| The LGBTQ community saw a huge victory when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in a 5-4 ruling. |
| Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” knocked Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” out of Billboard’s #1 stop, only to give the top spot back to him the next week. |
| In a historic move, Diane Devaney and husband David DeKowski purchased the Trentham Mansion, moving Devaney & Associates into the 250-year-old historical landmark. |
Devaney & Associates is moving up to the west side.
Devaney & Associates is no stranger to the term “from humble beginnings.” What is now an award-winning, multi-disciplined agency started from one client believing in the talent and ingenuity of the agency’s founder and president, Diane Devaney.
“One of my clients actually helped me start the company,” says Devaney. “We started in their office, so it was nice to be a little part of a big office. Eventually we had our own space, a suite on a different floor of the same building.”
Since its conception, the agency has had three homes: moving from the office suite in the Village of Cross Keys, to a house in Towson, and now the Trentham Mansion in Owings Mills. Each office had its own charms, along with a few challenges.
“When we were in our Cross Keys office, you could see Jones Falls from the window,” says Devaney. “It was beautiful, but any time there were issues with flooding we’d have to move to higher ground.”
Over time the agency outgrew the office suite in the building where it started. Devaney and her team packed up their desks and ideas and moved into a house at 606 Providence Road in Towson.
“Towson was interesting,” says Devaney. “We were there for a very long time, and started relationships with many great companies. We’ve been working with clients like EVAPCO, Brotman Financial Group, and Leadership Maryland since we were in Towson. I have some great memories from that house, but it definitely gave us some weird experiences…”
Every company has undergone technical difficulties at some point in time. But Devaney & Associates took that to new levels when a squirrel got caught on the electrical wires outside of the house, electrocuting itself and blowing out the servers.
“All of our electricity was knocked out and we lost some of our archived data,” says Devaney. “Thankfully insurance paid for everything, since we even had the poor little squirrel as proof.”
Eventually, the company outgrew the house on Providence Road and Devaney started looking for something that could grow with the company.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth and we have our clients to thank for that,” says Devaney. “They’ve allowed us do the most cutting-edge, digital-based advertising and lead generation, keeping us right at the forefront of the industry. By trying new techniques and staying on top of trends, we’ve grown our skills and their businesses. Starting from such a small company, it’s been a great experience to have clients that help us grow, and grow with us.”
Moving into the agency’s new home was not a simple task, as it took an exhaustive search to find a property that was big enough to fit the company and also had charm and character.
“I didn’t want a regular, boring office space,” says Devaney. “Of all the available properties, the Trentham Mansion was the only one that stood out. My husband and I fell in love with it. It’s solid, like we are. It has always been a dream to buy a building, but owning a 250-year-old mansion is a work in progress.”
All the furniture and décor is new, but the space did come with a claw-foot tub, smokehouse, more parking… and the ghost of a former resident.
“Some strange things were happening at first,” says Devaney. “But once we figured out who the ghost was, understood her story, and talked to her, I think she likes us.”
If you’re interested in seeing how the Devaney & Associates team has transformed this 18th century boarding school into a chic, comfortable, collaborative office space, come visit us at the Trentham Mansion and have a look around. Be sure to ask about the ghost that lives in the office!
In honor of our 25th anniversary, we are travelling back to an important company milestone each month. Be sure to stay tuned for next month’s look back!
