Vancouver’s 123w has always prided itself on being financially disciplined to “keep the talent high and the overhead low.” But when the pandemic hit, forcing some agencies to downsize in response to slashed client budgets, 123w’s promise to staff took on even greater meaning, says co-founder and CEO Scot Keith. The 40-person shop with an impressive (and expensive) 15 CDs on its creative bench took steps to keep everyone on board. That, Keith says, helped the entire team rally coming out of the pandemic’s first wave. Luckily, 123w had also begun bringing new production capabilities in-house – those skills helped it quickly turn around work for clients including fintech Mogo. In the end, not only did 123w avoid layoffs, the agency also opened a new Toronto office under the leadership of design CD Moreen “Mo” Bofill.