About
At Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, weâve got our sights set on something big: redefining the public relations industry. This means helping others abandon the perception of PR as a wheel of propaganda, churning and burning self-serving, bias-driven news releases. Instead, we see PR as something bigger, greater and far more meaningful. We define public relations not by tactics or strategies, but rather by frameworks for strategic thinking, relationship building, creating connections, storytelling and producing results.
This new way of defining PR is not about abandoning what works â itâs about building on it, constantly growing our toolkit, looking for inspiration across disciplines, and giving all efforts modern and forward-thinking relevancy.
Our Values
At NST, our values are more than words on paper. They are our North Star guiding our decisions big and small, and we love it when we have the opportunity to partner with clients who share our commitment to:
- Push ourselves to explore.
- Commit to quality and add value every time.
- Be candid and kind.
- Take ownership and do the right thing.
- Balance hard work and fun while supporting one another.
- Seek out diverse perspectives.
- Get shit done.
Our Purpose
Not only do we help other organizations uncover their social purpose, we are also a purpose-driven company that believes in making a difference. At NST, our purpose is to better ourselves, our partners and the world around us. We live this purpose day in and day out through our commitment to exploration; client service; diversity, equity and inclusion; and initiatives like Make Things Better.
We Are NST
Our History
How It Started
The journey to modern-day Nuffer, Smith, Tucker began in 1974 when Dave Nuffer and Bob Smith opened a political campaign agency and special-projects division of San Diego-based advertising agency Phillips-Ramsey. Their first client was the Dairy Council of California, an organization the agency continues to support to this day.
The agency quickly grew, becoming deeply entrenched in the San Diego community. Kerry Tucker joined the team in 1980 and grew the agencyâs reputation as a leader in the agri-food space. From 2000 to December 2016, the agency was led by Bill Trumpfheller, a champion of local nonprofit organizations, universities and businesses.
How Itâs Going
In 2020, Teresa Siles, Mary Correia-Moreno and Price Adams â with a tenure at NST of more than 15 years each â acquired the firm, vowing a commitment to the agencyâs values that made it successful in the past, while embracing a spirit of exploration, evolution and organizational agility. Since then, the trio has focused the agency on three strategic priorities: people, partners and promotion. Through these priorities, the agencyâs leaders are taking aim on ensuring the team has the skills, training and resources it needs; providing value to our client partners; and telling the story of NST. As an extension of these efforts, the firm has introduced its Make Things Better initiative and diversity, equity and inclusion commitment.