Valek and Co. Nearing 20th Anniversary in 2023

Valek and Co. started on Oct. 16, 2003, the day after the Chicago Cubs lost game 7 of the National League Championship Series. The Cubs lost game 6 after the infamous Bartman ball incident.

“After the Bartman play, you could immediately feel the vibe in Chicago dramatically shift from positive to negative,” Ray Valek remembers. “I figured we’d hit bottom, so there was nowhere to go but up. Great time to start a business!”

Valek received a phone call on Oct. 16 from a potential client who turned out to be the company’s first client. “It was one of those cosmic signals that tell you you’re doing the right thing,” he said.

Since then, Valek and Co. has completed assignments for more than 50 organizations, mostly in the health care industry. His team enters 2023 with an exciting list of projects touching on critical issues such as the water crisis, infection prevention and control, health equity, worker shortages, and more.

“The COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down and made communications more important than ever,” Valek stated. “However, many of us have become more skeptical of media reports, making it extremely important for organizations to be trustworthy in everything they do and say. Good PR starts with good intentions and actions.”