The Rowland Company, New York, on March 12 merged Wang Associates Health Communications, New York, into the company's existing healthcare practice to form a new division of Rowland, Rowland-Wang Healthcare. Julie Wang, founder of Wang Associates, is the president of the new venture. (Wang Associates, 212/572-8812)
McCormick & Co. Inc., Sparks, Md., continued this year its two-decade-long tradition of sending its annual report scented with one of its spices. This year's report - which mailed last month - hints of cinnamon.
McCormick's longtime PR move is one that has paid off: Even though the company has sent the scented reports for 20 years, it still gets calls from curious journalists who get a whiff of the news each year the report is released, according to Allen McC. Barrett Jr., VP of corporate communications.
Through the years, reports have been tinged with vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, curry powder, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, apple pie spice and gingerbread. (McCormick, 410/771-7310)
The Horn Group Inc., a San Francisco high-tech PR house, opened an office in Braintree, Mass., March 10. The office i headed by Mara Bartucca, managing director and a newly appointed agency principal. Horn Group Inc. execs said they opened the office for flagship client PeopleSoft Inc., a provider of application software. The address is: 45 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 100, Braintree, Mass., 02184. Phone: 617/794-9933; fax: 617/794-9944.
The Martz Agency and The Goldwater Group have teamed up to form Martz Goldwater Public Relations, Scottsdale, Ariz. The company is being directed by principals Carrie Martz and CC Goldwater Hedley. Martz Goldwater PR is at: 8700 E. Via de Ventura, Suite 101, Scottsdale, Ariz. 85258. Phone: 602/998-9590; fax: 602/443-0600.
Former ESPN Director of Special Events Lauren Fishman has opened her own business, Lauren Fishman Events, New York, to provide strategic counseling and development and implementation services for events planning. Fishman has worked on several highly publicized launches, including Super Bowl XXXI and the 1997 ESPY Awards. So far, she's been retained to handle the inaugural Hampton Jazz Festival in Westhampton, N.Y., in August. (Lauren Fishman, 212/686-5983)
Ward Creative Communications, Houston, has moved from 1235 North Loop West, Suite 711, to Suite 1205 (Houston, Texas, 77008-1764). The marcom house doubled its space with the recent move. (Ward, 713/869-0707)
The Hauser Group, Washington, D.C., has relocated to 1782 Columbia Road, NW (Washington, D.C. 20009). The firm specializes in public policy and public interest issues. (The Hauser Group, 202/518-8047)
The 1997 edition of the Vermont Media Directory, a guide to Vermont's news media, is available for $125. The directory, which was published by KSV Communicators, Montreal and Burlington and Brattleboro, Vt., lists news staffs, addresses, e-mails, Web sites and telephone and fax numbers. Orders can be placed at 802/862-8261.
The next best thing to being there is buying the transcripts. For $50 ($25 for fulltime educators), you can get the proceedings from the 1997 International Symposium on PR, held at the University of Florida Jan. 29-31. Contact The Institute for Public Relations Research and Education, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118400, Gainesville, Fla. 32611-8400. Tapes include the texts of 16 presentations made during the symposium, "When in Rome, Do We Do As the Romans Do?," which covered PR advances in Russia, China, Africa, Saudi Arabia, Asia and South America. (The Institute for Public Relations, 352/392-0280)
"The Common Sense Guide to Publicity," authored by Chicago PR execs John DeFrancesco and Gary Goodfriend, is being published via a roll-out deal with the SalesDoctors online magazine, http://www.salesdoctors.com. Every two weeks, a different chapter is featured on the site. (DeFrancesco & Goodfriend, 312/644-4409)
Schwartz Communications Inc., Waltham, Mass., received three honors in Medialink's Top 20 Video News Releases of 1996 competition.
The firm, which speializes in high-tech/medical PR, received a No. 7 ranking for the "FDA Approves Life-Saving Device" for client Heartstream Inc. Seattle, Wash.; a No. 16 ranking for "A New Alternative to Hysterectomies" for client Gynecare Inc., Menlo Park, Calif.; and a No. 17 ranking for "Airline to Start Using Automatic External Defibrillators" for client American Airlines. (Schwartz, 617/684-0770)
PR practitioners are invited to enter nominations for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which is sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP, USA Today, the Nasdaq Stock Market and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Inc.
The deadline is April 4. This is the contest's 11th year and awards will be presented to entrepreneurs in 46 markets in the United States. For details and nomination forms, write Nancy Clark, Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, Ernst & Young, 2121 San Jacinto Street, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75201 or call 214/969-9626.
