Anchorage publicist Jennifer Thompson has completed an agreement to buy the public-relations agency Bernholz & Graham Inc. from Porcaro Communications, effective Wednesday. Thompson started at the agency in 1999 and had risen through the ranks to become president, running day-to-day operations for several years. The firm was started 20 years ago.
Co-founder Robbie Graham will remain with the agency as strategic counsel to help with the transition but plans to work in public diplomacy and academics, Thompson said. She is an adviser to The Public Diplomacy Collaborative board at Harvard University and is a trustee to Alaska Pacific University.
Porcaro has owned the agency since 2001. Clients include GCI, the Alaska Travel Industry Association and the Anchorage Economic Development Corp. Porcaro and Bernholz & Graham will remain partners on several accounts, Thompson said. No purchase price was disclosed.
Hilton Garden Inn completes renovation
The Hilton Garden Inn in Midtown Anchorage has completed a $2.5 million renovation, said Navin C. Dimond, chief executive of Stonebridge Companies, the Colorado company that operates the 125-room hotel. The rooms and their decor were upgraded, including 32-inch flat-panel televisions. The lobby was redone and an Italian restaurant, Amore La Cucina, is now just off the lobby, Dimond said.
Kaladi Brothers wins Made in Alaska award
Kaladi Brothers Coffee was recently named Made in Alaska 2009 Manufacturer of the Year. Made in Alaska is a state program designed to increase the sale of Alaska products. Anchorage-based Kaladi roasts nearly 1 million pounds of coffee and has 12 Alaska coffee shops plus one in Seattle, said Tim Gravel, owner.
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