From PR pitches to Fenway seats: Greg Hannoosh takes Next Step into retirement

After nearly four decades in the plastics industry — including 29 years leading his own B2B advertising and public relations firm — Greg Hannoosh is retiring, effective April 30, 2025.

Mark Malloy, Hannoosh's business partner since 2021, will assume ownership and take over as president of Next Step Communications Inc., a firm Hannoosh founded in 1996.

One of the few PR agencies dedicated primarily to clients in the plastics industry, Next Step has played a key role in helping manufacturers communicate their stories and innovations.

On the eve of his retirement, Hannoosh spoke with Plastics News about the journey from launching Next Step on a shoestring budget to building a respected niche agency, and the evolving landscape of marketing and communications.

Q: When and why did you initially decide to create Next Step?

Hannoosh: I started Next Step in June 1996, but had been thinking about going out on my own for about a year before that. The reason(s) why were varied, but the main reason was I was unhappy with my job at the time.

I had been in the plastics industry since 1986; I was the marketing communications manager for Kona Corp. Kona was a hot runner system and injection machine nozzles manufacturer based in Gloucester, Mass. Kona was purchased by Dynisco Inc. in the early '90s, and after that I was managing marketing communications (global team leader) for all of the Dynisco companies, but by 1995 I knew I was ready for a change.

I thought that I might be able to be successful if I offered my marketing knowledge and services to other companies in the plastics industry.

At the time, our four kids were 12, 10 and 8 (twins), my wife was a teacher at a local Catholic school, and we had a mortgage and bills to pay. Quite honestly, we had very little money and I probably had no business going out on my own, but I was confident and felt it was worth a shot.

People I met with to discuss my plan would say things like, "It will take a few years to know if you're going to make it." I would tell them, "I don't have a few years. If I don't make it in a few months I'll have to get another job." Luckily it worked out.

Q: Why do you think the company has been successful?

Hannoosh: It's a combination of things. First, I feel Next Step has been successful because we brought not only a strong knowledge of marketing and communications to our clients, but also a strong knowledge of the plastics industry. If you "speak the language" of the industry, no matter what industry you're working in, it's a great advantage. I feel great that the agency will continue after I'm retired with Mark Malloy and Geoff Giordano; both of them are seasoned plastics industry professionals.

Second, we worked hard — and continue to work hard — to bring results that were obvious to our many clients. When they started seeing their company getting coverage in the industry press, for example, it would be an "a-ha" moment for many of them.

Q: How has the business changed since you got started?

Hannoosh: I like to say that since I started the business in the mid-'90s, everything about marketing and communications has changed — and at the same time, nothing at all has changed. What I mean by that is, when you look at how/where you get your information today, you're looking at your email, scrolling through social media, texting with friends and colleagues, and clicking on story links on your laptop or phone to read more. You could do exactly none of those things in 1996 — everything has changed.

But, when I say that nothing has changed, I mean that companies still want and need to get the word out about what they're doing. The need for communication has not changed and never will; it's the ways that we help companies communicate their message, the methods that we use, that has changed.

Q: I have a theory that most companies think they do marketing/PR/communication well, but most don't. Do you agree?

Hannoosh: Yes, I do agree with that. I'd also add that what I've seen over the years is many companies simply don't understand how to effectively communicate their message. I've talked with potential clients who truly don't understand the difference between advertising and PR, between paid and earned media. When that's the case, they most definitely need help!

Don, I will send you a photo that the PN photographer took at one of the PN Marketing Summits a few years ago. You may remember that you and I partnered up to do a joint presentation on "best practices for communicating with the press." I love the photo because it shows the two of us and I'm pointing to you, I think at the time I was saying something like, "You see this guy? He's the editor of Plastics News. His name, number and email address are in every issue of their newspaper. If you have questions on what kind of news stories Plastics News is looking for, or you're not sure whether what you want to send him is newsworthy, give him a call!"

Q: You've been through some business cycles, with ups and downs for your clients. Often when they're making cuts, marketing is one of the first casualties. How do you think companies should react to tough economic times?

