MPA Strategies, a statewide marketing & public relations agency with a team in both the Midlands and the Upstate, has been named as the 2025 Best Marketing Firm in South Carolina by the Guide to SC’s Best of South Carolina Awards for the second year in a row.
Since its founding, MPA has distinguished itself by blending creative branding with smart business strategy that includes the ability to secure innovative project funding. Their approach is not just about crafting messages—it’s about creating connections with members of the media, local partners, elected officials, and businesses that translate into real-world successes for MPA clients. This recognition from Best of South Carolina highlights MPA’s ongoing dedication to excellence and their influential role in the South Carolina’s business community.
“Having our team recognized across South Carolina as the best in our field is an incredible honor,” said Ashley Hunter, MPA’s Owner and Chief Executive Officer. “We strive to provide exceptional marketing services to our clients; and we like to take it a step further by providing them with access to grants, project funding, graphic design, digital connectivity, and crisis communications planning. The additional level of client care and ability to provide real-time solutions is what makes our team so unique. By design, we will never be the largest marketing firm; but we are the most determined and most passionate about every project we take on.”
In 2018, Hunter was named as a Women of Influence by the Columbia Regional Business Report, and in 2023 she was also named one of South Carolina’s Top Women in Business.
MPA offers services including: public relations, branding, web design and development, media relations, crisis communications, strategic planning, graphic design, grant writing and association management.
“Winning this award for the second year in a row is a testament to the hard work and grit our team puts in to every project we take on,” MPA Vice President & Director of Operations, Adrienne Patrick said. “We know that strong communication and branding, backed by an innovative strategy, can transform a business, law firm, association, or government entity. This honor motivates us to keep pushing boundaries and delivering the kind of results our clients know they can count on.”
Patrick, who lives in Greenville, is a certified grant-writer and runs the state’s largest Associations for horticulture businesses in South Carolina.
Best of South Carolina winners and nominees are chosen by a combination of readers’ votes and editors’ input, and are vetted through several ranking sites, Better Business Bureau, and voting pattern analysis reports. For each industry, there are three tier levels of winners: The Best of South Carolina, Regional Best and Honorable Mention. MPA Strategies was selected in 2024 and again in 2025 for the Best of South Carolina tier, the highest designation given for each statewide category.