service offering. As a result of the merger, the combined firm has $17 million in revenue and more than 70 employees in 10 states across the United States, with plans to maintain or expand staffing levels and keep a headquarter in St. Louis.
Connecting is Lackey’s superpower as a leader. “Whether it’s dots, information or people, I’m a connector,” she said. “I’m someone who is relationship-focused in my approach to life, to people and to business and I act in a way that gets results due to credibility and trust in and from my network.”
Building relationships is important and essential to Lackey both personally and professionally, which is why she was honored to be recognized as a Titan 100 in 2023. The second-year titan said the honor provided validation for her hard work but also solidified the support of the team that has helped and inspired her along the way.
“I build meaningful relationships with people and enjoy connecting them with others so they mutually benefit,” said Lackey.
Her staff agrees. “Melissa is passionate about building a firm with a strong culture,” they said. “For her, culture is important because it’s what people opt into, it’s about feeling belonging and it’s about feeling like you can make a difference and have an impact.”
For her willingness to build relationships with the community, her clients and her staff, Lackey has been named a second-year Titan 100.
