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San Francisco-Based Landis Communications Inc. (LCI) Expands Team In Preparation for Next Phase of Growth
[July 24, 2014]

San Francisco-Based Landis Communications Inc. (LCI) Expands Team In Preparation for Next Phase of Growth


SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)--

Landis Communications Inc. (LCI), an award-winning, mid-sized communications agency based in San Francisco, has announced the hiring of five new team members to meet the needs of seven additional clients.

Landis Communications is on track to increase revenues this year by 30%. The agency has not experienced this much accelerated growth since the late 1990s. Landis Communications has signed on seven new accounts in the last four months.

Most recently, UC San Francisco (UCSF), one of the nation's premier health sciences universities, has selected Landis Communications to handle the public relations campaign for the opening of the new UCSF Mission Bay hospitals on February 1, 2015. At the center of health and wellness for the city of San Francisco and the surrounding communities, the hospitals - for children, women and cancer patients - will provide advanced care for the most challenging cases, while carrying out clinical research that impacts healthcare around the world.

"UCSF is San Francisco's biggest employer, next to the City of San Francisco. LCI is honored to be partnering with such an iconic institution. We will work with UCSF's experienced in-house team to leverage this story both regionally and nationally," said David Landis, president and CEO of LCI.

Additional new clients include:

Abe's Market: Abe's Market is the online marketplace for great natural products. LCI is working with Abe's Market and with the retailers selling on the website to assist those small businesses with general public relations needs.

Pharmaceutical Company: The company has an app for people to keep track of their daily medications. LCI is working with the company to increase awareness of medication adherence and launch the next release of the app.

Kitebridge: Kitebridge provides high school education and counseling services to prepare international students for admission to top U.S. colleges. Among their areas of focus: providing firsthand knowledge of the types of students these colleges admit and how requirements in the U.S. differ from those in other countries. LCI is helping raise the company's profile among prospective parents looking for assistance in this sometimes complex process.

Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD): Part museum, part cultural center, the central "story" to this SF-based cultural institution is that all people are related and that the human drama began in Africa. LCI is working to promote this summer's "MoAD in the Neighborhood" series of public programs that are taking place while the museum is temporarily closed for renovation and promote this fall's grand re-opening of the museum which is closed through the summer for a $1.3 million redesign.

Out & Equal: Out & Equal is committed to ending employment discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees. LCI will support this mission through a national public relations campaign that will help raise the visibility for both the organization and its founder and CEO Selisse Berry.

Port of San Francisco: Landis Communications is providing on-call public relations services for the Port of San Francisco.



LCI Adds Five New Staffers

To meet the needs of the growing client roster, LCI has added five new team members. Collectively, the new members have experience in technology, digital marketing, healthcare, entertainment, arts and high-end wine & spirits.


Kirsten Holguin
Director

Kirsten Holguin brings 20 years of experience in broadcast journalism and public relations to her role as a Director at LCI. She will be focusing on the agency's increasing healthcare accounts as well as supervising a myriad of diverse clients. Kirsten has extensive experience in health/medical public relations and advocacy from her time at St. Vincent Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center. Most recently, she handled the marketing and media relations for St. Vincent, a 366-bed acute care hospital in Los Angeles. At UCLA, Kirsten oversaw 17 different areas of the medical center including the David Geffen School of Medicine, liver transplant and all of women's health.

After UCLA, Kirsten went to the cross-town rival where she directed the media and branding operations for the 30 departments and 25 centers and institutes at University of Southern California's College of Letters, Arts & Science.

Kirsten has media contacts at outlets across the country and has a substantial placement record. As a former television news producer, Kirsten is able to work with clients on video production to tell their story. Kirsten is a graduate of University of California San Diego. During college, Kirsten interned at CNN and the White House in Vice President Gore's speechwriting office.

Tyler Arnold
Digital Media Strategist/Account Executive

Tyler Arnold is a sought-after entrepreneur with a background in technology and marketing. Having founded two successful tech startups, Tyler has lived and worked in the Netherlands, Germany, Romania, and currently resides in San Francisco, California. His writing about social media and entrepreneurship has been published in Forbes, VentureBeat, Mashable and Fast Company just to name a few. Tyler has also spoken at TEDx, The Kaiser Permanente Executive Leadership Summit, and delivered a lecture at The University of Leipzig.

