It was nearly two years ago when Karla Jo Helms and Diane Stein started a PR company out of Helms' home. Both experienced in the PR field, the two women set out to start their own business, which has grown to five employees, a new office location and plans to double its workforce by the end of 2011.
JoTo Extreme PR took an innovative approach to marketing using social media and advanced technology to beat out their competition, and grow into the company it is today. Now with a new office location in downtown Clearwater, the company owners are looking to grow even more.
"We started renting our office space in downtown Clearwater earlier this month (July)," says Diane Stein, president of JoTo Extreme PR. "Before we rented the space, we were operating out of my business partner's townhouse."
Stein says that it was important that the office be in Clearwater. "I live in Clearwater, and my business partner was a board member for the Clearwater Downtown Partnership, says Stein. "Both of us have an invested interest in the revitalization of downtown Clearwater, so having an office in downtown was important to us."
Now that Helms and Stein have an office space to call their own, the next item on their agenda is additional staff. "We are currently in negotiations to bring on our fifth employee, but we will plan to double our workforce by the end of the year," says Stein. "We are going to need individuals who are skilled in the area of managing client accounts."
Stein says that in addition to being skilled in managing client accounts, prospective employees need to have a strong background in marketing. "PR without marketing is like steak without salt," Stein says. "It just doesn't work."
Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Diane Stein, JoTo Extreme PR
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