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What environmental communications specialists can learn from Greta Thunberg

What environmental communications specialists can learn from Greta Thunberg In November 2018, Greta Thunberg took to the stage at TED Talks in Sweden to speak out about the climate crisis. Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and selective mutism, Greta only talks when she needs to and declared on stage that ‘now is one of those moments’ that she feels compelled to speak. To her, ‘almost everything is black or […]

Yulu PR Awarded Gold at 2019 Stevie® Awards for Best Global Issues PR Campaign!

We have exciting news to share. Yulu was honored and elated last week when we learned our work with Carbon Engineering (CE) was recognized as the best Global Issues PR campaign by the 2019 International Stevie® Awards. Yulu had the privilege of earning a Gold Stevie® in years’ past for our work with Fuck Cancer, taking Gold for Best International Public Service campaign, which took Yulu to Seoul, South Korea […]

How to appeal to conscious consumers

Consumers are increasingly considering the social, environmental and political implications of their actions. This coincides with growing awareness of the pressing issues facing humanity, through programs such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), designed to rally collective action to address the world’s greatest challenges. From climate change and ocean conservation, to poverty and education, the obstacles we face are daunting. The result? Conscious consumers. The next generation of […]

Brand purpose: Should brands have a purpose?

Brand purpose We’re living in tumultuous times. Extreme weather events demonstrate climate change is no longer a looming global threat, but one that’s very much upon us. One in seven people around the world are hungry, yet a third of food is wasted. Seventy percent of the world’s population holds only three percent of the global wealth. It is getting harder to hide our heads in the sand, to be […]

Inspiring Women | #InternationalWomensDay2019

Working in the impact space, we’re fortunate to come across inspiring women championing meaningful causes each and every day. For #InternationalWomensDay, we asked our team to share the inspirational women who have impressed them through their actions inciting change and advocating for a better world. Dionne Brand: Brand explores themes of gender, race, sexuality and feminism, white male domination, injustices and “the moral hypocrisies of Canada”. Despite being often characterized […]

Tips for interns: 4 easy steps to make the most of your internship

Tips for interns: 4 easy steps to make the most of your internship experience By Tierney Kelly-Baldwin, UBC Practicum Student So you got your dream internship, now what? Interning is a crucial step in starting a career and landing your dream position, but it can be very daunting at times. Whether required for school or you have gone out to find one yourself, you will be interning with the hopes […]

Yulu PR wins CSR PR Agency of the Year

GRAND PRIZE: CSR PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR Small but mighty Yulu PR focuses on building ‘Impact Relations’ The discipline drives positive social or environmental impact through authentic communication. PR Daily, October 24, 2018. Yulu PR, which rejects 80 percent of the business that comes through the door, has been named “CSR PR Agency of the Year” in PR Daily’s 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards. Yulu sees its job as […]

How to master the art of media pitching

Now, more than ever, companies are investing in PR and communications, understanding the value of positive brand representation in the public eye. As a result, the media landscape is becoming increasingly crowded and PR professionals need to work harder to get cut through for clients. Here at Yulu PR, we believe communications professionals should be smart with their time and energy, and mastering the art of media pitching is the best […]

Client news: Greyston Bakery Launches Center for Open Hiring

What we love about working on the Greyston Bakery public relations team is that this truly innovative company is looking to advance their industry, not just their business. Greyston Bakery is a pioneering social enterprise and world-class bakery that has been providing jobs and resources to individuals who face barriers to employment since 1982. Greyston helps transform lives and break the cycle of poverty and unemployment by welcoming all people into the workforce with zero […]

Client news: Carbon Engineering’s climate change breakthrough

If you’ve opened a news browser in the last 24hrs, and scrolled the top headlines (from anywhere in the world), chances are, you’ve stumbled upon Carbon Engineering, the Squamish-based company that’s removing carbon from the air to make fuel. It’s no wonder this research is being regarded as a major cleantech breakthrough, making global headlines in everything from the NY Times, The Economist, Financial Post and National Geographic, to the front page of BBC Worldwide, and […]

