Before she signed on with Newfoundland-based Target Marketing and Communications, where she now serves as president, Catherine Kelly had no interest in advertising. She was supposed to be a scientist like her sister, or a mathematician like her father. But, after a few years in Toronto and a stint at telecom Nortel, she decided she missed Newfoundland and headed back to St. John’s to look for work. Halfway through a meeting with Target founder Noel O’Dea she decided she really wasn’t interested in the “fluffy” subjective nature of creativity.

The interview should have been over at that point, but O’Dea managed to convince her that there was an element of science to the art of advertising – even if it is a social science. Kelly decided to give it a shot.

That was 25 years ago, a long time in this business. But Target is the kind of place that puts a premium on retention over recruitment, for both employees and clients. Earlier this year, Kelly was appointed to her current position by O’Dea, who has stepped into the role of “chief storyteller.”

When it comes to employees, one-third of Target’s staff of 40 has been there for 10 years or more. “Between 40 and 50 people is our sweet spot. We will not grow just for the sake of growth,” says Kelly. “We have found that over 50 people demands more administration, hierarchy and layers of oversight. It focuses too much of our attention on managing the work and less on doing it.