Tyler has been involved in his hometown community of Anchorage, Alaska, where he played a role in passing pro-startup statewide legislation. He was also selected as the Small Business Administration (SBA) Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011. His companies have worked with top brands that include Microsoft (News - Alert), ebay, HBO, and some of the top agencies and PR firms in the U.S. and Western Europe.

Natalie Petroni
Account Executive

In her role as an account executive with LCI, Natalie Petroni combines her public relations background and creative instincts to provide strategic support to multiple agency accounts including Walmart, NorthStar Memorial Group, Care4Today, California Bank & Trust and City CarShare.

Prior to LCI, Natalie worked for Calhoun & Company Communications, a San Francisco-based wine and spirits public relations firm. While there, she played a key role in supporting and managing a diverse portfolio of high-end wine and spirits brands, as well as executing a successful new product launch for a chickpea chips snack from Maya Kaimal Fine Indian Foods.

Prior to Calhoun & Company, Natalie worked at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa as a PR coordinator for the regional director of public relations, in addition to roles as executive meeting manager and front desk agent. Natalie completed a dual internship program with the U.S. Department of Commerce and Center for International Trade Development where she supported the director and trade specialists with market research, trade seminar development, website creation and economic trend analysis, as well as export marketing and sales strategies for U.S. businesses.

Kristin Schellinger Cockerham
Account Executive

Kristin joins LCI from Karen Ames Public Relations, a boutique public relations firm in the entertainment and cultural industries, where she led client accounts in brand development, media relations, online content/web creation and event management. Clients included the Merola Opera Program, Opera Parallèle, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, conductor Nicola Luisotti, soprano Elza van den Heever, and conductor Gerard Schwarz, among others. Her prior work experience includes managing beauty/skincare retail boutique as well as three internships in arts center management, marketing, and public affairs.

Kristin holds dual degrees in Media Arts and Design and Public Relations from James Madison University in Virginia. Having grown up in Maryland, she's an East-Coaster gone West who loves talking fitness, food and opera.

Zach Spirer
Account Coordinator

Zach Spirer, a San Francisco native, recently graduated from Seattle University with a Strategic Communications BA. While in college, Zach was selected as a Student Alumni Ambassador and was a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America. After completing three communications internships at SALT Branding, United Way King County in Seattle and Frause Public Relations agency, Zach relocated back to the Bay Area to build his career in public relations. Zach's passion for writing and eclectic range of interests drew him to the field of full-spectrum communications. In his free time, Zach enjoys reading about automotive news and technology, in addition to exploring the variety of restaurants and events that San Francisco offers.

"The addition of Kirsten, Tyler, Natalie, Kristin and Zach to the LCI staff represents our commitment to fulfilling the needs of all current and future clients," said Landis. "This new team allows LCI to continue to grow our public relations, digital and social media practice areas. Our ability to provide daily, senior-level expertise on every piece of business is paramount to who we are and we're excited to leverage the team's expertise as we continue executing our strategic growth plan."

For nearly a quarter-century, LCI has represented such marquee brands as Old Navy, Whole Foods Market, Walmart, Match.com, MetLife, Cold Stone Creamery, the San Francisco Symphony, California Bank & Trust, the California Academy of Sciences, City CarShare and more.

About Landis Communications Inc. (LCI)

Now nearly 25 years old, LCI is an award-winning, full-service public relations, marketing, digital and video service agency that offers a unique mix of expertise in corporate, consumer, technology, B2B and nonprofit public relations as well as community relations and crisis communications. LCI provides strategic, creative and results-driven public relations, marketing, social media and digital strategies to clients in a variety of industries. LCI is the Bulldog Award winner for social media and public education. This year, TopPRAgencies.com named LCI the 3rd best social media agency in the U.S. LCI's trademarked Promised Results© PR program delivers tangible metrics that help businesses grow. LCI is also the San Francisco member agency for the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) with nearly 50 affiliate agencies worldwide. In 2013, LCI launched a sister brand, Giant Step Digital, with our East coast affiliate The Castle Group, to help brands stand out in a digital world. LCI is a proud member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, The Golden Gate Business Association and is also certified as a local business enterprise (LBE) by the City of San Francisco. David Landis is the current past president of PRGN. For further information about LCI, please visit www.landispr.com.


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