About Us Who We Are
About Us
Great agency brands aren’t built overnight. They evolve through years of dedication, relationships and leadership. Since our founding in 1991, we’ve grown alongside the franchise industry, forging deep connections, shaping conversations, and earning trust as the nation’s No. 1 franchise PR agency. Our journey is a testament to the power of strong partnerships, a commitment to innovation, and a forward-thinking team that will continue our legacy.
History
This timeline highlights the milestones that have defined our decades-old story serving the franchise industry, ultimately becoming the most trusted strategic partner for franchisors. Today, our journey continues to evolve as we combine our high-impact earned media results with precise content marketing and digital strategies to help franchisors stand out, build trust, and grow their franchise systems.
July 1991
With a dream to better serve the PR needs of the franchise community, Sherri Fishman leaves her full-time job to start an agency of her own specializing in PR for franchise system growth. Fishman PR is born!
September 1, 1991
The agency signs its first franchise client, AmeriSpec Home Inspection Services. Word of Sherri’s great work and results spreads, and soon the roster expands to a variety of food, fitness, retail and home services concepts.
March 24, 1992
Brad Fishman leaves his family business to join Fishman PR as CEO to grow the agency, while Sherri focuses on client work and operations. Employees are hired to help support the growth.
January 4, 1999
Fishman PR hires Debra Vilchis, a former news journalist with corporate and agency PR experience, to help manage clients and people and build systems and processes as the agency continues to grow.
March 2015
With its main office based in the suburbs, Fishman PR opens an office in downtown Chicago to accommodate a growing number of staff members who live in the city.
September 2018
Fishman PR was voted #1 PR firm in Franchising in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Inaugural “Top Franchise Suppliers” Ranking – an honor that we have received for 7 consecutive years.
September 2019
After 5 years serving at various companies in franchising, Zack Fishman joins Fishman PR, ultimately becoming Chief Growth Officer. Zack’s drive and connections result in significant pre- and post-pandemic growth and the rollout of innovative new services.
February 2022
Sherri Fishman receives IFA’s Bonny LeVine Award for her devotion to the industry over the years through volunteer positions at the IFA.
March 4, 2022
Fishman PR names Debra Vilchis as President, while Sherri transitions to co-CEO and eventually to Chief Visionary Officer. Other leadership changes are made to ensure a solid management infrastructure.
February 2023
Debra Vilchis receives IFA’s Crystal Compass Award for her contributions through leadership at Fishman PR, the franchising community and the community at large.
March 2023
Fishman PR moves into a larger city office in River North neighborhood of Chicago to house a growing staff and host quarterly franchising and PR education events.
September 2024
Fishman PR names a Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Experience Officer to help support Fishman PR into the future, including an evolving service offering of integrated PR, content marketing and digital services to move franchise brands forward.
Meet the Team
Our Mission
A mission is different from a function. Sure, our “function” is to generate earned media coverage and produce quality strategies and content for franchise development marketing campaigns. But at Fishman PR, our mission expands beyond the tactics of our work.
It’s more about the impact and outcomes of our work. For example, when we generate earned coverage or share content about a franchise opportunity that gets someone’s attention, and they later invest in that franchise, our work has contributed to increasing business ownership.
And when our consumer-facing earned coverage drives traffic to franchisee locations, locally-owned franchised businesses survive and thrive.
That’s why our Mission is about supporting entrepreneurship and local economies. It’s big, meaningful, and true.
Core Values
At Fishman PR, our core values are more than just words on a wall – they spill into every aspect of our business. These values of Empathize, Exceed, Own, Improve, Open and Encourage serve to drive our behavior and decision making when it comes to hiring, measuring employee performance, client selection and campaign execution. In fact, our core values serve as the primary criteria we measure our team members against during their annual performance reviews.
