New Hires and Promotions @ CLS

Carmichael Lynch Spong (CLS) announces the following new hires:

Michelle Hoffman has been named counselor in the Chicago office of CLS Public Relations. Hoffman brings a variety of knowledge to CLS in strategic planning, media relations, event planning and marketing. She will be working primarily with clients American Standard and Juno Lighting. Hoffman spent nearly 12 years working for the Six Flags Theme Parks organization in both Dallas and Chicago before joining CLS. There she managed a variety of public relations, community relations and marketing efforts.

Natalie Danaher has joined CLS Public Relations as a counselor. Danaher brings a wealth of retail and home and garden industry experience to CLS. She will be working on the A.G. Edwards and Home Building Community Foundation accounts. Prior to joining CLS, Danaher was public relations supervisor at Ace Hardware Corp.

Craig Nordeen has joined CLS Public Relations as a designer. Nordeen offers a wide range of graphic design and illustration abilities to the firm’s Minneapolis-based creative department. Prior to joining CLS, Nordeen was a graphic designer at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., a law firm in Minneapolis. While there, he created marketing and case-specific designs and illustrations for the firm and its clients.

Curtis Smith has been named CLS Public Relations' business development manager. Smith brings nearly a decade of marketing and business development experience to CLS and over seven years experience with two of the largest public relations agencies in the world. Smith will be responsible for creating business development strategies that will increase the agency’s nationwide presence and help leverage the agency’s reputation as the national champion of best practices in public relations. Prior to joining the firm, Smith was senior coordinator at the Minneapolis office of Fleishman-Hillard.

Kelly Huber has been named associate at CLS Public Relations. Huber started in the firm’s Minneapolis office in 2005 as an intern. Huber came to CLS from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast area. While in New Orleans, she worked for the nationally recognized business publication New Orleans CityBusiness.

Carmichael Lynch Spong (CLS) announces the following promotions:

Erin Mathe to media relations manager. Mathe joined CLS in 2002 as a senior broadcast specialist and has provided media relations expertise for clients such as Cargill, MasterBrand, Maytag, PETCO and Select Comfort.Mathe joined Carmichael Lynch Spong after spending five years in television news as a general assignment reporter and anchor at KWGN (WB affiliate) in Denver; KRTV (CBS affiliate) in Great Falls, Montana; and KOAA (NBC affiliate) in Colorado Springs.

Bill Menezes to senior media relations strategist. Menezes is based in the firm’s Denver office where he works on A.G. Edwards, Pentair and Trane. Menezes joined CLS in 2004.Menezes joined CLS from the Denver Post, where he was an assistant business editor. Previously he worked for Reed Business Information where he served as editor-in-chief of Wireless Week, a national news magazine covering the wireless industry, and as editor of Broadband Week magazine. Menezes also has worked for The Associated Press as a reporter and senior business news editor, and for Dean Witter Reynolds as a retail and institutional account executive.

Keith Negrin to senior associate. Negrin joined CLS in 2004 as an associate and has provided public relations counsel for clients such as A.G. Edwards, Clorox, MasterBrand and Heins Mills & Olson. Negrin brings to CLS his experience as an attorney in the nonprofit sector. He founded and operated Non-Profit Solutions, where he provided legal and management counsel to nonprofit organizations.

Jessica Tolliver to media relations manager in the firm’s New York office. Tolliver joined CLS in 2005 as a senior media relations specialist and has provided media relations expertise on accounts such as Amana, American Standard, Jenn-Air, Lutron Electronics, Maytag, MasterBrand Cabinets, Select Comfort and Trane.

Tolliver joined CLS after working as a New York-based editor and writer specializing in home design. She has served as the editor of several magazines, including House Beautiful Kitchens/Baths, House Beautiful Home Building, Good Housekeeping Do It Yourself and American Dream Homes.