PORTLAND, Oregon, March 27, 2000 (PRIMEZONE) -- In its third such expansion in less than a year, Pondel/Wilkinson Group, a national corporate and investor relations consulting firm based in Los Angeles, today announced the formation of Pondel/Wilkinson Parham, a new regional affiliate based in Portland, Oregon, naming Ronald A. Parham, former investor relations director of NIKE, as its managing director.
Pondel/Wilkinson Parham will provide a full range of investor relations and corporate communications services to public and pre-public companies in a variety of industries. The firm's clients will be supported by Mr. Parham and the full resources and staff of Pondel/Wilkinson Group in Los Angeles, recently named "Best Investor Relations Firm in the West" by leading trade magazine Inside PR.
"We are delighted to be teaming with one of our industry's leading practitioners in an important geographical region," said Roger S. Pondel, president of Pondel/Wilkinson Group. "We have had a strong, rewarding relationship with Ron for more than a year, working together on a mutual client account. Our new and expanded association will enable Ron to leverage our infrastructure and resources to provide full client support to the growing number of publicly traded and pre-public companies throughout the Pacific Northwest."
"The Pacific Northwest is a fertile region for both established and new businesses in a variety of industries," said Parham. "I am excited about the opportunity to serve the growing investor relations needs of the region and fortunate to have the outstanding professional support of Pondel/Wilkinson Group to bring added value to clients."
Parham, 41, brings more than 10 years of investor relations experience to the firm, along with a background that includes public accounting and strategic planning. In 1998, Parham concluded a 15-year career with NIKE, during which he served for eight years as director of investor relations. In that role, he established the company's first investor relations program, built a solid sell-side following from scratch and forged trusting relationships with a wide variety of institutional shareholders.
As managing director of Pondel/Wilkinson Parham, he will work closely with senior client management to craft and execute effective communications strategies. His thorough understanding of the practice of investor relations from inside a company allows him to help management understand the unique expectations of the investment community and deliver a consistent, clear message to targeted investors.
Earlier in his career, Parham practiced as a Certified Public Accountant in the Portland, Oregon office of Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouse Coopers). He is a graduate of Oregon State University with a bachelor's degree in accounting and is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute.
Pondel/Wilkinson Parham represents the Group's third formal expansion in less than a year. In April 1999, similar affiliates were formed in New York, as Pondel/Wilkinson Gershon, and in Boston, as Pondel/Wilkinson Klein, reflecting the firm's long time association with senior practitioners Fabianne Gershon and Susan Klein.
Pondel/Wilkinson Group has been providing strategic communications counsel for more than three decades and serves companies in a variety of industries - with a growing focus on Internet, e-commerce and convergence technologies in the consumer, technology and medical sectors. Services include liaison to the professional investment community, shareholder communications, media relations and crisis/transactional communications, as well as positioning for initial public offerings.