General Info:
After serving as director of communications for two international non-profit organizations and holding senior management positions with advertising/public relations agencies in Chicago and Nashville, Don founded ABC&D Communications in 2002. Based in Franklin, Tennessee, the agency specializes in public relations. Throughout his career, Don has represented clients in a variety of industries such as construction, education, energy, financial services, fitness, health care, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing, non profit, private equity, publishing, real estate and technology. He has received local and regional awards for his work in crisis communications, integrated communications, internal communications, investor relations, marketing communications, marketing consumer products/services, media relations, public relations, public service and special events. On the journalism side, Don is a former newspaper correspondent for the Daily Herald ( suburban Chicago ) and an editorial consultant for Chicago Healthcare magazine. He has been a contributing writer for several professional publications and a columnist for HomeLife magazine. Don also served as ghostwriter/editor for several books, and most recently was co-author of Life in the Turn Lane: A Story of Personal and Corporate Turnarounds and the Principles that Make Them Happen. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts degree in Communication/Management from California State University, San Bernardino. He also attended Nashville School of Law. Don and his wife, Andra, have two grown daughters. In his spare time he enjoys participating in youth and community ministries, reading, running, tennis, swimming and hanging out at the beach. Don formed ABC&D Communications with a vision to work closely with a select group of clients, become a valuable member of each client's team and help them achieve their business objectives through focused communication. His professional philosophy is based on the belief that strategy should drive all creative and tactical elements, and that the most effective programs and campaigns are those that use an integrated approach. While many things go into a successful client-agency relationship, Don believes that trust is at the core of any partnership, and that character is every bit as important as sound strategy, dynamic creative and outstanding service. Getting agreement up front on the big picture and what it will cost to achieve the established goals has, in Don's experience, been the best way to develop a long-term partnership with clients. Accordingly, he puts a good deal of emphasis on fully understanding his clients' objectives, how each client will determine success and what measurements will be used in the evaluation process.