# Belfort Group

> Belfort Group is a privately held Boston agency that combines public relations, digital marketing, creative work, web design and public affairs. Its most distinctive work sits where a message must produce a consequential action: an application, a qualified senior-living lead, a permit vote, a hire or a useful piece of press coverage. The present company emerged in 2019 when Philip Pennellatore acquired the 1980-founded Schneider Associates and relaunched it as Belfort Group.

- **Founded:** 1980
- **Headquarters:** Boston, United States
- **Founders:** Joan Schneider (Founder of predecessor Schneider Associates), Philip Pennellatore (Founder and CEO of Belfort Group)
- **Products:** Digital marketing, Public relations and public affairs, Creative services, Web design and development, BG Data Hub
- **Notable:** Relaunched as Belfort Group in 2019 after Philip Pennellatore acquired Schneider Associates; the agency said it had added more than 50 brands under his ownership by the relaunch., Increased Vermont College of Fine Arts' inquiry-to-started-application conversion rate from 5% in FY2022 to 22% in FY2023, while inquiry-to-completed-application conversion rose from 3% to 12%., Generated more than $3.3 million in reported advertising-equivalency value and more than 5,000 social engagements for American University Kogod's Business and Entertainment program in a year-long PR campaign.

## Products & services

- **Digital marketing** — Integrated campaigns spanning paid search, social, OTT and CTV, display, email nurturing, content, SEO, media planning, CRM integration and performance reporting.
- **Public relations and public affairs** — Media relations, thought-leadership programs, crisis and reputation work, community engagement, grassroots campaigns and support for public approvals.
- **Creative services** — Brand strategy, visual identity, graphic design, campaign creative, content creation and video production.
- **Web design and development** — Websites, landing pages, UX, accessibility-oriented design, maintenance and conversion-focused digital experiences.
- **BG Data Hub** — A real-time marketing and communications analytics platform with benchmarks, visualizations, customizable dashboards and automated reports.

## Achievements

- Relaunched as Belfort Group in 2019 after Philip Pennellatore acquired Schneider Associates; the agency said it had added more than 50 brands under his ownership by the relaunch.
- Increased Vermont College of Fine Arts' inquiry-to-started-application conversion rate from 5% in FY2022 to 22% in FY2023, while inquiry-to-completed-application conversion rose from 3% to 12%.
- Generated more than $3.3 million in reported advertising-equivalency value and more than 5,000 social engagements for American University Kogod's Business and Entertainment program in a year-long PR campaign.
- Helped a Northeastern University master's program generate more than 325 leads, enroll 22 students in its inaugural cohort and double the program size in year two.
- Supported the campaign that secured unanimous Cambridge Planning Board approval for BioMed Realty's proposed 585 Third Street arts and laboratory project.
- Reported reducing paid-search cost per conversion by more than 50% while LCB Senior Living's average occupancy moved from 82% to 93% during the relationship.
- Named among the Largest Public Relations Firms in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published current guidance on AI-era media relations, AI search readiness and what makes a story newsworthy in 2026.
- **2026-09** — Added Marketing Intelligence Engineer Sean Fontellio to support dashboards and client reporting.
- **2025-09** — Announced inclusion on the Boston Business Journal list of the Largest Public Relations Firms in Massachusetts.

## Links

- Website: https://www.thebelfortgroup.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-belfort-group/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/belfortgroup
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belfortgroup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfortGroup/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/belfort-group
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-23