FRENCH/WEST/VAUGHAN ACQUIRES OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE PR AND BRAND MARKETING AGENCY CGPR
Led by Founder Chris Goddard, Specialty Firm Expands FWV Footprint to Greater Boston, Agency to retain CGPR Name
RALEIGH (Feb. 4, 2020) – French/West/Vaughan (FWV) one of the nation’s largest independently-owned public relations, advertising and digital marketing agencies, today announced the acquisition of CGPR, a public relations and consumer brand marketing agency specializing in the active lifestyle, outdoor, ski, fashion, technology, and travel sectors. Chris Goddard, CGPR founder, will continue to lead CGPR which will keep its name, and will complement FWV’s expertise in the fashion and outdoor consumer lifestyle categories. The firm will be known as CGPR, an FWV Agency.
Headquartered near Boston in Marblehead, Mass., the agency has a 25+-year history of category leadership in outdoor, adventure, fashion and activewear channels, working with some of the world’s leading ski resorts, hard goods/gear manufacturers, trade shows, component technologies and industry trade organizations.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Goddard launched CGPR in 1993 following high-profile career stops in Washington, D.C., New York and London. She is a former energy, conservation and urban recreation lobbyist that worked to re-authorize the landmark Clean Air Act and The Clean Water Act, represented Mayor Koch in New York, and later served as a congressional liaison. In New York, her big agency experience included time at Carl Byoir and Edelman, working on accounts including Bermuda Tourism, Crafted with Pride in America and British Airways. In London, she worked for the British American Chamber of Commerce. She and her family later relocated to the picturesque sailing enclave of Marblehead, where she joined Rockport before starting her own firm. Early success with clients such as Killington, Merrell and W.L. Gore & Associates helped establish CGPR as a preferred partner to outdoor lifestyle, footwear, technology, and apparel brands.
“Chris and her team at CGPR have built an exceptional reputation in strategic branding and marketing communications,” said Rick French, FWV Chairman & CEO. “They happen to specialize in some of the consumer lifestyle categories where we also have a wealth of experience, so our combined resources and collective expertise will be impressive.”
Since 1997, FWV has worked with outdoor lifestyle and apparel brands including Wrangler, Justin Boots, Nathan, Fleet Feet, Implus, Arena, Speedo, and many others. CGPR has a long-standing track record of working with leading outdoor, active lifestyle and ingredient brands including adidas Terrex, Birkis, Helly Hansen, Kelty, LifeStraw, Outdoor Industry Association, Outdoor Retailer, Royal Robbins, Tretorn and Snowsports Industries America.
“We are honored to be joining FWV, an agency with impeccable credentials in our industry,” said Goddard. “Everyone in the Raleigh headquarters was so professional and welcoming, it really felt like family – Rick has built a remarkable company that shares many of the same passions and commitments that we do, so the possibilities for the future are very exciting. With this union, we are now part of a full service agency that provides multi-faceted services that now define the changing world of public relations today.”
Ranked among the nation’s 15 largest PR firms (O’Dwyer’s Ranking of Top U.S. PR Firms), FWV has captured 20 National Agency of the Year honors over the past two decades, including Best PR Agency of 2019 (Bulldog Reporter “Stars of PR” Awards).
With the acquisition, FWV now employs more than 120 public relations, public affairs, social media, advertising and digital marketing experts between its Raleigh, N.C. headquarters, offices in New York City (AMP3 PR), Los Angeles (Prix Productions) and Tampa (FWV Fetching), and now CGPR in Greater Boston.
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is one of the nation’s leading public relations, public affairs, advertising and digital media agencies, with offices in Raleigh, New York City, Los Angeles, Boston and Tampa. National, international and local clients represented by the agency include Wrangler, ABB, Proximo, Melitta, Bassett Furniture, Volvo Trucks North America, the V Foundation for Cancer Research, Certified Angus Beef, Teen Cancer America and the N.C. Department of Transportation. Owned or affiliated companies include fashion and lifestyle PR firm AMP3 (New York City), pet and veterinary PR practice FWV Fetching and feature film development imprint Prix Productions. FWV is a partner in IPREX, a $380 million network of communication agencies with 1,600 staff and 110 offices worldwide. For more information, please visit www.fwv-us.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Vimeo or Instagram.
About CGPR
CGPR, a wholly owned subsidiary of French/West/Vaughan, is a public relations firm with a consumer focus, leveraging a wide scope of expertise on behalf of clients that are established leaders in their industries. The agency provides first-class customer service that generates long-term relationships with clients, averaging a minimum of five to seven years, above the industry average. This broad experience enables CGPR to utilize its expertise across a variety of categories including media relations, social media, corporate communications, government relations, crisis management, and strategic planning. For more information, please visit www.cgprpublicrelations.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.
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