Mike Fossano is President of Premier Communications Group in Royal Oak MI.
***
Randy Fossano, president and Founder of Premier Communications Group, died on May 20, 2024.
Randy Fossano was many things: a loving husband and father, an extraordinary gardener and master home chef (look at his Instagram!), and an avid fan of all Detroit sports teams. He was always a lifelong entrepreneur, notably starting as a paperboy for The Detroit News and forming his neighborhood “Bug Club,” in which he courted several hard-paying members.
Childhood endeavors aside, his greatest professional accomplishments began after he graduated from Marygrove College in Detroit in 1980.
On March 27, 1982, he founded Premier Design Studio, Inc. with a drawing table, a typewriter, and a dogged spirit of blind ambition — oh, and Sanders hot fudge cream puff — a staple in Detroit dessert lore. We’ll get to that part in a bit.
What started as a one-man operation quickly expanded in terms of employees, clients, and industries served. Randy established Premier as a resource for excellence in design and strategy development. Most importantly, he instilled an attitude of client service and reliability, which remain the bedrock tenets of our agency today.
Previously, the concept of a “full-service” graphic design and marketing firm was still new; creative houses and communications agencies were separate entities that operated under oft-differing philosophies. As Premier evolved to the current day, Randy recognized that merging these worlds would create opportunities for the agency to evolve into today’s Premier Communications Group: a well-rounded resource for excellence in creative and strategic marketing services.
Randy always ensured that the same level of service and care was extended not just to clients but also to the entire Premier team. He sought to spread accolades and was always quick to compliment the team on their hard work. He mentored many current and past employees and helped elevate their work and careers.
I’ve been with Premier since 2011, though I often joke that I’ve worked here since I was a toddler. I’ve been fortunate to learn from and work alongside my father and best friend as I entered the business.
Nearly 43 years after our inception, our agency’s core values remain at the forefront as we continue to serve our clients with impactful creative marketing communications solutions. As a small boutique agency with a global reach, we remain a unique entity in the marketing world.
Our client roster includes companies from a wide range of markets and industries, allowing us to meet various challenges, whether we’re operating as a full-service agency or serving as a de facto marketing communications department. We have an agile in-house team of copywriters, designers, developers and account staff that are focused on delivering results for our clients.
To say that technology has changed since 1982 would be an understatement. Do you remember fax machines or life before the Internet? Since our inception, our team has continually evolved to stay on top of the latest trends impacting the design and marketing industries. This allows us to remain an agile, responsive, and knowledgeable resource for our clients.
Core elements of design endure across any era. Premier has built a reputation for passion, effective marketing and brand development, and diligent service, and the branding we develop and design for our clients is not only dynamic and creative but, more importantly, is strategically rooted in their objectives with a clear understanding of their audience’s wants and needs.
We’ve been fortunate to have earned many accolades and awards over the years, including several GDUSA-winning projects, including our recent 2023 Award for the Genesis Motors G90 Gifting Campaign. While it’s never our focus, we’re honored by these distinctions and believe that they’re just as much of a nod to our client partners and stakeholders.
We’re excited about what lies ahead as a company. We’re proud to continue incorporating Randy’s guiding principles and providing clients with compelling solutions that spark action, create excitement, and strengthen ties with their audiences.
Oh, and about that hot fudge cream puff. When Randy completed his first project for Premier in 1982, he celebrated by treating himself to a celebratory dessert. He would then mark each anniversary that the company enjoyed with — you guessed it — a hot fudge cream puff. As Randy once said, “Although the tools and devices have changed, a few things have remained constant: the ambition is intact, I still prefer black & white photography, and the annual Sanders hot fudge cream puff reward.”
