May 2022 - Cooksey

Cooksey Chairman and CEO Colby Walton Recognized Among Fort Worth Inc.’s 400 Most Influential People in Fort Worth

DALLAS/FORT WORTH – May 20, 2022 –

Colby Walton, chairman and CEO of Cooksey Communications, a North Texas-based public relations firm, has been named to The 400, Fort Worth Inc. Magazine’s list of the 400 most influential figures in the Greater Fort Worth area. The 5^th annual class of The 400 was recognized last night during an awards ceremony at the Fort Worth Club and will be featured in a special issue of Fort Worth Inc. this summer.

An all-encompassing list, The 400 highlights top executives who wield significant influence in Tarrant County across a wide range of categories, including industry, philanthropy, nonprofits, government and public policy, economic development, professional services, education, civic affairs, arts, religion, sports and media, or within their own spheres.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized alongside other leaders within the wonderful Fort Worth community, many of whom we have had the pleasure to support over the years through our agency’s strategic communications work,” said Walton. “It is because of visionary, civic-minded individuals such as those recognized by Fort Worth Inc. that the city and region have seen continued growth and success in recent years.”

Over its nearly three-decade history, Cooksey has represented many of Fort Worth’s and Tarrant County’s leading businesses, nonprofit organizations and public sector entities. This includes significant engagements on behalf of the City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau (now Visit Fort Worth), Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition, the Northeast Tarrant Transportation Summit, Hillwood/AllianceTexas, Freese and Nichols, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, OmniAmerican Bank (now Southside Bank), Whitley Penn LLP and many others.

Walton has served in various capacities at Cooksey since joining the agency in 1998, officially acquiring the company with his longtime business partner, Jason Meyer, earlier this year. During his 24-year tenure at Cooksey, Colby has helped establish and grow the agency’s proficiency in professional services marketing and municipal communications for clients facing an array of complex, high-stakes public relations issues.

Walton has also been involved in numerous professional and community service organizations outside the agency, including volunteer work on behalf of Leadership Fort Worth, The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, the City of Colleyville, the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, the Duke University Alumni Club of North Texas and the Virginia Morris Kincaid Foundation.

About Cooksey Communications

Founded in 1994, Cooksey Communications is a Texas-based, strategic communications firm specializing in public stakeholder issues-related communications for government/economic development, transportation, water, energy and education clients, and strategic communications for professional services, real estate/development, retail/hospitality/consumer and nonprofit clients. Cooksey repeatedly has been named one of the top public relations agencies in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex by the Dallas Business Journal. For more information, visit www.CookseyPR.com.

Cooksey Earns Eight Hermes Awards, Including Five Top-Level Platinum Honors, in International Creative Competition

DALLAS – May 13, 2022 –

Cooksey Communications recently received five Platinum and three Gold honors in the 2022 Hermes Creative Awards, a distinguished international competition. These eight awards underscore Cooksey’s vast knowledge of strategic communications, media relations and both digital and print media.

PLATINUM

Website (Electronic Media/Social Media/Interactive Media) – Forward Fort Worth: Cooksey created a comprehensive website for the inaugural mobility innovation event, Forward Fort Worth, allowing site visitors to access critical information like a detailed event schedule, speaker bios and user-friendly registration.
Newspaper Placement (Strategic Campaigns/Media Relations) – Hillwood: Cooksey secured a prominent feature story, “Perot’s Hillwood designs the Circle T Ranch to round up relocating companies,” in The Dallas Morning News. Serving as the centerpiece of the Business section’s print version, the article showcases the development plan for Hillwood’s 2,500-acre Circle T Ranch in Westlake.
Video (Electronic Media/Social Media/Interactive Media) – Irving Economic Development Partnership (EDP): The Irving EDP engaged Cooksey to produce a dynamic marketing and promotional video to highlight the city’s attributes for prospective companies considering it as a home for headquarters or office locations. The “Stay Bold” video showcases Irving-Las Colinas’ business-friendly reputation as the “Headquarters of Headquarters,” its recreation opportunities, and vibrant lifestyle.
Blog Writing (Electronic Media/Social Media/Interactive Media) – Jackson-Shaw: Cooksey helped develop a blog post titled “Succeeding in Business in the Long Term: Weathering Booms, Bubbles, and Busts” by Jackson-Shaw President and CEO Michele Wheeler for D CEO Magazine’s commercial real estate expert opinion site.
Online Placement (Strategic Campaigns/Media Relations) – Richardson Economic Development Partnership (EDP): Cooksey secured placement of a prominent Dallas Business Journal article for the Richardson EDP, “Global Development Initiative helps create long-lasting, local partnerships with global-scale exposure.” The insightful byline written by Bill Sproull discusses a recently formed partnership between the Richardson EDP and The University of Texas at Dallas to support international business development efforts in Richardson.

GOLD

Pandemic Response (Strategic Campaigns/Public Relations/Communications) – Credit Union of Texas (CUTX): Cooksey executed an extensive communications plan in response to CUTX’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, drafting a media release, developing strategic messaging and crisis responses, and securing robust local and trade media coverage.
Publication Article (Print Media/Writing) – Harrison, Walker & Harper (HWH): Cooksey secured a feature for HWH in Construction Executive titled “Women in Construction Are Built for Success.” The story, published during the annual Women in Construction Week in March, features industry insights from two female HWH project engineers.
Program Guide (Print Media/Publications) – Tarrant Transportation Summit: Cooksey designed a complete program guide for the Tarrant Transportation Summit (TTS), Tarrant County’s premier transportation event, spotlighting event speakers and providing wide-ranging industry knowledge.

There were about 6,500 entries from throughout the United States and 27 other countries in the Hermes Creative Awards 2022 competition. Only about 16 percent of entries earned Platinum, the top award, and around 22 percent won the Gold Award.

The Hermes Creative Awards, administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, honor creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. Judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence.

About Cooksey Communications