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the path we've traveled from 1960 to today
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The Early years |
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Ted Levine opened DCI's first
offices in 1960. | Development Counsellors International (DCI) was founded in the summer of 1960 in New York City. The company's first office space consisted of two small rooms within a
medical supplies warehouse on 14th Street and Fifth Avenue.
The concept for DCI's business grew out of Puerto Rico's "Operation Bootstrap" Program, which was a model economic development effort in the 1950s and a precursor to many other development programs sprouting up across the United States and overseas at the time.
Back then, DCI founder Ted Levine was U.S. director of public relations for the Bootstrap program. He saw an opportunity to share the public relations experience and marketing knowledge he gained working for Puerto Rico with other development programs in earlier stages of growth both in the United States and abroad. When Ted left Puerto Rico, he asked Millie Brown - today a vice president in the firm - to join him in this new enterprise. A born salesman, Ted pitched this idea to Millie, and it sounded like a great plan to her. More than 40 years later, both agree, it was the best business move they could make.
As a fledgling company, DCI concentrated on international clients, working with New South Wales, Australia, Israel, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and the new nation of Nigeria. As the firm evolved, the major source of DCI's business became states, cities, regions, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus and utilities.
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A growing practice
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DCI’s partnership team – Andy,
Carrie, Ted, Rob and Julie –
put their heads together. | DCI has grown gradually since the summer of 1960 and today employs more than 40 staff members in the company's New York City headquarters, along with regional offices in Philadelphia, Denver and Florida. The business has relocated its New York City headquarters eight times, upgrading with each move to bigger and better offices. With the arrival of Peggy Bendel directly from New York State's famous "I Love New York" campaign, the company's travel and tourism division grew dramatically.
In July 1991, Andy Levine, Ted’s son, joined DCI, initially serving as an account executive, but eventually taking over the day-to-day management responsibilities of the agency and becoming the firm’s president. Under Andy’s leadership, DCI has quadrupled in size and has grown to become the largest assembly of place marketing professionals in the world. Since 1960, DCI has represented some 350 development-related marketing clients.
DCI’s management team has grown as well. Beyond Ted and Andy, the DCI partnership team now includes executive vice president Rob DeRocker, vice president Julie Curtin and chief financial officer Carrie Nepo.
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