JohnstonWells Public Relations appointed Rodney D Bell senior counselor and director of business development, supporting the firm's growth strategy in health and wellness, family outreach, software, real estate, sustainable development and government, as well as building out the firm's financial services practice.

Bell brings more than 16 years of experience in public relations, crisis communications, marketing communications and corporate affairs. In addition to leading business development, Bell will provide strategic counsel in crisis communications and corporate public relations.

"Rodney not only brings a marketing and business development background; he brings the unique perspective of having been on the client side of our business – a valuable resource for clients," said Gwinavere Johnston, CEO of the Denver-based firm.

• Qwest Communications “Keeping Washington Families Safer Online” Community Relations Program.  Qwest Communications and JohnstonWells developed an online safety education program that positioned Qwest as an online safety leader.  
• Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) “Let’s Take Care of Our Summer Air” Community Relations Program.  RAQC and JohnstonWells collaborated to create a program that encouraged behavior change with Denver Metro residents in an effort to combat ground-level ozone pollution.  
• Littleton Adventist Hospital “Preventing Disease From Becoming Contagious” Crisis Communications Program. Together, JohnstonWells and Littleton Adventist Hospital developed a plan which proved to be extremely valuable when a disorder might have spread through the hospital’s surgical instruments, however strategic information dissemination sustained the hospital’s reputation and limited contagious news to one day.

Infoture Inc. and MakeBeliever have selected JohnstonWells Public Relations to provide strategic counsel in two new product launches, as well as provide media and community relations support.  

Infoture – Founded in 2004, Infoture, Inc. is the developer of the LENA System.  The LENA System, a remarkable new technology, identifies and analyzes adult words and child vocalizations, and provides parents with critical feedback reports on a child’s language environment and development. Infoture comprises a team of scientists skilled in computerized speech and speaker recognition, microelectronics, statistical research, and children’s language acquisition and development. Infoture has collected the world’s largest database of spontaneous parent-child speech interaction, which will be used by leading researchers around the globe.

JohnstonWells Public Relations welcomed Efrem Rodriguez to its client services team and promoted Kathryn Wilson to counselor.

Rodriguez joined JohnstonWells in May 2007, bringing with him with a background in news-editorial journalism with an emphasis in public relations.  He has formidable background in emerging media, online communications and Web interfaces. Rodriguez provides team support for several clients, which include Qwest Communications, Infoture and the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC).  He is also a member of the JohnstonWells Emerging Media Division.

Denver-based JohnstonWells Public Relations has acquired Accent Public Relations.

Accent PR is owned by Gina Seamans, APR, a former employee of JohnstonWells Public Relations from 1994 1998. This week, Seamans rejoins the 35-year-old firm, which represents clients throughout the Rocky Mountain region and nationally. The acquisition is the second within a year for JohnstonWells, which acquired Center Reach Communications in September 2006.

Seamans founded Accent PR in 1998 as an independent consultant and grew it into a full-service firm. The clients she brings to JohnstonWells include Bernina of America, Enstrom Candies, Laser Technology, SmartCare Family Medical Clinics and Sterling-Rice Group.

JohnstonWells Public Relations has again been selected for ColoradoBiz Magazine’s highly competitive Top Women-Owned Businesses list for 2007.  The honor comes on the heels of the firm’s official certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council-West.  

The list of Top Women-Owned Businesses for 2007 includes companies in Colorado with more than $1 million in revenue, making it the most competitive list in nearly 10 years, according to the publication.

JohnstonWells Public Relations is one of 36 companies to sponsor a parking meter as part of a city-wide campaign to end homelessness in Denver.

The campaign is a partnership between Denver’s Road Home and the Downtown Denver Partnership.  For the Donation Meter Project, companies and individuals including Kaiser Permanente, sponsor one of 36 recycled parking meters placed throughout the downtown area.  Metro Denver residents and visitors then have the opportunity to donate their spare change into the meters to support programs for the homeless.  JohnstonWells’ parking meter is located at 16th and Champa Sts.

“With 43 percent of Denver’s homeless population being women and children, it was a natural choice for our organization,” said GG Johnston, president of JohnstonWells.  “As a woman-owned business, we’ve always reached out to organizations that support women, children and the arts.”

JohnstonWells Public Relations placed fifth in the nation in its size category as best place to work by the 2007 Holmes Report, a public relations trade publication.

Paul Holmes, editor of the report said the firm’s career path and performance evaluation program has become an industry standard.

We are pleased to invite you to our 4th Annual “Get Your IN” Internship Certificate Program on Wednesday, May 16, 2007, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“Get Your IN” is not an internship but is designed to help you market yourself as you begin your job search.

• Does the nonprofit have an aligned mission with yours?
• Can your employees relate to the cause and will they be passionate about investing their time?
• Can you help the pro-bono client succeed while continuing to meet the needs of paying clients and customers?
• Is the content of the project interesting and a good fit?

• PeaceJam is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create action and stimulate peace through inspiring youth from around the world.  JohnstonWells’  commitment to youth, community and education matched PeaceJam’s credo.
• PeaceJam was seeking media support for its 10th Anniversary Conference in Denver, which featured the largest gathering of 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureates in the United States.  JohnstonWells appreciated the familiar anniversary aspect and felt that the Denver-based, but international scope, could be supported by its affiliation with IPREX  (the world’s largest public relations corporation).