Haven Tower Group, the leading strategic communications agency for the wealth management industry, today announced the additions of Brandon Blackwell and Paul Menchaca as Principals, marking an expansion of the firm’s senior professional team.
Mr. Blackwell and Mr. Menchaca will be based in Seattle and New York, respectively. Both will report to Michael Dugan, the firm’s President & Managing Partner. Each will focus on managing client relationships, media relations and developing communications strategies.
A multiple award-winning and full-service agency, Haven Tower delivers public relations, marketing communications and brand strategy to wealth management enterprises nationwide and the businesses that support them.
Expansion of Senior Team Underscores Commitment to Clients
“We’re delighted to welcome Brandon and Paul,” said Joe Kuo, CEO & Founder of Haven Tower. “Each is an accomplished communications strategist with decades of relevant experience, both in-house and at the agency level. Their additions reflect our ongoing growth and commitment to bringing aboard highly experienced professionals who embrace our culture of teamwork and collaboration, which forms the foundation of our client-service model.
Mr. Kuo continued, “Equally important, each understands the wealth management industry and has an ideal combination of skills to generate significant results for our clients as part of a seamless and high-touch service experience. This expansion of our team further reinforces our firm’s longstanding emphasis on providing constant client access to senior talent who can hit the ground running and add value rapidly upon engagement.”
Seasoned Communications Experts with Decades of Experience
During his career as a PR professional, Mr. Blackwell has developed and executed strategic brand elevation campaigns for B2B technology clients, as well as companies operating in heavily regulated sectors like education and healthcare. Previously, he was a Senior Director at Havas Formula, a San Diego-based PR agency, and at Walker Sands, an integrated marketing agency.
As a journalist, Mr. Blackwell reported on crime, politics and public safety for The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com in Cleveland. He is also a decorated military veteran, having served as a public affairs specialist in the U.S. Coast Guard. During his time in the service, he provided crisis communications during multiple major disasters.
Meanwhile, Mr. Menchaca has over 20 years of combined experience in content strategy, digital marketing and financial journalism. Before joining Haven Tower, he was a marketing communications professional for companies across the cryptocurrency industry, including Coinbase, where he served as a content strategist on the institutional marketing team.
Mr. Menchaca began his career as a financial journalist, covering retail and institutional wealth and asset management. He has worked as a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including Euromoney Institutional Investor, Financial Planning, InvestmentNews and FundFire.
“I could not be happier to welcome Brandon and Paul to our growing team,” Mr. Dugan said. “Attracting professionals of their caliber is not only a testament to our growth but a reflection of our willingness to invest in the talent and resources necessary to drive success for our clients.”
Mr. Dugan continued, “Over the last few years, everyone at the firm has learned the value of respect, dependability and working in harmony with one another. That’s why we are so conscientious about who we hire and, importantly, who we retain. Indeed, bringing aboard and keeping team-oriented senior talent has been central to our recent success, helping to explain why the firm’s sky-high client and employee-retention rates mirror one another so closely.”
Firm Celebrates 12 Years of Success
The recent hires coincide with Haven Tower’s 12th-anniversary celebration. Mr. Kuo launched the firm in late 2011 after serving as Senior Vice President and Head of Public Relations at LPL Financial. While there, he built and led the company’s PR function as well as the media relations strategy surrounding its successful IPO on the Nasdaq in 2010.
Previously, Mr. Kuo was an equity Partner with Kekst & Company (now Kekst CNC), where he crafted visibility campaigns for multiple wealth management and asset management enterprises and advised on scores of transactional and special situations.
The firm’s first employee was David Kronfeld, a fellow former Partner at Kekst who now serves as a Partner Emeritus at Haven Tower. Mr. Dugan joined the firm in 2012. Over the years, he held many roles before being named President & Managing Partner in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Larry Roth, Chairman of the Board of Advisors of Haven Tower Group and Managing Partner of RLR Strategic Partners, a private investment and M&A advisory firm, said, “I’ve had the privilege over the last 12 years of watching Haven Tower grow into the top strategic communications agency in the wealth management space.”
“Having been a client and industry partner for many years before joining its advisory board in 2017, I can speak from experience about the unparalleled quality of the firm’s strategic guidance and its impeccable attention to detail. As Haven Tower’s leadership implements the next stage of its strategic growth vision, I’m excited about all we can accomplish in 2024 and beyond.”
About Haven Tower Group LLC
Based in Los Angeles, Haven Tower Group LLC is an award-winning and full-service strategic communications agency that delivers public relations, marketing communications and brand strategy to wealth management, wealthtech, asset management and insurance clients.
Haven Tower’s team of professionals develops and executes ongoing brand elevation and public visibility campaigns, as well as positioning and communications programs for transactional, regulatory, crisis and other special situations on behalf of the firm’s clients across the country. For more information, please visit www.haventower.com.
