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Cornerstone Government Affairs opens a Columbia, SC office, marking the 13th state in which the company maintains a physical presence. The new office will be led by Daniel Boan, who most recently served as chief of staff and legal counsel for the South Carolina House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, leading a team of 10 responsible for advising the committee on the drafting of the state’s annual budget and on legislation related to tax, fiscal policy and administration of state government. “Daniel is a first-class addition to our team and will undoubtedly help us navigate this new market,” said Cornerstone president Campbell Kaufman. The addition of South Carolina adds to the firm’s presence in early presidential nominating states, including Iowa and New Hampshire.
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ChicExecs PR + Retail Placement Agency, which is marking its 20th anniversary this month, now includes two sister companies, ExPR and Backhouse Agency, with a combined total of more than 80 staffers nationwide. ExPR works to position industry thought leaders in opportunities to showcase their expertise and provide insights on relevant topics. Backhouse Agency assists brands with ad placements across various platforms. Those services complement ChicExecs PR’s offerings, which include digital marketing, public relations, retail placement, and content production.
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Mad Fish Digital is acquiring brand-building marketing agency Grady Britton. The agencies will combine under the ownership of Mad Fish owners Corrie and Ben Herman, operating as strategic partners in the near term. Grady Sutton president Paige Campbell and creative director Andy Askren remain in their current roles. The acquisition brings together a combined team of 46 people distributed over 10 states and headquartered in Portland, OR. “From our perspective, combining Mad Fish and Grady Britton, an agency also committed to making real change with their work, has the greatest potential for savvy clients to make lasting impact in their categories,” said Ben Herman, Mad Fish CEO.
Public Inc., a social impact agency based in Toronto and New York, acquires Rocket Social Impact, an advisory firm that works with nonprofit and corporate social impact organizations... Ruder Finn launches “What’s Next: The Ruder Finn Podcast,” a new platform hosted by CEO Kathy Bloomgarden... Crowe PR joins United Partners Network, a network of independent PR agencies with members across more than 65 markets worldwide.
Ruder Finn launches rf.Voices, an integrated influence offering that brings together AI-powered influencer marketing, customer advocacy and paid amplification under one measurable framework... The Pollack Group is accepting applications through March 31 for The Big Red Grant, a $40,000 pro bono strategic PR and marketing engagement program awarded to a nonprofit organization ready for growth... D S Simon Media releases a report that says almost seven in ten producers (68 percent) are more interested in airing a story when they know it has been optimized for AI.
Precision Strategies, an integrated strategy and marketing agency with offices in Washington and New York, acquires Firehouse Strategies, a DC-based public affairs firm... AVENIR GLOBAL acquires London-based Thinks Insight & Strategy... Good Company, which bills itself as a “cultural engineering firm,” is launched by DJ Hardy, a veteran of Johannesburg-based communications consultancy arxna and M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and Casey Stickles, who has worked at 5WPR, Rubenstein and MWW.
PSC (Princeton Strategic Communications) acquires Nonprofit Partners... CG Life launches 24/364, a cultural brand platform intended to drive awareness, connection and action aimed at keeping rare disease at the forefront of the health and social conversation... Interluxe Group, which focuses on brand experiences and in-person activations; Quinn, a strategic communications agency; and media and digital agency North & Warren are uniting under the Interluxe Group banner.
KITH, which provides corporate reputation and crisis preparation services, is now owned by CEO Stephanie Craig, who has been with the firm since 2021... The Marketing Cloud, a part of Stagwell, introduces several expansions to Agent Cloud, the platform it launched in October 2025 to simplify access to its AI tools and marketing assistants.... Notified launches its AI Press Release Optimizer.
