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Current Global launches its “Accessible by Design” initiative, ensuring that all content and campaigns will be designed to be inclusive of people of all abilities, such as those with sight, hearing, speech and cognitive impairments. Current has developed a comprehensive set of guidelines and an accessibility toolkit, which has been rolled out to its global team. In 2021, the agency also plans to offer clients an “Accessible by Design” audit to determine the level of accessibility in an organization’s communication efforts and help them chart a path toward increased inclusion. “Every day in our industry content is published that’s inaccessible to many, but it doesn’t have to be this way,” said Current Global co-CEO George Coleman. “Not only do we have a moral duty to change this, it makes clear commercial sense for our clients.”
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J Public Relations has opened offices in Nashville and Toronto. The Nashville office will be headed by senior director Heidi Baldwin Doak and the Toronto office will be led by senior vice president Kristin Moller. The Nashville location will complement the agency's client expansion through North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas and Nashville in particular. It will have a team member dedicated to content creation and social media strategy, alongside team members dedicated to communications and public relations strategies. JPR’s Toronto office will supplement the agency’s work for clients in Canada. “Having an office in Toronto enables us to be right in front of Canada’s top journalists and tastemakers, and foster meaningful relationships in the markets that matter most to our clients,” said JPR partner Sarah Evans. The two offices will join JPR’s offices in New York City, San Diego, Los Angeles and London, in addition to its satellite offices in Denver and Scottsdale.
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Cornerstone Government Affairs is setting up shop in Denver and Oklahoma City, as well as launching capabilities in Dover, DE. The Denver office, which establishes the firm’s Mountain West presence, will be led by Jim Driscoll, former senior legislative advisor to Colorado governors John Hickenlooper and Bill Ritter, Jr. Prior to joining Cornerstone, he founded Jim Driscoll Consulting. Cornerstone’s Oklahoma office will be led by Brian Hackler, former deputy chief of staff and state director for Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). The launch of Delaware capabilities will be led by Ellen Valentino, a current senior consultant at the firm who has more than 30 years of experience lobbying in Maryland, Delaware and DC. “With this expansion, we remain committed to being an industry leader in the state and local marketplace and will continue to provide clients across the Middle Atlantic, South, and, now, Mountain West, a fully integrated offering,” said Cornerstone managing director Campbell Kaufman.
Brunner, a Pittsburgh-based integrated marketing agency, acquires AdSkate, an AI-powered creative analytics and marketing intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies optimize advertising performance... Augustine Agency launches Flavor Theory, a foodservice marketing practice aimed at helping restaurants, food manufacturers, distributors and institutional dining organizations grow their brands and businesses... The Acceleration Community of Companies releases a report finding that almost half (49 percent) of Gen Z sports fans say they have become interested in a new sport or athlete because of fan-created content or something entirely outside the sport. 
VPE Communications, which helps organizations authentically connect with diverse audiences, celebrates 38 years in business and announces a new ownership structure... Praytell expands into the Asian market with the opening of a new office in Singapore... The International Public Relations Network unveils a new visual identity and redesigned website. 
SourceCode Communications launches SourceCode Germany, establishing the agency's first office in continental Europe... Clario Group acquires Ted Miller Group, a Miami-founded agency focused on clients in the technology, travel & leisure and financial services sectors... Global Situation Room’s Global Risk Advisory Council is hosting a July 23 webinar that will go over the results of its new Reputation Risk Index.
Havas acquires MUT, a Barcelona-based firm focused on experiential marketing and sustainable events... IPREX lauches its AI Task Force...D S Simon Media, one of the first companies to produce a satellite media tour, celebrates its 40th anniversary... Washington Women in Public Relations is sponsoring an event that shows communications pros who work with associations how they can get their messages across clearly, credibly and courageously. “How Associations Lead with Strategic Storytelling,” at 6 p.m. on July 16.
TEAM LEWIS starts up its AI Practice... Thunderly launches a year-long storytelling campaign focused on how franchising can provide a pathway to business ownership... JIN, a European communications consulting group, introduces "AI Campaigning", a corporate offering designed to model and anticipate stakeholder behavior.
