Submitted by: LGA
David Coburn and Ken Gepfert, both veteran business journalists and senior public relations counselors and strategists, have been promoted to senior vice president / public relations at Luquire George Andrews (LGA), a leading advertising, marketing and public relations firm in the Southeast.
“There are no two finer PR strategists and counselors than David Coburn and Ken Gepfert,” said Judi Wax, senior vice president / director of public relations at LGA. “Their ability to quickly grasp and understand complex business issues, think like reporters and see issues their clients face in the context of the world around them makes David and Ken invaluable to our clients and to LGA.”
Coburn has more than two decades in journalism and nine years in public relations, including nearly five at LGA. During a journalism career that included stints at The Charlotte Observer and The San Diego Union-Tribune, he won a national business reporting award for a series exposing fraud in a federal small business loan program. He also edited an award-winning series on the plight of foreign farm workers in North Carolina. Coburn has put his media relations savvy to work for a diverse roster of LGA’s clients including Babson Capital Management, Piedmont Natural Gas and National Gypsum. He is actively involved in professional and civic activities, including serving on the board of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Charlotte chapter.
Gepfert has more than three decades of experience in journalism and corporate communications. He has been a business reporter and editor at some of the nation’s most influential newspapers including The Wall Street Journal and Los Angles Times. In addition, he has managed financial and internal communications and served as chief speechwriter for the former First Union (now Wells Fargo). Prior to joining LGA in 2007, Gepfert was with The Wall Street Journal for 13 years in Charlotte, Atlanta, Brussels and New York. He served as economic development columnist, editor of regional editions covering six Southeastern states, a senior editor of the Journal’s European edition and commercial real estate editor. He also was a senior editor at The Charlotte Observer for seven years, serving as executive business editor and assistant managing editor. His background in business communication includes mergers and acquisitions, financial services, economic development and real estate, which has served him well with clients including Babson Capital Management, North Carolina State University and BB&T Corp.
