'Anarchic.'

It's not the word you might expect the CEO of a multinational corporation - and a PR pro at that - to use in describing his company's culture. But for Text 100's Tim Dyson, who proudly declares that he and his staff 'all have attention deficit disorder,' and who can't work for longer than twenty minutes at a time without taking a break to play pool, constant chaos is a good thing.

'It's very important that we continue to challenge commonly-held ideas to do the most creative work, and that we make change available to everyone,' he explains.

This disdain for traditional thinking has translated to solid results for London-based Text 100. In the seven years since Dyson took the helm at the hi-tech powerhouse, Turning down numerous approaches to buy the business, Text has grown to 29 offices in 15 countries with more than 400 employees worldwide. During this time, this young (39), quiet, studious Brit has relocated the HQ to Seattle (home of its biggest client, guess who?) and hatched a half-dozen subsidiary 'sister brands' like Joe Public Relations and EVUS. Continuing its march across Asia Pacific and North America, the company will open another two US offices in 2000, including a Manhattan outpost by this spring.

Driven to compete Despite (or perhaps because of) the rapid expansion, Dyson has consistently kept Text 100 in the black. In an industry full of hot air, Text has reported a profit every year since 1985. In the US, this year's pre-tax earnings rose 2,000% and revenues increased 94% to $5.8 million; globally, revenues rose 42% to $38 million. To put that in context, it makes Text 100 of a similar size to Waggener, Edstrom and Brodeur. The firm capped off the year with a successful flotation on the London Stock Exchange and was trading at just under four pounds as PRWeek went to press. In addition, in perhaps the tightest PR job market of the past 30 years, Text 100 boasted a turnover rate in 1999 of just 6.5%, well below the industry average.

The fact that Text 100 has taken the lead and grown so quickly surprises few who know Dyson well. Whether carving up the ski slopes or racing his Porsche down the autobahn, Dyson is 'maniacally competitive,' says Matthew Ravden, who runs the firm's Asia Pacific operations. 'I remember racing with him once,' Ravden recalls. 'There was quite a bit of traffic, so it was pretty dangerous. We were both racing toward a gap between two trucks, and it was a battle of nerves to see who would give up. Tim wasn't going to give; he was virtually putting his life on the line to put one over on me.'

And it's not just his blatant disregard for life and limb that sets Dyson apart. For example, unlike nearly every other major multinational agency in this age of merger mania, Text 100 steadfastly pursues organic growth rather than acquisitions. Every one of the company's nearly 30 branches was home-sprouted.

'To be honest, I don't have the skills for mergers and acquisitions. I have always felt more comfortable in the house I built from scratch,' explains Dyson, who also believes that Text's spin-off strategy has helped 'keep your best people interested and invested in the company.'

That's not to say that launching new ventures never goes without a hitch. Such was the case with August One, the brand launched last summer that split $8 million of Text's UK billings and all of its blue chip global accounts in Europe away from the mothership. 'It was a nightmare putting that together,' Dyson admits. 'These were some of our oldest clients and longest-standing employees. But we are a company that likes to put obstacles in our way.' Even though he presides over an ever-expanding global empire, Dyson professes to hate hierarchy. And a look around the Seattle office he calls home base confirms this: all staff, from account coordinators to the GM, sit in clusters, sans cubicle walls, and Dyson's tiny bare-walled office just off the main room is far from the palatial space typically accorded the leader of a multimillion-dollar business.

'We are a meritocracy; we have the smartest people making decisions, not just those with the director titles,' Dyson points out. Similarly, he rejects the idea that his US-based employees, because of the greater maturity of PR as a business discipline here, provide the best solutions. 'There's a danger in thinking that people in the less developed markets are less creative,' he says.

A born leader This CEO's belief in talent over titles likely stems in some part from his own background. Born in an East African village to a father who served as a district officer in what were then British colonies, Dyson jokes about 'having empire-building in my genes.' But he landed in PR almost on a whim. Having just graduated from London's Loudborough University, Dyson says he saw an ad for an opening and rode his bike down to a cottage by the river, the original home of the fledgling Text 100. Without knowing a scrap about PR or technology, the former finance student signed on for a ride that would last the next 15 years.

Neither Dyson nor his most ardent supporters claim that his management style is without flaw. 'He hates micro-management, and is not as interested in the follow-through of great ideas as he is at being the thought leader for them,' says Aedhmar Hynes, president of Text's North America operations.

Also, some think this reluctance to toot his own horn might be keeping him from greater glory. 'Sometimes I think Tim is his own worst PR manager because he is so anonymous. He has worked side by side with some of the industry titans, but he has a total lack of desire to promote himself,' says iManage VP of marketing Owen Carton, a longtime friend and client.

This humility, however, has also won Dyson many fans - especially among his employees. But don't let the quiet side fool you. In five years, Dyson projects that Text 100 will have 1,500 employees in 60-80 offices globally. 'Notice I said nothing about being acquired,' he quips. And if suitors do come calling, they better bring their pool cues.