Best social impact podcasts and newsletters

We’re huge fans of podcasts and newsletters here at Yulu, so we figured, who better to pull together the ultimate social entrepreneur / purpose-driven innovators / impact-focused subscribers’ guide? Below you’ll find a few of the best social impact podcasts and newsletters. We’re always looking for new podcasts, newsletters, and blogs to add to our list of favorites – we’d love to hear yours! Social impact podcasts Global GoalsCast: Global GoalsCast […]

Creating systemic change: how to bring your cause (and case) to government

You might call it influencing, advocating or campaigning, but all these activities are about creating systemic change. Campaigning and bringing your cause, and case, to government through a government relations campaign is about the mobilization of forces by an organization or individual to influence others to effect an identified and desired social, economic, environmental or political change. Campaigning and advocacy fulfils all kinds of essential functions in a flourishing democracy, […]

4 ways to measure PR success

A question we often get asked is ‘how do you measure PR success?’ The goal of media relations is generating column inches in print, or air time on the radio or TV. While counting media hits is one way of gauging a campaign’s success, there are other quantitative ways of measuring audience reach and engagement, and the general ROI of public relations. Yulu PR is an Impact Relations firm, meaning […]

Why you should consider attaining B Corp certification

Did you know Yulu PR has been B Corp certified for going on four years? B Corp certification (regulated by the nonprofit B Lab) involves rigorous yearly assessments that measure social factors such as employee benefits, environmental footprint and transparency. The second annual B Corp month is just about to wrap up, but there are plenty of reason to celebrate B Corps (and consider joining their ranks) well beyond February. […]

One Dangerous Year: A panel of threats to journalism in 2017

2017 was a difficult year for media. That’s the primary takeaway of the Columbia Journalism Review’s panel event: “One Dangerous Year, Threats to Journalism, from Burnout to Lawsuits.” Held in Toronto at Reuters Canada, the event was sponsored by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Globe and Mail, and Reuters. A series of three panels, speakers outlined the topics covered in the most recent winter issue of the Columbia Journalism […]

How to build your online presence through digital marketing

How is your target audience finding you online? Digital marketing is a crucial arm of your communications efforts, and should always be factored in to your communications strategy. What is digital marketing? Digital marketing encompasses all online marketing efforts. This can include online advertising, email marketing, social media, influencer marketing and search engine optimization. Today we’ll focus on a few simple tips every business can implement to boost their online […]

We are better than this: The birth of Impact Relations

Written by Melissa Orozco It was Gustave Flaubert who wrote, “there is no truth, only perception.” When I first heard this quote, the sentiment rang true to me…perhaps it’s my perception. In the media, trust is paramount, and right now there is a dearth of it. For better or worse, the media landscape is unrecognizable from what it was a decade ago – faster and more diverse yet less regulated […]

A year in the life of a social impact PR agency: Our 2017 Impact Report is here!

Despite the challenges that come with pursuing positive change, we continue to be inspired and empowered by the role businesses and brands are playing in the good fight. Our client partners are no exception. One thing became incredibly clear to us this year: the greatest impact happens when forces combine. If you follow us on social media, you already know we’re proud of the team we’ve built, the brands we […]

You need space? We got space.

We’re looking for a like-minded creative and/or purpose-driven team to share our awesome Gastown office. If you’re an individual or team of 2-3 on a mission to change the world and need a spot to do it, we’d love to hear from you. We’re located on Water St. in the heart of Gastown and our building perks include a private boardroom, gym and pool table, and an insanely beautiful rooftop patio. […]

CPRS Vancouver Profile | What’s on the Horizon at Yulu PR?

Our managing director, Clare, had the opportunity to sit down with CPRS Vancouver to chat about what’s on the horizon for us as we move into the New Year. NEW FACES, BIG CHANGES, AND WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON AT YULU PUBLIC RELATIONS Written by Victoria Fawkes, CPRS Vancouver Clare Hamilton-Eddy, Yulu’s Managing Director Yulu Public Relations is an award-winning PR firm, with offices in both Vancouver and New York. They strive to create […]

Meet the Team | Ashley Letts

Proud rescue dog mom. Grammar pro with skills superior even to Webster’s dictionary. And it’s not like she mentions this 5 times a day, but Yulu’s very first publicist hired. Ashley Letts is a mentor for other members of the team on all things PR — from copywriting to client relations — and runs her team with both kindness and efficiency (except when you overuse exclamation marks. Don’t do it.) […]

