Ann Wool can’t quite choose her favorite moment from the London Olympics. Perhaps it was the satellite interviews that her Ketchum Sports & Entertainment crew organized for volleyball player Kerri Walsh, gymnast Jordyn Wieber and swimmer Rebecca Soni — all gold medal winners. Maybe it was the brand work Ketchum did with Kellogg’s and Oakley. Either way, Wool had a major presence at the Olympics, and it came just 11 years after she helped bring Ketchum into sports. Wool started Ketchum’s sports and entertainment wing in 2001 with zero employees and one client, Visa. Today, she has a staff of 35 and an undisclosed number of major clients, from the organizing committees for the forthcoming Sochi and Rio Olympics to IBM, Russell Athletic and Wendy’s.

Wool credits the success to choosing the right team. “We spend a lot of time working and traveling together, so you get to know somebody extremely well,” Wool said. “We’ve got to like and respect each other, and be very passionate about what we’re doing.”