Pritchett brings two decades of corporate, professional, sports and entertainment business experience to the agency
RALEIGH, N.C. (July 6, 2009) - French/West/Vaughan (FWV), one of the nation's largest independent public relations, public affairs and brand communications agencies, today announced that Jon Pritchett has joined the agency as vice chairman and agency principal.
Pritchett, whose 20-year career has included multiple management positions in a diverse group of organizations, is responsible for providing strategic counsel and driving growth initiatives for FWV clients. He is also responsible for leading the agency's business development efforts, and will report directly to FWV chairman and CEO Rick French.
Prior to joining FWV, Pritchett most recently served as CEO of General Sports Venue (GSV), a sports specialty marketer of brands, including the AstroTurf brand. During his six-year tenure, he built GSV into a major player in the sports and recreation industry, leading a highly successful effort to rebuild the brand as the industry leader through R&D and technical innovations. In five years, GSV grew its revenue from $2 million to $40 million in an extremely competitive market.
"Throughout his career, Jon has developed a strong reputation for building and energizing businesses through dynamic leadership. His business acumen and experience will be invaluable to the agency and our clients, and we welcome him to our management team," said Rick French, FWV chairman and CEO.
Pritchett has also previously served as president/chief operating officer of ScheerSports, Inc., where he led the sales and marketing efforts of the development of a 16,000-seat downtown arena. In this role, he also ran the day-to-day operations for two of the most successful franchises in minor league sports, leading the ECHL (the Premier ‘AA' Hockey League) in attendance and gross revenue for its hockey team and building the second highest grossing franchise in the Arena Football 2 League (af2). For his work at ScheerSports, Inc., the company received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Carolinas.
Pritchett received a Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University (ASU) in 1988. He previously served as vice chairman of the Alumni Advisory Board for the School of Communications at ASU and as a member of the Clemson University Advisory Board for its Center for the Advancement of Marketing and Social Sciences. Pritchett is also a 1996 graduate of the Sports Management Institute Executive Program held at the Universities of Southern California and North Carolina.
"As a former agency client for more than four years, I had the opportunity to work closely with FWV's talented professionals," said Pritchett. "I was always very impressed with the agency, and look forward to my new role and the contributions I will now make as a member of the FWV team."
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is the Southeast's largest independent public relations, public affairs and brand communications agency. FWV was named a 2006 finalist for PR Week magazine's "Midsize PR Agency of the Year" award, and was named the Holmes Report's 2004 National Consumer Agency of the Year. National and international clients represented by the agency include the Global Water Foundation, the Coca-Cola Company, Wrangler, the Justin Boot Company, Canada Post, the International Gemological Institute, Nehst Studios, OTB Records and Nfinity Shoes - the official shoe of cheerleading. Regional public relations clients include North Carolina State University, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Tweetsie Railroad, among many others. The agency is headquartered in Raleigh and has offices in both New York City and Tampa. The agency's advertising arm, FWV Distilled, was established in 2007 and provides award-winning advertising, graphic design and media planning and placement services for a wide range of clients. For more information, please visit www.fwv-us.com.
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