Falls Communications Launches Client Service Expansion: Forms Business & Reputation Management Group

CLEVELAND, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Falls Communications announced today the formation of the Business & Reputation Management Group, a bold move to broaden the Firm's historic efforts to help clients achieve their business goals.   Under the leadership of Managing Director and 30-year industry veteran Kevin Donahue, this industry-leading approach will help clients build and protect their reputations and value against threatening crises and issues while strengthening their performance and returns on investment.  

"The marketplace continues to move toward more intentional organizational design, process and strategy," said Rob Falls, president and CEO.  "The Business & Reputation Management Group offers senior executives a new and highly effective approach to value creation by integrating business practice counseling with crisis, issues and reputation management guidance and support.  This represents a natural progression of the Firm's award-winning capabilities for helping clients establish and then sustain leading reputations and value in their respective industries."

The Business & Reputation Management Group distinguishes Falls by providing both enterprise design capabilities that create crisis prevention and sustainability strategies along with unmatched ability to respond to a crisis, issue or other negative business event. This combination of naturally complementary disciplines provides a cost-effective alternative to companies seeking to enhance their operational and financial success while preserving their relationships, reputation and brand integrity with all key stakeholders.

"The economic turmoil of recent years has led to a new appreciation for managing enterprise reputation not as a temporary, event-driven distraction but as an ongoing and strategic necessity that can play an integral role in value creation," said Donahue, who joins the Firm from Marsh Risk Consulting.  "Embracing an intentional design and readiness approach to managing an organization's reputation actively with effective crisis and issues management will reduce brand and reputation-destroying damage through thoughtful employee and management actions."  

Furthermore, while crisis management historically stops with the perceived "end" of a specific event, the Business and Reputation Management Group goes deeper to seek out the cause and to identify the organizational or structural changes needed to prevent a reoccurrence.  This approach provides sustained value to clients and further distinguishes the Falls approach from others in the industry.  

Also joining the Firm is Dr. Ronald G. Fountain, a 50-year student, teacher and practitioner of business management, who serves as Executive Counsel.  Dr. Fountain brings to the Firm and its clients an extensive business management discipline and mindset to the challenges companies face.

"The processes employed in our approach to Business Management include conducting clear enterprise assessments and collaborating with senior managers to design structures and operations.  When these collaboratively established designs are effectively executed, they yield increased enterprise cash flows and value in an environment of lower real and perceived risk," said Dr. Fountain.  "However, this combination of factors alone will not produce optimal value creation unless accompanied by targeted communication of value-creating outcomes to all relevant stakeholders, something Falls is uniquely qualified to provide its clients."

The Business & Reputation Management Group

The Business & Reputation Management Group features a highly effective and well-seasoned leadership team.  Collectively, these executives represent more than a century of crisis, issues and investor relations management experience, as well as business strategy and performance enhancement accomplishments across scores of industries.  In addition, the firm has designed and structured a collaborative support organization of exceptional business and strategic communications and advocacy professionals who will join the core team as their unique skills are needed.  This approach is designed to be both highly effective and extremely cost efficient for the Firm's clients.  

Rob Falls, President & CEO.  Rob Falls is widely recognized for his ability to develop innovative strategies, creative approaches and media coordination in times of corporate and organization crisis.  Falls has designed crisis and issues management programs for a variety of clients including Fortune 500 companies, professional service firms, major health care organizations, large non-profit associations and more.  Prior to founding the agency in 1989, Falls was heavily involved in national politics and served in various positions on Capitol Hill.  He has also managed and consulted on Congressional campaigns throughout the country.  Highly skilled in both public affairs and issues management, Falls has worked with companies, associations and lobbyists to monitor and favorably impact legislation and executive actions on federal, state and local levels.  

Kevin Donahue, Managing Director.  Kevin Donahue's career spans more than 30 years across a wide range of professional experiences, including high-profile bet-the-company crises, issues and reputational challenges and 14 years in broadcast news and public affairs.  Donahue specializes in preparing companies to communicate complex issues to employees, customers, the investment community, the media and other stakeholders in the face of major corporate events.  These include restructuring, facility closings, union organizing and other difficult labor issues, high-profile litigation, product recalls, transactions, legislative advocacy, public affairs and more.  Donahue joins the Firm from Marsh, the world's largest risk management and insurance broker, where he served as Midwest Practice Leader for Reputational Risk & Crisis Management.

Dr. Ronald Fountain, Executive Counsel.  In a storied career spanning more than 50 years, Dr. Ronald Fountain spent 13-years in commercial banking and nearly 20 years as the CFO of two large public companies.  Dr. Fountain has also served as a middle market operating company CEO, an investor relations professional, an investment company executive, an investing entrepreneur and as a college professor and most recently a business school Dean.  Dr. Fountain's advisory experience includes turnaround management, facilitating and designing operating strategies, defending companies under attack from unwanted suitors and working to accomplish mergers and acquisitions effectively.  

Elizabeth Krouse, Vice President.  Throughout her 20-year career, Elizabeth Krouse has advised major public and private companies on many high profile cases, including product recalls, labor issues, spokesperson issues, acquisitions, executive transition and more.  Prior to founding her own consulting practice, Krouse was managing director for an agency in North Carolina, growing it from a small group to a formidable practice with national clients.  Krouse also worked for agencies in the mid-Atlantic region, including the DC office of Hill and Knowlton, widely known for its crisis and issues management work.  Throughout her career, Krouse has received some of the industry's most recognized awards, including a Golden Quill, an EFFIE Award and a MAXI from the International Council of Shopping Centers.  

John Znidarsic, Senior Account Executive.  John Znidarsic brings nearly 10 years of public affairs, marketing communications and strategic positioning to the Firm.  In Washington, D.C., he served in various capacities as an aide to Senator Richard G. Lugar, the longest serving Senator in the history of the State of Indiana.  On the Hill, Znidarsic amassed valuable public policy and national political experience working as Senator Lugar's Deputy Legislative Director.  He also served as a Legislative Assistant, managing all policy issues pertaining to the Department of the Interior.  Znidarsic met regularly with constituent and advocacy groups, conducted weekly staff policy updates, personally briefed the senator on multiple issues, roll call votes, pending legislation and floor debates.  He also drafted domestic policy speeches.  

About The Firm

Falls Communications is a full-service, strategic public relations and marketing communications firm serving clients across the country and overseas for more than 20 years.  The firm was founded by Rob Falls, a veteran national political consultant and seasoned strategic communications counselor.  Rob Falls' vision was to distinguish his team not only as public relations counselors, but as trusted business advisors who help clients achieve their growth objectives and overcome challenges – both the expected and the unexpected – through innovative and effective business and communications strategies and tools.  

Falls communications has emerged as one of the fastest growing agencies in the Midwest.  The Firm serves a diverse mix of clients, which include consumer products, business-to-business, professional services, hospitality, healthcare, as well as non-profit associations. For more information, visit www.fallscommunications.com.

SOURCE Falls Communications