McConnell Communications expands staff as it grows services

Darci McConnell spent 14 years as a newspaper reporter before leaving the profession about a decade ago.

At that moment in life she heeded the advice of family and friends, including well-known local businessman Don Barden, and decided to create her own job instead of looking for one. That decision led to the creation of McConnell Communications, a public relations firm based in Greektown.

"I figured that some of my frustrations with journalism wouldn't change with geography," McConnell says.

Barden Companies became one of McConnell Communication's first customers, letting McConnell handle communications work in the Detroit market. Today, McConnell Communications employs three people and has a growing client list that includes Metro Property Group. It has also handled communications work for Proposal 2 and Proposal 3 in last year's election.

McConnell Communications recently hired a new media manager, which allows the firm to handle more digital work, such as search engine optimization and social media. "I recognized that if we didn't find a way to balance the old and new media it would be difficult to compete," McConnell says.

She plans to keep her company small for the foreseeable future. "We never wanted to be a huge company," McConnell says. "We want to be a boutique company that can compete with big companies."

Source: Darci McConnell, president & CEO of McConnell Communications
Writer: Jon Zemke

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