Acquisition expands Pinkston footprint to Southern U.S.
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FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Dec. 9, 2021 -- Pinkston, a strategy and communications consultancy based in the D.C.-metro area, today announced its acquisition of Pliris Strategies, a messaging and communications firm based in Oklahoma City. The acquisition enables Pinkston to serve its rapidly growing client base with the immediate integration of experienced communications professionals and expands Pinkston’s presence into the southern United States with an office in downtown Oklahoma City.
“We’re excited to welcome the Pliris team into the Pinkston family,” said Christian Pinkston, founder and partner of Pinkston. “Donelle has built an incredible practice during some of the hardest years to build a business in recent history. Her success is a testament to her reputation, expertise and passion for effective messaging and storytelling. She and her team bring breadth and depth of perspective that will fuel our continued growth and help us make a bigger impact for and through our clients.”
Harder will join Pinkston as a senior vice president. Prior to joining Pinkston, Harder served in senior roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, for members of Congress and for U.S. Senate committees. She moved to Oklahoma City in 2017 for the role of vice president at the Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association, representing one of the state’s largest industries, and soon after joined the Stitt for Governor 2018 campaign where she has spent the past several years in various advisory roles to Governor Kevin Stitt and the State of Oklahoma.
At Pliris Strategies, Harder counsels CEOs and executives in the private and public sectors to communicate complex issues and ideas that generate maximum buy-in among critical audiences. From honing word choices to redesigning brands and restructuring internal marketing and communications teams, Harder leverages deep expertise to solve big challenges for her clients.
“In today’s environment, communicators can’t hide behind brands, whether those brands are companies, nonprofit groups or government agencies,” said Harder. “The challenge all entities face is identifying the message their most critical audience needs to hear and how to communicate it effectively.
“I’ve watched from afar as Pinkston has grown tremendously in recent years, adapting to the ever-changing communications landscape and expanding its client base to serve some of the biggest and most impactful brands in the world. I’m thrilled to be rejoining them now to help accelerate that growth.”
Harder will be joined at Pinkston by her existing Pliris team, including Account Managers Kelly Hughes, Baylee Lakey and Hannah Davis, and Content Creator Jessica Cockroft. They will remain based in downtown Oklahoma City, where Pliris has offices.
About Pinkston
Pinkston is an international strategic communications consultancy that offers an integrated collection of earned- and owned-media capabilities, including strategy, messaging and writing, media relations, social media, video production, web development, digital marketing and graphic design. Founded in 2001 and based in the Washington, D.C. area, Pinkston serves a wide range of clients including Fortune 100 companies, innovative technology startups, national non-profit organizations, international industry associations and numerous New York Times best-selling authors. Learn more at www.pinkston.co.