The story of a little company with a big vision
Javelina exists to create an equitable and kind world by developing and telling stories that create social, political, and economic change. Through purpose-driven branding and marketing, we help our clients maximize their impact and build strong connections with their communities.
A simple beginning
This wasn’t always the case. Often when you hear stories of people starting businesses, it starts with a grand vision. The founders are driven to solve one of the world’s big problems or they dream of building an empire.
We didn’t necessarily have that at the start of Javelina. Bill, David and I knew we wanted to drive impact but weren’t exactly sure how. We all worked in politics and so starting our own consulting firm seemed like an obvious choice.
Over ten years of doing business we’ve grown up, evolved, gotten clear on who we are, what we’re good at, and why we exist.
From that place, we’ve been able to ask ourselves: What does the future hold? What vision do we seek to create?
A big vision
We aspire to be the go-to branding and marketing agency for organizations and individuals creating progressive social and systemic change in their communities around the world.
Together with our clients, we envision an equitable and kind world. We envision a world where the circumstances of your birth – race, sex and gender identity, sexuality, income level, geography – don’t define what you can create and how you can live.
This might sound like an ambitious plan, and it is.
We know it’s possible because of what our clients have done. They have:
- Raised the Arizona minimum wage and introduced earned sick leave to prevent families from having to make the impossible choice between paying the bills and putting food on the table.
- Confronted our housing crisis by working to change policy and change hearts and minds so more people can have a home that meets their needs.
- Increased the money invested in education in Arizona and fought to ensure a quality education is available for every student.
- Defended abortion rights and reproductive health for Americans no matter where they live.
- Advanced nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ communities.
- Passed legislation to extend the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual assault – and they’ve supported the legal cases against their perpetrators.
- Changed the literal face of our communities by expanding transportation networks and ensuring they are equitable and accessible.
We know that powerful, resonant, and deliberate branding, messaging, and marketing strategies are an essential part of making change. Stories are how humans understand our status quo and how they imagine a better way of being.
By developing powerful stories with our clients, together we will create this better world.
How we’ll do it
It won’t happen overnight, for sure, and doubtless it won’t be a linear journey. There will be setbacks and disappointments. There will be missteps and lessons learned.
Here is how we will do it:
- In alignment with our core values of Kindness, Growth, Support, Ownership, and Excellence. These are the things we know matter the most for our team and our clients, and upholding and operationalizing them throughout our organization – rigorously and unapologetically – is how we’ll find our best path toward our vision.
- By prioritizing employee wellbeing. Our team is our best and most powerful resource. Each person shows up to this work with their whole selves because they care deeply about making a difference. By putting them first and always asking how we can serve them better, we will be in our strongest position to drive lasting impact and change the world.
- In partnership with our clients and community. No one makes change in a vacuum. By forging long-term partnerships that prioritize our clients’ best interests, together we will create measurable impact. Additionally, we seek to create a community of our changemaking clients and team members – both past and present – that provides connections to each other, helpful resources and information, opportunities for practical or creative collaboration, and stories of change that provide inspiration and ideas.
What happens now?
We want to partner with you to create the kind, equitable world we envision. Here are some simple things you can do:
- Sign up for our email list to be the first to learn about job openings, upcoming events, and opportunities to collaborate
- Follow us on social media to connect with others who share our vision for a better world
- Tell us your ideas for topics that need our attention, organizations we can support or partner with, and resources we might provide to support your work
We are so grateful to be a part of this changemaking community with you, and are excited to continue strengthening it.