"The practice of public relations stands on a strong, deep foundation of social science and other research ... so that when I argue for a course of action, there's solid evidence to support the case for doing so."
David Kirk, APR, Fellow PRSA

Then ...

In 1990 the large regional public relations firm that Chick Goebel, Claudia Pilato and I started in 1982 (Goebel, Kirk&Pilato) was acquired by one of the largest public relations firms in the world, Ketchum Public Relations. Chick and I then served as senior vice presidents at that firm.

Now...

In 1993, I returned to private practice, with the intention of building a work-at-home business without the issues and hassles associated with becoming an employer again. I have focused my work on three industries (healthcare, financial services and commercial real estate) in which I have substantial depth and experience, and in several communication specialties for clients with urgent or special needs. These specialties include the research, crisis management, employee communication, issues management, specialized writing and training.

I am honored to work with three to five ongoing clients in long-term relationships and with about a dozen other clients on short-term and episodic assignments.

Approach

I believe that, like Rodney Dangerfield, many people in my business "don't get any respect" because they shoot from the hip. They recommend that their clients spend thousands or millions of dollars and bet their precious reputations on this or that clever idea because it "makes sense" or "seems right." That way of doing business does not "seem right" to me. The practice of public relations stands on a strong, deep foundation of social science and other research. Some of us in this business have gone to the trouble to become familiar with that body of knowledge so that when we argue for a course of action, there's solid evidence to support the case for doing so. This way of operating means that when a client and I agree to a set of objectives, they can be measured in terms we can take to the bank, not in wiggle words such as "position the company as a leading provider of something."

I am proud to say that I was Accredited in Public Relations in 1982 by the Public Relations Society of America and that in 1994 I was inducted into the College of Fellows of this leading professional society.