The Brand
Forty years is a long time to be in business.
If you asked 21-year-old Sean back in 1986 whether he’d still be in the same business 40 years later, I highly doubt the answer would have been yes. Yet here we are in 2026, forty years later. As I reflect on our business journey, I often pause to think about our brand and our logo. In some ways they are the same thing, and in other ways, very different.
Our Name, Our Reputation
Let’s start with our name and our logo.
When we first started the business, we sat down to discuss what we should call it. My father was hell-bent on having Hogan in the name. Of course, we disagreed, that’s what young, impetuous kids do. Looking back, I understand exactly why Dad felt so strongly. There was a deep sense of pride in putting his name on the business.
Using your family name means exposing yourself to scrutiny. There’s no hiding behind a brand when it’s your name. That idea shaped who we are ever since. We’ve always been a transparent company. If there’s a concern, an owner addresses it. It’s a simple concept, but one you don’t see in every business: confront issues directly and resolve your clients’ concerns. Simple, but powerful.
The Early Years and the First Logo
In the end, we gave in to Dad, and the company was named Hogan Associates. Our original logo featured a cable wrapped around the name with an RS-232 connection on one end, very specific to the technology of the time. To me, the name sounded more like a law firm than a tech company.
We tossed around plenty of other ideas. One of the more memorable, and questionable, options was Ho-Tel, short for Hogan Telephone. Thankfully, that one didn’t make the cut. Another suggestion was Baystate Telecom, which sounded bigger and more corporate, but a little research showed plenty of similarly named companies. We wanted to stand out, not blend in.
The Triangle, the Colors, and What They Mean
In 1989, when my brother and I took over the reins, we decided it was time for a change. We kept Hogan but replaced Associates with Communications, a name that better reflected the services we were providing at the time. Hogan Communications also meant a new logo.
Back then, we were primarily a cabling infrastructure company, supporting paging and telecom systems. My brother designed a logo that is still in use today, our name in bold black lettering similar to a Gotham Black typeface overlaid on a gold triangle. The triangle represented forward motion, like a “play” icon or arrow pushing ahead. It also had practical meaning: on building prints, a triangle marked a data or voice location. While that symbol has evolved over time, its roots were firmly tied to our work.
That logo has served us well. It’s clean, visible, and works beautifully on signage and vehicles. Our company colors weren’t chosen by accident. They’re the colors of our favorite NHL team, the Boston Bruins but they also happen to be the colors of the Hogan family crest.
Our Brand Today
We operated as Hogan Communications until 2013. By then, Andy and I knew our services had evolved again, and our name needed to reflect that growth. We kept what mattered, the colors, the triangle, and Hogan and simply replaced Communications with Technology. That change meant new vehicle wraps, new signage, and a refreshed presence but the core of who we were remained intact.
Today, our logo stands tall and proud. I don’t see any reason to change it again.
Through every name change and every shift in the business landscape, our culture has endured. We were founded on simple core beliefs: do your job, be honest, be transparent, and be the best. Those values have outlasted trends, technology, and time, and they remain the true foundation of our brand.