Meet the Team | Charlotte Gilmour

Ever wonder how we get stuff done so quickly around here? Meet our Director of Client Services, Charlotte Gilmour. Another London transplant, Charlotte is an environmentalist who loves the oceans and spends her weekends hiking or surfing. We managed to grab Charlotte for a few minutes between running meetings and brainstorms to ask her a few questions about being a publicist, her role models, yulu culture, and what gets her […]

#YuluCulture | Say it with Gratitude Jars

If Oprah loves it, it must be good. This year, Oprah includes “gratitude jars” in her 2017 gift guide, something that’s been part of Yulu Culture since we began. Gratitude is a wonderful way to invoke positive emotions and happiness, and we keep our own jars full of good memories the entire year until we read them the morning after our annual Christmas party. Try telling us there’s something better […]

Fast Company Innovation Festival 2017

Yulu attended the third annual Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City. Here’s our founder Melissa seeing the world through the eyes of Charity: Water. The folks at Charity: Water bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.

Social Impact Milestone: The Purpose Collaborative

Last year, Yulu came across the Purpose Collaborative, a coalition of agencies dedicated to guiding clients on their journey to ignite the purpose at their core and discover their aspirational reason for being, beyond profit. We were drawn to the integrity of this collaborative and wanted to be part of it — last week, we were invited to join them. Needless to say, we’re elated to be joining a network […]

B Corp Champion’s Retreat 2017

We had an inspiring week at the B Corp Champions Retreat. Being surrounded and inspired by your tribe helps to drive home that the work you do is important and meaningful. We’re looking forward to next year already!

Yulu wins “Agency of the Year” at Ragan PR Daily’s CSR Awards

We’re honored to announce that Yulu was awarded “Agency of the Year” in Ragan’s PR Daily CSR Awards. The CSR Awards are awarded to agencies who use storytelling as a creative tool to champion a cause. They seek to recognize campaigns and organizations that aim to make the world a smarter, safer, healthier, and more sustainable place. Over the past year, we worked on a number of campaigns tackling issues […]

#2030Now

There are no coincidences. Today at the Mashable Social Good Summit, we learned about the intention and strategy behind the #WeThePeople campaign. We the people thank you, Amplifier, for enabling an entire nation to use art as a catalyst for social change.

Meet the Team | Clare Hamilton-Eddy

If you’re looking for#TheMostInteresting(Wo)manInTheWorld, you’ve found her. Our Managing Director, Clare Hamilton-Eddy is not just a PR expert and strategist, she also has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, is a global traveller (she’s been to over 40 countries), and is always seeking out her next adrenaline rush (she’s done the world’s highest bungee jump and has boarded down a volcano — and she competes frequently in triathlons). An avid member […]

World Housing | Yulu PR House

A while back, we had the privilege of working with World Housing on the first-ever, one-for-one real estate gifting model. For every home sold at one of their World Housing projects, another was constructed and gifted to a family in a developing country. Melissa took a trip to Cambodia to see the company’s mandate being carried out on the ground. She was able to witness the positive change socially minded […]

How to Write a Press Release

What’s a press release? A press release is simply a written statement for the media to pull information and facts from when reporting their story. The terms press release, press release and media release all carry the same meaning and purpose: They are created and issued when a business, organization or individual wants to make an announcement to the media. When is it appropriate to write and issue a press […]

Meet the Team | Jenna Kuchinsky

Who’s the behind-the-scenes hero at the heart of Yulu? Meet our Operations Manager, Jenna Kuchinsky, who is also head of our Culture Committee and the Queen of Happy Hour. If you’ve got any questions about the way Yulu is run, Jenna has the answers! Jenna shares with us why she loves Yulu, the issues she’s passionate about, and why Oprah is tops in her book. Name + role at Yulu Jenna […]

Genus Capital becomes a B Corp

We couldn’t be prouder of our client Genus Capital, for becoming a certified B Corporation. Welcome aboard! #BTheChange #ForceForGood

