Hirons announces expansion into Chicago

Chicago Full Service Agency

Communications veteran Jackie Meyers Thompson to lead Chicago office

CHICAGO – Indianapolis-based communications agency Hirons today announced it is expanding into the Chicago market. The expansion is part of the agency’s strategy to build upon its successful work in Indiana and continue growing its roster of out-of-state clients.

Led by Jackie Meyers Thompson, the agency’s Chicago office will provide public relations, advertising, branding and strategic marketing services to clients such as Kaveny & Kroll, Vios and RMI, among others.

Meyers Thompson has served clients in professional, governmental and consumer service arenas, tying in both private and public enterprises in the creation and coordination of programs and systems. Past clients include Angie’s List, Tyson Foods, Marriott Corporation, PepsiCo, Targanta Therapeutics, Reproductive Genetics Institute, Mike Ditka Foundation, Indianapolis Housing Agency, Chicago Housing Authority, Frito-Lay, Ronald McDonald House and Sally and Chris Gardocki, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts. Prior to joining Hirons, Meyers Thompson spent the past 20 years at Chicago-based Coppock-Meyers Public Relations, which she co-founded with the late Chet Coppock.

“I am looking forward to bringing Hirons’ experience and expertise to my hometown,” said Meyers Thompson. “There is a need for a mid-sized, full-service communications firm in this market and Hirons is the ideal solution.”

Hirons’ decision to expand into Chicago comes at an exciting time for the agency, which recently celebrated 40 years in business. The agency has worked with Chicago-based businesses over the last four decades. Partnering with an already-established professional like Meyers Thompson allows Hirons to build on a strong foundation and hit the ground running.

“When we began down the path of what a Chicago expansion could look like, there was no doubt that bringing in Jackie was the best solution,” said Jim Parham, CEO of Hirons. “Her reputation and deep bench of resources will allow us to grow in the Chicago market at a rapid pace.”

In recent years, Meyers Thompson was honored nationally by Women in Communications Inc., as well as in Chicago by the Publicity Club of Chicago for media relations initiatives on behalf of the Chicago Housing Authority. Media placements for her clients have included Time magazine, Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, New York Daily News, Cincinnati Post, USA Today and Washington Post as well as NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox television affiliates.

Meyers Thompson has written two internationally distributed books and holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication from the University of Michigan.

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About Hirons

Hirons, an award-winning advertising, public relations and digital communications firm based in Indianapolis, has been concepting, designing and distributing some of the state’s most widely recognized advertising campaigns since 1978. An established provider of bold and innovative communications solutions, Hirons’ research-based approach starts by first establishing the problem at hand and then tailoring our services to best fit our clients’ needs. With clients in both the commercial and government sectors, Hirons is leading efforts to spread both digital and traditional messages across the state of Indiana and beyond.

Jackie Meyers Thompson

Account Director, Chicago

Jackie Meyers Thompson is a veteran of the communications industry with specializations in public relations, special event planning, content development and strategic marketing. In addition, she has worked with numerous clients on media training and public speaking, preparing them for broadcast and print interviews as well as internal/external presentations.

Based in Chicago, Jackie has served clients in professional, governmental and consumer service arenas, tying in both private and public enterprises in the creation and coordination of programs and systems. Past clients include Angie’s List, Tyson Foods, Marriott Corporation, PepsiCo, Targanta Therapeutics, Reproductive Genetics Institute, Reproductive Medicine Institute, Mike Ditka Foundation, Indianapolis Housing Agency, Chicago Housing Authority, Frito-Lay, Ronald McDonald House, and Sally and Chris Gardocki, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts.

Jackie worked to develop and coordinate the opening of the first outdoor Midnight Basketball League court in Chicago, an event that featured Mayor Richard M. Daley, the Harlem Globetrotters and a host of media, sports and political figures. She also helped to conceptualize and develop a number of nonprofit programs including Mike Ditka’s Special Team Against Drugs and Baking with the Bears.

In recent years, Jackie was honored nationally by Women in Communications Inc. as well as locally by the Publicity Club of Chicago for media relations initiatives on behalf of the Chicago Housing Authority. Media placements for her clients have included Time magazine, Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, New York Daily News, Cincinnati Post, USA Today and Washington Post as well as NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox television affiliates.

Jackie has written two internationally distributed books and holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Michigan.

Deana Haworth, APR

Chief Operating Officer

As COO, Deana leads all company operations including business development, growth and strategic planning and serves as a senior adviser on key accounts.

In her 20 years at Hirons, Deana has led many projects to success, including the transfer of water and wastewater from the City of Indianapolis to Citizens Energy; a renaming, rebranding and capital campaign for Eskenazi Health; the launch of ParkIND at Indianapolis International Airport; and public outreach efforts for RebuildIndy — the $1 billion initiative to improve water quality and an aging sewer system.

She also led federal initiatives for the National Park Service, the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau and the U.S. Army. Deana heads up Hirons’ proprietary Rural Reach program, bringing clients unique strategies for reaching rural populations.

Deana was born and raised in rural southern Indiana. She’s an expert at effective communication and outreach to rural communities, which she saw was lacking in many communications initiatives to people living in places like her childhood hometown. She worked with members of the Hirons team to develop Rural Reach, a research-based communications strategy for effectively engaging rural populations across the United States.

Deana earned her Accreditation in Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America. She has a master’s degree in public relations from Ball State University and a bachelor’s in journalism from Franklin College.

Rose Durbin

Senior Vice President

Rose leads the media team for all Hirons accounts. She manages strategic planning and buying that encompass all media, from local to global, online and offline. She is passionate about research and “digging in” to a client’s business. Rose believes every media plan should support the brand’s business objectives and track results against those goals.

Rose’s business perspective is strengthened by years strategizing plans for business-to-business and business-to-consumer businesses. She has deep knowledge of diverse industries including health care, financial services, retail, media properties and hospitality.

While Rose has a driving need to be on the edge of all things new, she relies on analytics and hard evidence to guide choices and methods utilized in digital media. Rose works to cultivate relationships with media partners so that all available resources can be dedicated to the business objectives of the brand. She has a special interest in providing clients with meaningful added-value.

While working at an ad agency in Chicago, Rose created the marketing strategy for the Chicago Tribune to aggressively defend its market position from Rupert Murdoch’s Sun-Times. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Mark LeClerc

Executive Creative Director

A rural Indiana native with more than 30 years of industry experience, Mark oversees all creative and quality control personnel at Hirons. Mark has garnered five career Best of Show awards in various advertising competitions, and his TV spots have appeared in the Communications Arts Advertising Annual. He previously served as executive creative director for the Indianapolis outpost of Publicis Worldwide.

At Hirons, Mark delivers a heightened level of creative strategy for client campaigns. He oversees all creative output in the agency, helps lead new business efforts, mentors creative staff and works closely with Hirons’ leadership team. Mark assists the public affairs team with branding and has directed the creative work for digital and traditional media advertisements and collateral materials for several state clients, including the City of Brazil’s rebranding, the Commission for Higher Education’s Next Level Jobs marketing and the Bureau of Motor Vehicle’s REAL ID digital advertising.

With years of experience in leadership positions, he also conducts seamless cross-departmental collaboration, resulting in superior client service for both current and prospective clients. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in radio/television from Butler University. He is a former member of the board of directors for the International School of Indiana and chaired its marketing committee.