Shannon Wilbanks

VP, Director of Business Development

If you’re talking to Erwin-Penland for the first time, chances are you’ll be talking to Shannon. If Joe’s the face of EP, Shannon’s the voice you’ll probably hear first.

She handles the awkward courtship phase of our client relationships, answering all those tentative first questions from prospective clients: Who are you? What can you do for me? Do you like flowers? Chocolates? RFPs?

And like any good chaperone, Shannon can size up a good fit pretty quickly. Does EP have the capabilities a client is looking for? Is the client a good fit for us? Shannon considers herself as much of an advocate for the client as she is for EP. A lasting relationship, she says, is built on a good match from day one. Anything else is wasting everyone’s time.

Once courtship turns into dating, Shannon hunts down the right people for the client or pitch team. If a tire manufacturer wants to know what we can do for them, Shannon makes sure our account guy who used to work at a tire superstore is there to add his consumer insights.

This kind of client service is nothing new for Shannon. She learned it on Capitol Hill, fielding constituent calls. It was the kind of job where you have to be ready for just about anything – perfect training for her role at Erwin-Penland, and one more reason she loves it more each day.