National Post | PR as a force for good

Our founder, Melissa had the opportunity to sit down with Tony Wanless of the Financial Post to speak about what it means to use PR as a force for good. Business as a force for good PR agency looks at the ethics of the impact Tony Waneless, Financial Post | 31 Jul 2017 Social enterprise — a socially responsible business — is a growing sector in Canada, as entrepreneurs […]

enso’s #RightToLiteracy Summit

They say it takes a village. Earlier this week at our client enso’s #RightToLiteracy summit, all participants had the privilege of learning and brainstorming solutions to push for the constitutional right to literacy. At the welcome dinner, attendants were only able to read their menu after combining it with the menu of someone else in the community. Such a beautifully executed (and super creative) way to provoke empathy among dinner guests.

Melissa Orozco on Social Impact PR | Let’s Give A Damn

Our friend Nick Laparra hosts a social impact podcast called Let’s Give A Damn, where he speaks with people doing things because they saw a need and gave a damn about it. Check out Chapter 14 to listen to Yulu founder Melissa Orozco‘s episode on social impact PR.

Sustainable Brands Detroit 2017

Here’s Melissa with the woman of the hour: Koann, the founder of the Sustainable Brands conference. After 10 years, her two sons are in the audience for the first time in her career.

.eco Domain Launches with Support of WWF, Conservation International, United Nations Global Compact, Natural Resources Defense Council, among others

A new dedicated environmental domain extension for businesses, organizations and individuals committed to positive change for the planet VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwired – April 25, 2017) – Starting today, businesses, organizations and individuals can own a .eco domain, the new dedicated environmental domain extension for people and brands committed to positive change for the planet. The .eco domain comes to market following a nine-year collaborative effort from more than 50 environmental […]

Yulu at the Heart Series: a conference for conscious companies

Our founder Melissa Orozco attended the Heart Series, a conference for conscious companies striving for social impact. It was a great two days Here she is taking a little timeout for some Headspace at their headquarters in LA. It’s always great to connect with old friends. Charlie Brown has been a friend and client of Yulu PR’s since 2013 when we launched their charitable giving platform Charitweet. The company has […]

Yuluites attend Women’s March in Vancouver

To think that something this big came out of a Facebook event created by one person trying to make a difference. There’s always time to share a story – or maybe 15,000. Today, Yuluites attended the Women’s March in Vancouver, a peaceful protest organized across the world in support of the Women’s March on Washington in reaction to President Trump’s perceived views on female, minority, and LGBTQ rights and threats […]

Yulu launches Impact Council

In true Yulu fashion, we started at the top and went to the United Nations for inspiration. Yulu’s Impact Council had its first meeting today, where each team member selected a Sustainable Development Goal they would like to champion through research & knowledge sharing.

Yulu’s Impact Report 2016

Happy new year, everyone! Social impact PR agency Yulu has been laser-focused this year on becoming a social impact PR agency inside and out, making sure we’re as authentic to our vision, mission and mandate as possible. As a result, we’ve worked on some pretty amazing campaigns, found kindred spirits among the B Corp community, and reaffirmed that the opportunity to make a difference in this space is always there, and always […]

B Corp PR Report of this year’s Champions Retreat: Moving Towards an Inclusive Economy

Our B Corp PR Report at this year’s Champions Retreat In the coming year you’ll be reading and hearing a lot about “inclusiveness” and what it means to strive for an inclusive economy. In case this is the first you’re coming by the term, we’ve outlined some pointers on how to achieve an inclusive workplace below. But before we go there, we wanted to share some personal highlights from Yulu’s first […]

Yulu wins Best for the World

Hey look what arrived today! Yulu was ranked “Best for the World” by B Lab for top businesses for workers. Makes sense… It’s pretty awesome here. 😉

Little Fish, a World of Impact

Swimming against the current of iron deficiency anemia. We’ve always admired the work of fellow B Corp Lucky Iron Fish, and were honoured to help them put a fish in every pot this holiday season. Lucky Iron Fish is a fellow BCorp that is disrupting how the world approaches micronutrient deficiency – specifically iron deficiency anemia – an epidemic that affects 3.5 billion people in the developed and developing world. […]

Yulu @ Mashable Social Good Summit

Yulu’s leadership team jetted off to the bright lights of New York City last week and joined world leaders, social entrepreneurs and 2,000 other grassroots activists at Mashable’s Social Good Summit. The theme #2030NOW asked the question, “What type of world do I want to live in by the year 2030?” Our managing director Clare Hamilton-Eddy reports back: Despite the packed auditorium and buzz of many like-minded people eagerly anticipating the A-list agenda, […]

Newsjacking: what is it, and how do you do it?

