Chicago-based Reputation Partners has acquired Vollrath Associates, a Milwaukee-based PR and IR shop that builds RP's presence in the Brew City.
Co-founder Marilyn Vollrath (pictured) takes an EVP title with RP, which also adds Jessica Vollrath Huebner as a VP and Samantha Orne as an associate, effective May 2. Co-founder Phil Vollrath is exiting to continue teaching at Marqueette University.
The firm was set up in 1979 with a financial communications focus. Said Marilyn Vollrath: "This is the right decision for Vollrath Associates, at the right time and with the right partner – one who shares our values and is committed to Wisconsin for the long term.”
Megan Hakes, a co-founder of Reputation Partners, has been based in the Milwaukee area for the past 12 years and the firm said it has enjoyed incremental growth to the point where it accounted for about 25% of 2015 revenues. Hakes called VA a "firm we have long admired."
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LLYC launches Signs of Pride, a campaign that revives the original protest banners of the first Pride marches... The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry forms the Public Relations and Digital Marketing Working Group... Circle of One Marketing, a Miami-based, minority-owned marketing agency, is named official agency of record for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami. 
Vogel Group, a DC-headquartered government affairs and consulting firm, forms a strategic partnership with Montreal-based public affairs firm Boléro Stratégies... Matter Communications launches project-based offerings for B2C companies looking to increase brand awareness and visibility... Tucker/Hall, a Tampa-based PR and public affairs firm, opens a new office in Orlando. 
Why investing in public relations is ultimately about building bridges in a connected world.
Edelman is laying off 330 people (5.3 percent of its workforce) to cope with an anticipated eight percent shortfall in 2024 US revenues, and client demand for one-stop shopping for speciality services.
