From the Ground Up: Spotlight on Ramonna Robinson, President and Managing Partner of GroundFloor Media
By Bailey Gannett, Associate Communications Specialist at Cherwell, Communications Committee member
“Hire smart people who are good humans and then get out of the way and trust them to do their jobs.”
– Ramonna Robinson, President and Managing Partner, GroundFloor Media
Did you know Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26? Women’s Equality Day is the anniversary of passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, which granted voting rights to women. Today, this day represents our continued effort toward full equality for all women from the workplace to the home. One of those continued efforts comes from supporting women leaders!
In honor of Women’s Equality Day, we wanted to highlight one of our many powerful women in PR that make our industry great. Although it’s hard to choose just one, Ramonna Robinson, President and Managing Partner of GroundFloor Media, stands out amongst the crowd.
Hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, Robinson graduated from Butler University with a degree in journalism, specializing in PR. In 2005, Robinson joined GroundFloor Media, a Denver-based firm of integrated communications programs with national and global reach across various different industries. Robinson joined business partner, Laura Love, who started GroundFloor back in 2001 from her basement in Boulder, Colorado.
Since then, Robinson and Love have been busy working together to co-found (with four other employees) their digital sister agency, CenterTable, and the Get Grounded Foundation, a private nonprofit that provides one-year grants for innovative programs that support Denver’s at-risk youth with a focus on the prevention of child abuse and neglect, youth behavioral health and childhood hunger relief.
Robinson has helped craft a culture of passionate collaboration, uncompromising integrity, unwavering accountability, and mutual respect. At GroundFloor Media, the team believes in a “work/life blend,” understanding that true balance isn’t realistic, and instead, striving to cultivate an environment that recognizes that different parts of people’s lives take priority at different times.
This is a philosophy the GFM team has held for the past 18 years, producing an extremely low attrition rate within the agency. It’s a proven success strategy, and the GFM team has been recognized six times by OUTSIDE magazine as one of the top 10 “Best Places to Work” in America.
“I don’t run anything on my own. I am surrounded by smart, talented, passionate partners and team members, and that is the most rewarding part of my job,” shares Robinson. One of the standout things about GFM and CenterTable is that team members average more than 15 years of experience within communications, media, PR, digital marketing and content creation.
Over the next few years, Robinson’s goal for GFM and CenterTable is that team members continue to discover new opportunities for growth. The team members strategy is driven by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, with everyone on the team keeping a close eye on trends shaping the marketing communications industry.
When asked about advice that Robinson has for other women leading the way in the PR industry, she expressed the significance of working with knowledgeable people that will challenge and support you to no end.
“When running one’s own business, it’s important to surround yourself with smart people, especially those who supplement areas you’re not as strong in, and to follow best practices but also to be sure to trust your gut, especially during the toughest decisions,” shares Robinson.
When Robinson is not leading the charge at one of the biggest Denver-based agencies, you can find her outdoors, at a concert, or giving back to her community. She has a passion for music and embodies the true Colorado spirit, spending time practicing yoga, hiking, skiing, camping, or sharing wine and craft beer with friends. You can connect with her on LinkedIn to learn more.
