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Degree and Year: BJ '82 (Magazine) Company: Pierpont Communications, Inc. Company Web Site: http://www.piercom.com/ Title: Senior Vice President City and State: Dallas, Texas
Pierpont Communications is a full-service public relations firm with three offices in Texas – Dallas, Houston and Austin. We offer public relations, public affairs, marketing and branding, and creative services for a diverse range of clients working in a wide variety of industries. I work in business development for the firm, as well as serve clients in professional services companies and organizations. These include accounting, financial services, healthcare, high technology, and food and beverage industries. How did you get your job? After running my own business for almost 13 years, I was looking for new opportunities and challenges – and the power of "networking" truly paid off. An associate with the Houston Pierpont office recruited me to consider the position, and after five months of discussions, I accepted the job in mid-October 2007. This was one of the most difficult decisions I ever made based on owning my business and then working for someone else. Fortunately, my previous clients moved with me so I am building on my prior work through the strength of an entire firm. What was your best professional lesson learned at the J-School? Besides turning in your work on time and studying for finals, maintaining high ethics and integrity. What would be your best advice to current students? Keep your options open on the kind of career in journalism you really want. If you think you want to be a reporter, you can still do other things using your skills. Find something you want to do; otherwise, you are not going to enjoy it. The more business-type courses you take, the better off you'll be for any type of journalism you practice. What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement? Starting my own business and successfully maintaining it for almost 13 years. What makes you good at your job? Attention to detail, and anticipating what the clients want before they tell me they want it. Planning, pre-planning and integrity are large factors. What are you working on currently? I spend the majority of my time in business development for the Dallas office, seeking engagements in the greater Dallas area and nationally, as well as managing the staff in the Dallas office. I still find time to write as often as I can – my true, first passion. What is one thing about you that may surprise people? I love opera! 
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| Revised: 15 January 2008. Copyright © 2008 The Curators of the University of Missouri | Contact the J-School | |
