The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) acquires Internet Alliance, a trade association, resulting in a $1.4 trillion direct marketing industry organization. IA was first established in 1982 as Interactive Services Association and reorganized last year as IA. (DMA, 212/790-1520)
Hayes, Domenici & Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based women-owned communications consulting firm starts a new business to assist non-profits, associations and companies planning special events. The new venture, Impact Coaching and Consulting, uses as its backbone one-day seminars to coach organizational execs on participatory events. (HD&A, 703/556-9402)
Now operating as the ChrismanPeters Group, Dale Chrisman & Associates and PetersGroup merged their marketing and PR companies. The new firm will be headquartered at 3409 Executive Center Drive, Suite 120, Austin, Texas 78731; phone: 512/345-8969.
Edward Stevens, former vice chairman and group president at Dix & Eaton, buys 26-year-old Baron Advertising, Cleveland. Steven Baron Communications is billing itself as a full-service ad house with PR capabilities. (Baron, 216/621-6800)
Detroit-based Skuggen Public Relations opens an office in Deerfield Beach, Fla., to serve its South Florida clients, which include new express delivery company Link Worldwide and online publishing company Internetwork. Heading the office in Florida is founder Bob Skuggen. (Skuggen, 954/725-8886)
