Obsidian Public Relations is adding to its staff at its downtown office, and the firm plans to make more hires this year to handle an increased client workload. Obsidian recently filled one senior position and two entry-level positions.
"Our firm has seen a growth in our client roster, which has made these moves not only possible but necessary," says Obsidian Director of Client Services Kerri Guyton.
Daniel Wade returned to Obsidian as account manager in mid-April. Wade began his PR career at Obsidian in 2007 as an intern and worked his way up to account executive before leaving in 2010 to accept the position of Director of Communications for Central Arkansas Christian Schools in Little Rock.
The strategy of hiring former interns has worked well for the firm throughout its eight-year history.
"Our prior three full-time hires were all former interns with us, and there are a couple of senior team members who also began their careers at Obsidian as interns," says Guyton. "We work in a very busy and fast-paced environment at our firm, and we really integrate our interns into almost everything we do on a daily basis, from our client workload to our team culture. This offers a great opportunity to discover potential for full-time positions."
Mary Catherine Banister will join Obsidian as an account assistant on May 19. Banister is set to graduate from Auburn University in May, and she worked as an intern with a local Auburn PR firm before going part-time during college.
Sarah Burgess starts as an account assistant on June 2. She graduates from Mississippi State University next month and is a former intern with Obsidian.
In the Memphis market, Obsidian's team now consists of 13 people, and its Dallas office employs four.
"We anticipate that we could hire an additional senior and junior rep by year's end here in Memphis, and we'll probably hire two more people in Dallas by year's end," says Guyton.
Obsidian current clients include
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium,
Madison Hotel, Kroger Delta Division,
Gold Strike Casino Resort, ServiceMaster by Stratos,
Mercedes-Benz of Collierville, Porter-Leath and
Cannon Wright Blount.
By Michael Waddell
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