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AKCG – Public Relations Counselors, a Philadelphia-area firm that offers crisis planning, crisis management, media training and media relations, acquires Hennes Communications. Founded by Bruce Hennes in 1989, Hennes Communications has built a reputation for advising organizations through sensitive issues, providing crisis communications response, planning and media training to a broad range of organizations. The acquisition expands the depth and reach of AKCG, which will now provide a full complement of crisis communications, crisis planning, crisis management, spokesperson training and media relations services. Bruce Hennes will serve as president of AKCG’s new Hennes division, with Hennes managing partner Thom Fladung coming on as SVP. “This acquisition reflects the depth of expertise in our craft, as well as our commitment to delivering impactful results to our partners operating in sensitive, nuanced, and pivotal moments,” said AKCG chief executive officer Chris Lukach.
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The Martin Group, an integrated marketing communications firm headquartered in Buffalo, acquires creative, brand strategy and content studio Mr. Smith Agency. As part of the agreement, Mr. Smith will join The Martin Group as a distinct division and brand, with all eight employees—including founder Rob Dimmer and partners Chrissy Pyne and Collin Wittman— joining the firm. Mr. Smith clients will continue working with their existing account teams, while gaining access to The Martin Group’s capabilities and resources. The deal expands The Martin Group’s offering across branding, digital marketing, social media, and video and in-house production. “There is immense value in the boutique nature of Mr. Smith and that is why we plan to preserve the brand as a dynamic division and extension of our agency,” said The Martin Group chief business officer Matt Davison.
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ExpertClick, a platform connecting journalists with qualified interview sources, is offering a database of 357 top U.S. media outlets, including newspapers, magazines, news/talk radio stations, and nationally recognized talk radio shows, to experts who register for a complimentary press room on the platform. The list includes the top 100 U.S. newspapers by circulation, top 100 national magazines, 100 leading news/talk radio stations and 57 talk radio shows. It is designed to support a wide range of outreach efforts, including book publicity, expert positioning, news release distribution, and broadcast interview bookings. "This is a practical tool built for speed," said ExpertClick editor and publicher Mitchell Davis.
Page launches the Polansky Future Leaders Fund, which was established through a gift from 2025 Page Hall of Fame inductee and former Weber Shandwick Global CEO Andy Polansky... Ruder Finn reintroduces its website, ruderfinn.com, which will now feature a large language model (LLM) as its primary user interface... Higher Plane Media is launched by former Sloane & Company CEO Darren Brandt.
Champion, which specializes in restaurant, franchise and consumer brands, opens a Miami office, adding to its operations in Dallas and Los Angeles... Violet PR, a Montclair, NJ-based firm that focuses on economic development, commercial real estate and place branding, opens a second office on Park Avenue South in New York... Inflection Point, a founder-led, senior growth systems partner for startups and growth-stage businesses, launches... PRSA announces the recipients of its inaugural Women of Impact Awards. Honorees honorees were recognized during the PRSA Women of Impact Summit & Awards at the Union League Club of Chicago.
FleishmanHillard is shuttering its 20-member Dublin office as Omnicom Public Relations reorganizes its global operations... Vested acquires Watermark, a D.C.-based public affairs and special situations firm.... Matter earns two Pinnacle Awards 2026 Marketing & Communications honors for its clients.
Quad/Graphics launches Direct, a Quad Agency to help marketers create, execute and measure direct marketing campaigns in one connected offering... InnoVision Marketing Group SVP/senior creative director Giselle Campos and SVP/general manager Alanna Markey are among the first-ever winners of the San Diego Business Journal’s Indispensables Awards, which recognizes professionals who make the greatest impact within their organizations and across the San Diego business community... Park Place Technologies, an IT infrastructure services firm that works with Feintuch Communications, releases the second episode of its “The Savvy CIO” podcast. 
Ripley PR is named a silver winner in the TITAN American Business Awards’ Outstanding PR Campaign category... Excellera, a corporate-advisory firm, came in at number one in deal count, as well as fourth in deal value, in Mergermarket’s list of top EMEA firms... Thunderly is telling the stories of military veterans who transferred the discipline, organization and leadership skills developed in service to their country into successful post-military careers as franchise business owners, as part of its year-long "American Dreamers: The Stories of Franchising" effort.
