Communications MECA and Palette Public Relations to merge

New national firm: energi PR to be Canada's public relations and digital powerhouse

TORONTO and MONTREAL, June 2 /CNW/ - Communications MECA, Montreal and Toronto and Palette Public Relations, Toronto yesterday announced to staff and clients that they will join forces to create energi PR, starting July 1, 2010. Ownership in the new national firm will remain privately held and Canadian with the new entity specializing in public relations, social media/digital and corporate communications.

Energi PR's three founding partners, Esther Buchsbaum APR, FCPRS, Carol Levine APR, FCPRS and Martin Waxman APR, are each industry leaders and strategic counsellors with a proven track record and wide-ranging sector expertise.

Carol Levine is currently Chair of the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms; Esther Buchsbaum is Chair of the Canadian Public Relations Society's national advocacy committee; and Martin Waxman, a blogger and host of the Inside PR Podcast, is CPRS Toronto President and the Canadian board representative for PRSA's Counselors Academy. While each partner will work on the firm's national business, Buchsbaum and Levine will be based at energi's head office in Montreal and Waxman will be based in Toronto, where he will lead the firm's digital practice.

The partners expect the transition to begin immediately with formal business operations set to begin on July 1st with the launch of the firm's website at www.energipr.com. No jobs will be lost as a result of the merger.

"We believe today's announcement will have a significant impact on the Canadian PR scene by adding a larger, fully bilingual firm poised for growth," says Carol Levine. "While the practical synergies are clear, the fit in terms of corporate culture, values and vision was bang on. The mood at both firms is 'electric'."

"We came up with a new name to highlight our smart, fresh and energetic approach," says Esther Buchsbaum. "What better way to celebrate MECA's 20th anniversary this year than to shake things up. What clients will get from energi PR is a jolt of fresh talent, ideas and innovative approaches to building and strengthening brands."

"We're building traditional and new PR/social media into our agency right from the start and will be able to seamlessly integrate the two," says Martin Waxman. "We're all entrepreneurs, committed to ethics and transparency, strategic excellence and the high quality service you've come to expect from MECA and Palette."

Clients of the new firm include P&G Beauty brands - Olay, Herbal Essences, Secret, Venus; Astellas Pharma Canada Inc.; Ford Canada; Orlando/Orange County CVB; St. Maarten; Travelguard; Larabar, Atkins; Batter Blaster; Botanical PaperWorks; ShaToBu.

About Communications MECA

Communications MECA was established in 1990 and is a fully bilingual national public relations consultancy with offices in Montreal and Toronto. MECA was ranked sixth in the 2010 public relations agency listing by INFOPRESSE and has an A+ Accreditation from the Alliance des cabinets de relations publiques de Quebec. An award-winning firm, Communications MECA specializes in the consumer, healthcare, travel and technology sectors using both traditional and social/digital media. Please visit http://www.meca.ca.

About Palette Public Relations

Founded in 2004, Palette Public Relations is a Toronto-based PR agency that provides communications strategy and execution for a range of global and local clients. An early adopter of social media, Palette has a thriving beauty and consumer goods practice, and expertise in sustainability, corporate communications and large-scale special events. Palette has been named one of the country's top beauty agencies by Cosmetics magazine. Please visit http://www.palettepr.com

For further information: Esther Buchsbaum, Managing Partner: [phone]; Carol Levine, Managing Partner, [phone]; Martin Waxman, Managing Partner, [phone]