Doug Poretz – Co-Founder & Chairman

Doug Poretz is a recognized leader in the art of enterprise communications. For more than 40 years he has executed successful fully-integrated communications campaigns for numerous organizations including publicly-traded enterprises, large not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and emerging growth technology companies. In 2010, Washington Life Magazine named him one of eight “Titans of PR” in the Nation’s Capital.

Poretz understands how to translate complex business models for the investor community – even when companies are in a negative state of flux – to achieve the greatest value to the shareholder. He has worked with the leadership teams of organizations ranging in size from venture-backed start-ups to multinational conglomerates in truly diverse industries such as biotechnology, IT, research, engineering, defense, hospitality and real estate. In addition to the investor community, he has created and executed campaigns aimed at customers, employees, political leaders, and all the various and diverse segments of an organization’s community. A serial entrepreneur, Poretz has founded several companies, and in 2000 co-founded Washington, DC-based Qorvis Communications, which employed Poretz’ innovative model for operating a communications firm, and became one of the nation's largest and fastest growing independently-owned communications agencies.

His first communications assignment came when he was 23 and asked by the Superintendent of the Alexandria (VA) City Public Schools to design and implement the public relations campaign during the racial integration of the city’s schools (memorialized in the movie “Remember the Titans”). Since then, during his tenure in senior corporate communications positions at Flow General, PRC, and NVR, and as a retained consultant, he has been involved in amicable and hostile acquisitions, initial and follow-on equity and debt offerings, Chapter 11 filings, and virtually all other corporate events. His overall communications experience is very broad, and includes well-known and highly regarded public relations, advertising and interactive/digital campaigns.

Specialties: corporate communications, business development, investor relations, venture and institutional capital raise, mergers and acquisitions

Experience:Qorvis CommunicationsFlow GeneralPRC

Education:B.A. The George Washington University

Highlights:

Board Member The Jefferson Awards [http://www.jeffersonawards.org/]

Links:

If You Think Political Stability is Confined to the Middle East, You May Be Making a Big MistakeA Different View of Eqypt [video link]Why Would Home Prices Keep Declining?Understanding PR: The Real Situation with the TSA and Pat-DownsCollaboration As a Critical Business AssetThe Rarest of Attributes: A Keen Sense of the Obvious