One way we garner media coverage for clients is through a little tactic we like to call “newsjacking.” We’re constantly scanning the news for breaking stories and figuring out ways for our clients to offer expert insight and commentary on the topic. For example, you manufacture cars. A major competitor is stricken by a moon roof malfunction scandal. You feel for your competitor, because you’ve faced the same crisis and had […]

Yulu soaks in a little culture at the Rennie Collection

Each quarter the Yulu gang takes a time-out in the middle of our day to soak in a little culture. The Rennie Collection always leaves us inspired and ready to get back to work. Summer 2016: a collection of photographic works from 23 internationally acclaimed artists. Winter 2015 / Spring 2016: Nearly 60 works by more than 40 artists who share their lens on racism, gun violence and wealth inequality. These […]

Want to work with us? Read this first

PR job plug: We’re hiring for a senior account manager. For anyone who’s ever tried to hire for senior talent in Vancouver, in nearly any creative or technical trade, you’ll know competition is tough. So Esther, our senior account executive, took to LinkedIn to tell the world what she valued about her fellow Yuluites. It’s not so much about being exceptional at all these things at once, but that these are qualities we […]

Support pours in for victims of Orlando tragedy

It’s been heartwarming to see the world unite in this trying time of loss, grief, pain and adversity. To support those affected by the tragedies in Orlando this weekend, Equality Florida has set up a GoFundMe campaign. In our time of working with GoFundMe, this is the fastest growing and largest campaign we’ve shared to date: $2.2M in 24 hours. #lovewins #weareorlando Want to see more on the work we’ve […]

Yulu takes B Corp’s Leadership & Development conference

May the force (for good) B with you. This little book holds a lot a power. Notes, ideas and solutions from inspiring conversations that took place at the B Corp BLD conference today.

B Corp PR: 1,600 businesses (and PR) as a force for good

B Corp PR Agency Yulu demonstrates Impact Relations Through the power of PR and storytelling, B Corp PR Agency Yulu Public Relations had a small hand in the fight to repeal the HB2 “bathroom bill” in North Carolina this week. The bill limits anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community and forces transgender individuals to use bathrooms that do not correspond with their gender identities. The conversation that took shape after was […]

Yulu’s new managing director: Clare Hamilton-Eddy

Big things have been brewing at Yulu HQ this past month. We’ve expanded our creative services offering, bringing copywriting and art direction in-house (hey, Andrew and Dan!); we’ve welcomed three BCIT students into our quarters to assist us with the planning for Impact Relations; and we also had a major upgrade welcoming our new managing director, Clare Hamilton-Eddy (or CHE or Budge, as her friends and colleagues lovingly refer to her). Clare’s […]

Winter is leaving

Spring is here! How did we get through the winter? Well, it helps to be one degree of separation away from Obama, as his office’s previous communications director joined GoFundMe, for whom Yulu is the Canadian PR agency for. We also made like a hedgehog. To explain a bit, in Good to Great (a Yulu bookshelf staple), one chapter talks about being a “hedgehog,” which is fantastic at one thing, which is […]

BREAKING NEWS: Christmas on schedule for 2015

Santa and elves vow to persevere despite year of hardship NORTH POLE – After a year of upheaval in the North Pole, Santa Claus today announced, in a news conference organized by Yulu PR, that Christmas will indeed go ahead as planned. The decision comes after a series of setbacks, including a strike by elf workers on the toy line in April during a gluten-free cookie shortage that paralyzed Santa’s […]

Vancouver Street Soccer League Holiday Haul

Every year the Vancouver Street Soccer League — a volunteer-run organization which reaches out to individuals who have been homeless, are currently homeless, or are at risk of homelessness — holds the Holiday Haul party for players, volunteers, and supporters. The event is part of the League’s mission to reach out to individuals who are marginalized within their communities, or are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. Tonight’s event raised […]

