Public Relations and Crisis Communications Firm Opens in Northeast PA


LAKE ARIEL, Pa., February 25, 2008 -- River Rock Communications, LLC, is a newly formed public relations and crisis communications firm serving clients in northeastern and central Pennsylvania. The firm’s principals, Catherine Bolton and Mary Kay Warner, derive their expertise from providing corporate communication services to public and private companies in the New York metropolitan and northeastern Pennsylvania markets for more than 25 years.

“We believe public relations is one very effective tool, among many marketing strategies, that organizations can economically utilize to meet their business development and awareness-generating objectives,” comments Ms. Warner. “Additionally,” offers Ms. Bolton, “ organizations within the area would benefit from experienced planning and counsel in dealing with issue management and crisis communications planning. The current business climate is forcing many businesses to reexamine their planning as well as their marketing investments. We believe we are the right business, in the right place for this time. ”

River Rock Communication, located in Lake Ariel, offers a full complement of marketing and communication services in a non-retainer based environment.

Catherine Bolton has more than 30 years experience in the public relations and communications industry. Prior to returning to northeast Pennsylvania where she served as project director for Wall Street West, Ms. Bolton was president and chief operating officer for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) where she advocated for the public relations profession and was a frequent speaker on the importance of crisis communications and planning. Ms. Bolton was instrumental in the restructuring of the 30,000 PRSA-member organization during her tenure and also was responsible for the re-branding and financial turnaround of the Society and its many related products, including the Association’s publications, The Strategist and Tactics, the PRSA website, and the organizations’ professional programming initiatives. She also was a founding board member of The Global Alliance of Communication and Public Relations. Previously, Ms. Bolton served as a vice president and director of Worldwide Communication Programs for International Copper. She also held various directorial roles at Akzo Nobel Salt, WNET Public Television, and The Princess Grace Foundation. Ms. Bolton began her PR career at Six Flags Corporation, where, as the national manager of public relations, she managed the company’s first public relations office in Manhattan and was responsible for publicity for all Six Flags properties. Ms. Bolton, a resident of Wayne County, also is an adjunct professor at Marywood University.

Mary Kay Warner’s experience providing public relations, advertising, and marketing communications services spans more than 25 years assisting clients in the communications, architectural, industrial, information technology, retail, commercial production, government, and education industries. Ms. Warner’s initial experience was derived from her 14-year association with Burson-Marsteller - New York City, where she was responsible for the development and execution of new product introductions, media relations campaigns and tours, targeted direct mail marketing, consumer loyalty programs, and special events, for multiple clients. Ms. Warner’s ability to develop copy for press releases, collateral material, and articles for industry periodicals, earned her a position as assistant editorial director at Burson-Marsteller. Subsequently, Ms. Warner was associated with Akzo Nobel Salt as corporate communications manager. Additionally Ms. Warner, a resident of Lackawanna County, provided corporate communication and business development services to Keystone College and Diversified Information Technologies.