See the incomparable women-owned ad agency outplay and outlast with flair! As we continue to celebrate J.O.’s 25th anniversary, we’re pleased to present our timeline of 25 notable moments in our history. In big and small ways the secret to J.O. has always been the people — so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for our team through the years, dream clients, and amazing friends who helped us keep leaping towards the next amazing opportunity.
1998
Jennifer begins freelancing while working full time at Texas Wesleyan. Her first client, NIADA soon becomes two with the addition of TCU’s Neeley School of Business.
2000
Jennifer moves full time to her new company. She also hires J.O.’s first employee and becomes the sole designer and PR consultant for Giant Screen Theater Association. The job took Jennifer around the world to handle projects.
2001
J.O. moves into its first office at 101 South Jennings Avenue. We shared the office with Kathy Walker of Walker Texas Writing.
2002
J.O. gets its first website! The site was deigned by Kevin who was just a teenager at the time.
2006
J.O. secures its first full-service account including PR. The account helps J.O. achieve a major milestone in its growth and offerings. This was a great year for us in terms of awards as well at the Addy’s.
2009
J.O. runs a billboard campaign for a small bank that brings more than $10 million in new accounts. The client was featured in national news media, including Fox Business, MSNBC, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. A major moment for the client and our growing group.
2010
JODesign shortens its name to J.O. — thanks to an increased variety of work, a rebrand and name change is necessary!
2010
Our PR team saved a client from being stranded while on a media interview at WFAA in Dallas. Their car died and we helped jump it — that’s full service!
2011
J.O. was named a Small Business of the Year Finalist by Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce (we received the honor again in 2014!).
2011
J.O. celebrated the completion of our new home at 440 S. Main Street with a grand opening party! Left Arm Tan performed and there was dancing, BBQ and lots of friends of the agency in attendance.
2011 – 2012
J.O. donated 600 hours of pro bono time to a long list of local charities. Where possible, we donated our expertise—more than $75,000 in valued services. Our team is always eager to provide their skills to an organization in need of promotion if they are on a low budget.
2012
J.O. produced a new brand identity for tiny Texas Wesleyan University that yielded BIG results: a 112% increase in applicants in the first months of the campaign.
2012
The men in the office participated in Movember and all grew out their mustaches in support of men’s health advocacy. The gals participated too! (As a team, we’ve always valued having fun together.)
2013
J.O. joined A Billion + Change for a business forum at the White House. J.O. was one of only nine companies from Texas to pledge pro bono services through the initiative. This was the start of launching J.O.’s nonprofit sister, The Cause Agency.
2013
J.O. agreed to take on an interior design project for a coffee bar inside a print shop even though none of us had interior designer training. The job turned out excellent and the client was very happy. In exchange, they printed our first major self-promo brochure complete with die cuts, pockets, spot UV and award-winning copy and design.
2014
We always make it a point to celebrate with each other and with our clients. In 2014 we celebrated our 15th anniversary with a backyard barbecue!
2015
Our public relations department volunteered as runway models for a Goodwill Industries fashion show, which we also created the graphics for (and they still use them to this day!). Project Runway designer Elisa Jimenez (right) designed our dresses.
JO Team: Jennifer Henderson, Paige Rodges and Courtney Reece
2015
Our team created chalk art all over Fort Worth to promote our local library foundation. It was a great team project and a chance to use our artistic skills while being outdoors!
2016
J.O. assisted the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in boosting ticket sales of their annual gala. Thanks to a J.O.-recommended $75 social media boost, 700 tickets were sold and news of the event reached over 20,000 people.
2017
Jennifer traveled to Black Rock City for Burning Man. She interviewed founding member Crimson Rose, the Firestarter, to learn how the event brings in 7,000+ people to create a mini-city every year and how it’s grown through very little marketing. See the blog post Jennifer wrote after her travels here.
2018
J.O. rebrands to J.O. Agency with all new social media, website and branding. We even upped our game in the brand messaging, bringing our maturity, longevity and smart marketing to the forefront.
2019
J.O. secures its largest account to date, Fort Worth Transportation Authority, and later concepts the new name of Trinity Metro with a total systemwide rebrand.
2021
J.O. helps Near Southside seek cultural district designation, an extensive application process with the Texas Commission on the Arts – State Cultural District. See more about the project here.
2023
J.O. celebrates 25 years of business! Less than 1% of ad agencies in North America are owned by women. We are proud to stand with the few and create the very best work we can for the people who believe in us enough to hire J.O. for our expertise.
Celebrate With Us!
We plan to celebrate this 25-year milestone all year. To stay updated on our plans, follow J.O. Agency on Facebook and Instagram and LinkedIn. If you’d like to hire us for our expertise, let’s talk! Fill out a contact form here or call us today at 817-335-0100.
