Derek Danziger
Less than a year after opening his own public relations consultancy, strategic communications veteran Derek Danziger has agreed to sell his Danziger Public Relations in Riverside. OPR communicationsfounded 21 years ago by Patrick O’Reilly.
“I didn’t want to sell my company or be acquired. They approached me,” Danziger told the Times of San Diego. “We met a couple of times and realized we had a lot of similar interests, experiences and backgrounds. In addition, we shared the goal of advancing projects that improve the region and strengthen the quality of life in the regions where we operate.”

With the title of president of the San Diego office, Danziger will be responsible for elevating OPR to the San Diego region’s development, public affairs, government affairs, energy, life sciences, l ‘higher education and civic sectors, according to OPR.
OPR has 20 employees, four of them located in an office in Downtown San Diego, which now includes Danziger and San Diego political consultant Tom Shepard, who joined OPR in March 2021.
“OPR has an outstanding reputation and they are working with clients that I can bring something to,” Danziger said. “I will continue to serve my existing clients and work to grow the OPR footprint in San Diego.”
OPR’s San Diego area clients include Centene, Rainbow Municipal Water District and Joe LaCava for the City of San Diego.
Danziger’s clients at his own firm include Civic Communities, Longfellow Real Estate Partners, San Diego County Crimestoppers and AIGA San Diego Tijuana.
Before establishing his public relations firm in 2022, Danziger served as president of Katz & Associates, a marketing communications and public affairs firm, and as vice president of Nuffer Smith Tucker, the largest public relations firm old San Diego.
“A year ago, if you had asked me about the acquisition, I would have said no way,” Danziger said. “I never imagined it. It wasn’t in my crystal ball. It was a dream come true to open my own store.”
“However, this was an opportunity to expand OPR’s focus in San Diego and grow a team to support meaningful community projects and programs. Together, we will work on impactful activities that shape San Diego’s future and drive a positive change”.
Danziger declined to disclose the financial terms of the acquisition.
“Derek’s extensive relationships, trusted reputation, nearly three decades of experience in San Diego’s development, energy, education and nonprofit sectors, and his history working on important civic issues and activities align fits perfectly with our long-term vision,” said Patrick O’Reilly. , CEO of OPR. “This acquisition allows us to expand our capabilities and better serve our customers’ needs in these critical areas.”
Officials from Mission Federal and the symphony celebrate the sponsorship deal.
Mission Federal Credit Union has announced a 10-year sponsorship deal with the San Diego Symphony. It is the credit union’s largest corporate partnership in its 62-year history and recognizes Mission Fed as the official credit union of the San Diego Symphony.
A statement said the deal will be about reaching youth from diverse communities and opportunities to get involved with the San Diego arts scene. It also includes the designation of the Mission Fed Community Green, a private space at The Rady Shell in Jacobs Park, the symphony’s outdoor summer venue along the Embarcadero.
Other elements of the partnership include Mission Fed’s support of the symphony’s High School Ambassador program and its Music Connects program.
The baccalaureate program includes 30 paid summer internships with work training. Music Connects consists of community concerts held at various locations in San Diego County, as well as 200 tickets to symphonic performances for teachers, non-profit groups and the military.
“At Mission Fed, giving back to our members and the community is at the heart of who we are,” said Debra Schwartz, President and CEO of Mission Fed. “We want our members to know that their membership makes a difference. By partnering with other people doing good, we have a greater collective impact to improve San Diego. We couldn’t think of a better partner than the San Diego Symphony.”
“We are grateful to Mission Fed’s board of directors, senior management team and Mission Fed members for making this partnership possible,” said Martha Gilmer, general director of the San Diego Symphony. “Working with like-minded, values-based organizations that are committed to our community is important to us, and we are proud to work in partnership with Mission Fed to reach youth in diverse communities.”
Founded in 1910, the San Diego Symphony is California’s oldest orchestra and one of San Diego’s largest cultural organizations.
With nearly 300,000 members and more than $6 billion in assets, Mission Federal Credit Union is the largest member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution serving San Diego County exclusively.
MarQuies Willis leads sales and marketing at the Lafayette Hotel
The Hotel Lafayettescheduled to reopen this week after a $30 million renovation by Consortium Holdingshas appointed MarQuies Willis as director of sales and marketing.
Willis, who has more than 15 years of hotel sales and marketing experience, will be responsible for all sales and marketing efforts, including overseeing seven different food and beverage concepts. He will also be responsible for building strong relationships with key accounts, developing new business opportunities and overseeing the hotel’s public relations efforts, Lafayette said.
Marquies Willis
His previous hotel experiences include serving as director of sales and marketing at Carte Hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, at 401 W. Ash St. in Little Italy. There, Willis managed three on-site dining options, including Above Ash Social, Fonte Di Vino and Watercolors restaurant.
Willis has also worked at Hotel Solamar, a Kimpton hotel in San Diego and Kimpton’s Rouge, Topaz, Madera and DC Palomar properties in the Washington, DC area.
The historic Lafayette Hotel, originally called the Imig Manor Hotel when it opened in 1946, has been closed for renovations since October 2022. The hotel’s website is taking reservations starting Wednesday, July 12.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the Lafayette, at 2223 El Cajon Blvd., in North Park, was a dining, drinking and entertainment destination for Hollywood celebrities and dignitaries. Comedian Bob Hope, his first guest, would be followed by movie stars Ava Gardner, Betty Grable and Lana Turner. And its Mississippi Hall once hosted big bands led by notables like Harry James.
Consortium Holdings purchased the property in 2018 for $25.8 million.
Trucept establishes Afinida’s marketing subsidiary
trucepta San Diego-based consulting firm that provides human resources, payroll, accounting, insurance and compliance services, has established a new marketing subsidiary called Marketing in Athens.
The company said Afinida Marketing will offer a variety of marketing services, including digital advertising, search engine optimization, content creation, social media management and market analysis. “The goal is to help businesses not only navigate, but thrive in the rapidly evolving digital marketplace,” Trucept said in a statement.
“This is a milestone in Trucept’s growth strategy,” said Trucept CEO Norman Tipton. “Our mission has always been to empower companies by managing their administrative functions, allowing them to focus on their core competencies. With the establishment of Afinida Marketing, we can now offer a complete set of marketing services tailored to needs of our customers in the digital age.”
“The formation of Afinida Marketing signifies our commitment to continually evolve and adapt to the changing needs of businesses in the digital age,” said Kevin Brewer, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Trucept. “We are excited to take this step forward and believe it will bring immense value to our customers.”
Rick Griffin is a PR and marketing consultant based in San Diego. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in the Times of San Diego.
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