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TheBuzz

BY ERIKA ENGLE

An expanding ohana
for isle PR woman

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Eileen Mortenson's circle of influence has gone nationwide. Mortenson, the sole practitioner of Eileen Mortenson Communications, has been accepted as the Hawaii market member of PR Consultants Group Inc., a network of public relations professionals who provide market-to-market linkage for clients.

The group has linked up for nationwide work for clients such as Barnes & Noble.com, Blockbuster and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

The case studies cited on the group's Web site don't list any Hawaii market activity, since the state had not been represented until now.

The old "who you know" scenario got her name mentioned as a likely candidate but having one's name dropped does not a slot guarantee.

There were interviews and work-product submittals and references, oh-my.

Mortenson's name came up, "in a circuitous way," said group co-founder Barb Harris.

A member in Boston knew somebody who knew Mortenson, Harris said.

Describing membership as exclusive is "harsh," said Harris, but their roster of 35 members for 50 states was filled on Thursday when the Alaska representative was signed up.

"There aren't any inexperienced people in our group," Harris said. Most have 15 years' experience or more and have worked for major corporations or major agencies before starting out their own companies.

"We need to have that level of trust," she said.

Mortenson's bread and butter has come from her public relations and client work for more than 20 years, but she has also served as a teacher at the University of Hawaii Outreach College and other colleges and universities over the years; the topic of her most popular class is how to get publicity.

For years Mortenson has published the "Crucial News Contacts in Hawaii" directory and has recently assumed publication of the "Directory of Hawaii Organizations," which lists more than 1,700 clubs and organizations statewide.

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Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com