GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS: City Business feature II

In this second installment of New Orleans City Business‘ feature on Velocity Agency – naming us as one of the top five Fastest Growing Companies in NOLA – Quincy Hodges sits down with Vice President Kevin Conway. Kevin talks business, backbone, Berning and the benefits of being set up as a one-stop-shop.

Editor’s note: CityBusiness tracks the Fastest Growing Companies in the New Orleans area based on information we obtain from our regular surveys of private companies. The five standouts that will be featured in our May 13 print edition reported the largest percentage increase in revenue over the past three years among companies that posted between $20,000 and $100,000 in gross income. The ceiling and basement were established to focus on companies still on the rise, while eliminating the dramatic jumps seen during the early seven-figure stages.

By: Quincy Hodges, Reporter May 9, 2016
After evolving from a marketing and production company into an in-house advertising firm, Velocity Agency has extended its reach all across the country and has made strongholds in several categories. Velocity has grown its revenue from $4.5 million in 2013 to $15 million in 2015, a 175 percent three-year growth.

“Coming from the foundation of Robert Berning Productions in 1975, we’ve been blessed to have all of these assets at our disposal,” said Kevin Conway, Vice President of Velocity. Conway said moving into the digital space was an obvious progression.

When Berning died and his son, Robert Berning III, took over, he recruited Conway out of Los Angeles. Conway said he moved back to New Orleans three years ago and made a commitment to put the right people in the right positions.

Conway attributes some of the revenue growth to Velocity’s ability to be completely in-house by employing editors, a social media team, application developers, web developers, SEO experts, etc. “We really just have everything in one place,” he said. “We are able to create and execute amazing campaigns in an efficient manner, and no other agency in this region can really do that.”

Conway came with a legal and business background and Berning with experience in motion production and more than 20 years of experience as a member of the Berning Productions team. “The combination of the two of us has been quite beneficial,” Conway said. “We are committed to growth and it’s a big theme around here.”

Conway said it’s imperative that Velocity grows outside of the region as well as inside it. Looking forward, Conway said Velocity is aggressively committed to growth in the casino gaming area, health care and legal sectors and with companies that understand the necessity of being in the digital landscape.