How to Use Periscope: Beyond the FAQ

Periscope, a new-ish social media platform recently acquired by Twitter, is really fun to use. It started making waves when people Periscoped the Mayweather-Pacquiao boxing match (bypassing the $100 pay-per-view fee), as well as scenes from the Baltimore riots. Livestreaming is nothing new, but most of us, Yulu included, are still figuring out how to use Periscope and Meerkat. Our social media team has been getting excited over Periscope the […]

Rethinking Economics

Join David Suzuki and ecological economist Peter Victor at “Rethinking Economics” for a night of intellectual discussion on how the economy and environment must and do work in tandem. See you October 1 at the Vogue Theatre. Check out the David Suzuki Foundation and CANSEE, who are both behind this great event.

Our Unsexy Story

Our founder Melissa Orozco, will be speaking at SociaLIGHT this Saturday on how Yulu found success through being a cause-based agency and a B Corporation, and a big idea she’s seen work: “Impact Relations.” To add to the celebration, we have 5 tickets to give away to SociaLIGHT. For a chance to win, tag us in a post with your story or perspective on what it means to leave this […]

White Wash: a Diner en Blanc Dressing Down

Guest blog by Dan Reitman (@thewordshow). Pictured are Dan’s custom-made shoes for Diner en Blanc. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are those of our copywriter and do not reflect the opinions of YULU PR, except for the part about his looking good in white – hot damn, does he ever look good in white.) I am a romantic at heart and, when the Netflix queue is empty and nobody wants to go […]

Networking events don’t have to exclude introverts.

Talking to strangers can be hard work. Yulu’s community cultivator Esther crowdsourced a few tips from friends and colleagues on how we could organize socials to be more accessible for introverts, or even anyone who might have limited energy to strike up a connection after a long day at work. On Wednesday we had an opportunity to see some of these practices and tips in motion when we gathered local B Corps on […]

“It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love or how you love, it matters only that you love” — John Lennon
Happy Pride Day, Vancouver!

Big Bros Barbershop | Yulu Cares

“Beyond the binary”: Jessie and his partner recreate the 1993 Vanity Fair cover with K.D Lang and Cindy Crawford for WestEnder’s Pride cover. Jessie is the owner of Big Bros Barbershop and one of our #yulucares clients. We thought Jessie was holding a smartphone, but it’s actually a mirror. Oh, 2015. We’re glad to have helped trans people be represented in the media during Pride week. We are reminded that trans women […]

We’re Hiring! Visual Storyteller

We’re hiring! Yulu PR is looking for someone creatively driven, curious and versatile to join as the company’s visual storyteller and graphics designer. Candidates will be dextrous in Adobe Creative Suite and know the difference between a pixel and a dot, leading and kerning, and possess an inclination towards clean design, with an edgy quality. An ideal candidate would be someone exiting a post-secondary graphic design program and seeking immediate […]

Why Yulu became a certified B Corporation PR Agency

Why we became a B Corp PR Firm Written some time in mid 2015… Last week, Yulu was officially certified as a B Corp PR firm, and we are the only dedicated PR agency in Canada so far in the community. We join more than a thousand companies from around the world committed to using business as a force for good. B Corporation is a third-party certification of a company’s commitment to […]

YULU PR // ASHLEY LETTS TALKING ISSUES MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Yulu’s managing director Ashley Letts provides PR commentary on Translink’s evolving issues management strategy with the CBC.

“The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.”
― Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point

This Month in Review: April 2015

At the end of each month, Yulu highlights the milestones & global news stories that were trending over the past few weeks. Our clients will recognize these visual recaps from their monthly tracking reports! Here’s a look back at April 2015

Did you see BIV this week? Yulu ranks 7th largest PR agency

Yulu Public Relations Inc. ranks 7th largest agency in Vancouver in Business in Vancouver’s list of fastest growing PR firms! Niche focus helping upstart PR firms flourish Newer agencies finding innovative ways to thrive and grow among bigger established players Some of the newest players in Vancouver’s public relations sector have become some of its largest. A quarter of the companies on Business in Vancouver’s biggest PR companies list were […]