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Des Moines PR Executive Ronald Hanser Elected President of Pinnacle Worldwide for 2004-2005

First Iowan to Lead a Global PR Corporation

DES MOINES (June 16, 2004) – Pinnacle Worldwide, an international corporation of independently owned public relations firms celebrating its 28^th year, has announced the election of Ronald C. Hanser, APR, of Des Moines, as worldwide president.

Hanser was elected to a two-year term beginning in September 2004. He will remain president of Des Moines-based Hanser & Associates, Iowa ’s leading PR firm.

Hanser, an APR-accredited PR professional, is the first Iowa public relations executive to lead a global PR organization. He currently serves on Pinnacle’s executive committee and has been a member of its board of directors since 1999.

Pinnacle also announced the election of three other executive officers. Larry Wheeler, President and CEO of Boasberg/Wheeler Communications, Inc. ( Kansas City , Mo. ), was elected chair of Pinnacle Worldwide.  Hannemie Stitz, CEO and President of Public Relations Partners GmbH ( Kronberg , Germany ), was elected president-elect. David M. Marriott, CEO of Gogerty Stark Marriott ( Seattle , Wash. ), was re-elected treasurer.

“We are fortunate to have leaders like Ron Hanser on our bench with the proven executive skills and the bold vision required to lead a global network of independent agency principals,” says Henry A. de La Garza, APR, 2002-2004 chair of the board of directors of Pinnacle Worldwide and chair of the nominating committee.  “This is the strongest slate of global officers in Pinnacle’s 28-year history and the organization will be in good hands with this team of leaders,” said de La Garza, Chairman and CEO of de La Garza Public Relations, Inc., a Pinnacle member firm headquartered in Houston with offices in Mexico City .

“This election is a big vote of confidence for the practice of public relations in the Midwest ,” said Hanser. “I am grateful to our clients who allow Hanser & Associates to take their message locally and around the world. I’m also grateful to our outstanding employees who make it possible for me to help lead a worldwide PR company.”

At-large members of the executive committee are John Wells, Managing Director of Jackson Wells Morris Pty, Ltd., and also Asia Pacific regional vice president of Pinnacle Worldwide (Sydney, Australia); Peter Morrissey, APR, President and CEO of Morrissey & Company (Boston, Mass.); and Donna Vandiver, President of The Vandiver Group (St. Louis, Mo.). 

Two other regional vice presidents also serve as ex-officio members of the executive committee:  Ruud Bijl, Managing Director of Bijl Partners in Public Relations (The Netherlands), European vice-president and Ray Casas, Principal of Wragg & Casas Public Relations, Inc. ( Miami , Fla. ), Latin American vice-president.  

The election was conducted in May through worldwide balloting by the Pinnacle firms.

ABOUT PINNACLE WORLDWIDE, INC.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Pinnacle Worldwide is an international corporation of independently owned public relations firms with 52 offices and more than 1,200 employees in 28 countries.  Pinnacle provides worldwide resources with local points of contact being senior owner-operators intimately familiar with their market.  Pinnacle’s North American offices are in Boise, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Des Moines, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles/Orange County (2), Miami, Minneapolis, New York (2), Omaha, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, B.C. and Washington, D.C. European offices are in Athens, Bristol, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Kiev , Kronberg, Helsinki, Istanbul, London, The Netherlands, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich.  Latin American offices are in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Santiago and Santo Domingo. Asia/Pacific offices are in Seoul, Singapore and Sydney.  Middle East office is in Cairo.  Visit www.pinnacleww.com for more information.

ABOUT HANSER & ASSOCIATES
Hanser & Associates is a team of public relations specialists that helps companies build and maintain relationships with the people who are important to their future. Co-owned by Ronald Hanser and Bonnie Hanser, the firm is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa and has an office in Omaha, Neb. The firm has a strategic alliance with Redstone Communications, an Omaha-based advertising agency, and the two firms share offices in Des Moines and Omaha.  Hanser & Associates is nationally ranked among the top independent PR firms in Midwest cities. Hanser & Associates has won more than 30 international, national and local awards for its public relations work during the past five years, including the Public Relations Society of America’s “Best of Show” and a national Bronze Anvil – the “Oscar” of PR. An equity partner in Pinnacle Worldwide, Inc., the firm has partner offices in 52 major cities around the world. Visit www.hanser.com for more information.

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