Robbie Vorhaus
President and CEO
Vorhaus & Co. Inc.

Q: What changes do you predict for the PR industry in 2002?
RV: We will see the new generation, baby-boomer CEOs continue to recognize the value of PR and include PR counsel in major decision-making processes.

Q. What industry do you think will be fastest growing in 2002?
RV: There are several, including:

• Defense/Security
• Entertainment
• Home & Garden
• Alternative Energy

Q. Personally, what is the biggest challenge you will face as a PR leader in 2002?
RV: The biggest challenge is to stay on point that PR is classic storytelling for business, and that we cannot waiver on our red-hot focus to tell our clients' stories better than anyone else. This is not the time to try and be something we are not, or to use gimmicks to get or keep business. Steady goes the course for clients, employees, the media and the business environment at large. For us, that means providing solid counsel, flawless execution and continued innovation.

Q. In the recessive economy, what innovations are necessary to succeed?
RV:

• Driving internal excitement through a culture and a mission, versus bonuses or paid perks. At Vorhaus, for instance, we wrap our world around our V!Spirit, a winning culture that demands victory for our clients and storytellers (employees).
• Growing existing business through solid and critical strategies that will improve our clients' businesses.

Q. What skill or characteristic is most critical for a new PR hire at your company?
RV:

• A passion for the truth (comes from my journalism roots)
• A drive to make every moment and situation better than how you found it
• A whoopee cushion sense of humor

Q. Do you prefer working on the corporate or PR agency side? Why?
RV: I much prefer the agency side, as it's exactly the same as being a journalist with the general news beat. Every client is different - different management styles, industries, business objectives and strategy. Yet, we get to tell each story so that it resonates with myriad audiences.

Q. What leader do you most admire?
RV: An apple farmer named Mr. Halsey, out on the eastern end of Long Island. I once asked him if this farm where we were picking apples was his. "Nope," he said. "It's God's. I'm just the lucky guy he lets tend it."