Silverback Strategies, a performance marketing agency in Alexandria, Va, is #25 of 50 U.S. advertising and marketing companies included in the 2017 Ad Age Best Places to Work list. “Our industry is driven by technology but our company is defined by our people,” said Neil Welsh, president and founder of Silverback Strategies. “Recruiting and retaining top tier talent is critical to our success. This recognition speaks to the high-performance, tight-knit culture our team has built over the past 10 years.” Silverback added nine new employees while growing annual revenue over 300 percent from 2013 to 2016. The company will bring in over $6 million in revenue in 2017. The Ad Age Best Places to Work program recognizes “the best employers in the advertising and marketing industries, benefiting the industry’s economy, workforce and businesses.”

Kathy Jeavons joined Burson-Marsteller’s Direct Impact grassroots communications unit as executive VP, reports O’Dwyer’s, which added that the veteran communicator worked in George Bush I’s White House as associate director for public liaison and at the Dept. of Energy as PA specialist in its congressional affairs office. Most recently, Jeavons was senior VP at Story Partners, handling healthcare, energy, food and nutrition clients. She also did stints at Ketchum, Public Strategies Inc. and Dix & Eaton, stated O’Dwyer’s

TorchLight Hire, a marketing and communications search and staffing firm, announced that recruiting industry veteran Stephanie Ranno, formerly with Profiles of Baltimore, has joined the firm as Director of Enterprise Business Development. Ranno will be responsible for helping TorchLight expand into the enterprise market, developing strategies and relationships to help Fortune 5000 companies operating in the D.C. metro area with their full-time permanent and contract staffing needs. Her addition also gives TorchLight an expanded presence in the Baltimore area. Prior to joining TorchLight, Ranno spent more than a dozen years in the recruiting and staffing industry, most recently as Managing Director of SHIFT Recruiting and as Strategic Account Manager of Profiles, a TorchLight competitor. She began her career in development and fundraising for two Baltimore nonprofits—Port Discovery – The Children’s Museum and Center Stage. Ranno was recently selected by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s 2017 Leading Women, singled out for her professional experience professional experience, community involvement and a commitment to inspiring change.