Hannoosh: This is true; I've seen at least two recessions and one global pandemic over the past 29 years, and when times are tough, companies almost always cut back on their marketing budgets. I understand why, but I also know that it's important that they stay active from a marketing perspective. If you have less money to spend, there are still plenty of ways to effectively market your company on a smaller budget, and the savviest companies do just that.

PR is a big part of that, and today, we see a lot of creative methods involving social media, email marketing campaigns, blogs, video, etc., that can be extremely effective on a smaller budget.

My message is, when times are tough, stay steady with your marketing and messaging. It will pay off for you when the economy, and business, picks up again.

Q: As a close observer of the plastics industry, what are the two or three most important trends or events that you think have changed/are changing the industry?

Hannoosh: That's a tough question. I've been in plastics for the past 40 years and have seen tremendous improvements in the technologies that drive the industry, especially from a machinery and equipment perspective.

The advent of all-electric molding machines was a big development for bringing quieter, faster and cleaner injection molding to the industry. More recently, the increased demand for using recycled and/or bioplastic materials has been a huge development, and I think that will continue to grow.

The biggest issue that I've seen — and it's not going away anytime soon — is the plastic pollution problem that's happening globally. Back when I started Next Step in 1996, not many people were talking about the problem of plastic waste. Today, everyone's talking about it.

It's interesting to me. The plastics industry I know is filled with smart, talented people who have worked hard to create better products for practically every market and industry there is — automotive, medical, packaging, housewares, etc. — and their innovation and problem-solving has helped many large OEMs achieve tremendous profits and success.

But the same effort that has gone into making better products has not gone into creating products that are truly recyclable, and now the industry is paying the price with negative publicity. The industry needs to step up to meet this challenge, and I know they're working on it, but there's a long way to go.

Q: You must have worked with some interesting characters over the years in plastics, including clients and in the media. Any funny stories you'd like to share?

Hannoosh: Too many to count, to be honest. [PN reporter] Bill Bregar was clearly the biggest character I ever worked with. I wrote a blog on Bill after he died and there's a lot of good info in there — too much to print for this story I'm sure. Here is the Red Sox/Cleveland baseball part of the blog:

Bill's love of sports rivaled mine and over the years we would bet on Boston-Cleveland playoff games, and we always paid up. The attached photo of Bill is one of my favorites. It was taken in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2007 at the K show. The Red Sox had just beaten the Indians in seven games to advance to the World Series. Our bet was that the loser had to wear the winning team's hat for one day at the show. So Bill reluctantly put on the Red Sox cap, allowed someone to snap this picture, and to the best of my knowledge he (angrily) wore the cap all that day.

Also, the late Dick Devellian, the founder and president of Kona Corp., was a real character and a mentor to me. He was my first boss in the plastics industry, and I learned a lot from him. He gave me a lot of great advice that I carry with me to this day. He also gave me the shot of courage I needed when I was struggling with the decision on whether to go out on my own or not. He had already retired, and I asked him to meet me for lunch. I told him over lunch what I was thinking, but that I was nervous and that it was a huge risk. He looked me in the eye and said: "It's not a huge risk at all. You're going to be successful, and you need to believe that; but if you're not, or decide for some reason it isn't for you, you'll have no problem getting another job." Then he left and he left me with the bill!

Q: What things about the plastics industry are you not going to miss? (And conversely, what will you miss, if anything?)

Hannoosh: I will miss the people, for sure. I've made many friends over the years in this industry and will miss my interactions with them. Also, I've been to every NPE show since 1988 and every K show since 1992, with the exception of 2016. These events have always been highlights of my career, from both a personal and professional perspective.

Things I won't miss about the plastics industry: It's not really industry-specific, but what I won't miss is the day-to-day work, meetings, deadlines, etc. I've worked my entire life, and I look forward to not having to check my phone and email every five minutes, and to have my days free to spend more quality time with my wife and family, traveling, going to my grandkids' events, watching Red Sox games at Fenway, golfing, kayaking, reading, writing, and just generally chilling out.