BGR

BGR Analytics, the data practice of DC-based government relations and PR firm BGR Group, says that Texas is the best state for AI investors to place their money. The practice’s newly launched BGR Best States for AI Investment Index looked at all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their readiness and attractiveness for artificial intelligence investment. Following Texas on the list were #2 Utah and #3 Florida. Also rated in the top 10 were California and North Carolina (tied at 4th), Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Washington, Massachusetts and Maryland. The Index evaluates states across five core pillars: dynamic economy, business climate, data-center readiness workforce advantage and quality of pace. "The AI economy is reordering American competitiveness state by state, and the decisions companies and investors make today about where to deploy capital will shape the landscape for decades," said BGR Analytics head Frank Ahrens. "Until now, those decisions have too often been made on the basis of conventional wisdom, gut instinct, or incomplete data. The BGR Best States for AI Investment Index changes that.”

Pierpont

Pierpont Communications, a PR and integrated digital marketing agency headquartered in Houston, expands into South Florida, the agency’s seventh U.S. location. The South Florida office will be led by VP Ansley Campbell, who was most recently president and partner at Cultivate PR. Campbell has directed multi-market campaigns for such brands as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Fisher Island Club, with deep account experience supporting real estate and development clients throughout Florida. The opening of Pierpont’s new location office follows increased client demand across the region, where corporate relocations, capital inflows and cross-border business activity have made Miami one of the country’s fastest-growing markets. “For nearly four decades, Pierpont has helped clients in energy, financial services, healthcare, professional services and technology navigate complex communications challenges, strengthen stakeholder trust and drive measurable business outcomes,” said Clint Woods, Pierpont’s COO. “South Florida is now a center of gravity for those same sectors.”

Petals

The Pollack Group names Project Petals as the recipient of its 2026 Big Red Grant, which supports organizations that are creating lasting change. Project Petals is a New York-based nonprofit organization that helps people build sustainable futures and advocate for lasting change through education, leadership training and hands-on access to resources. It has improved environmental conditions for over 100,000 New York residents and helped champion the Environmental Bond Act, the largest environmental initiative in New York’s history. “Project Petals is doing work that will define New York’s environmental future, and our job is to make sure that story reaches the audiences that can help move it forward,” said The Pollock Group president and CFO Stefan Pollack.