Client:
Beth Sirull
President & Chief Executive Officer
Miriam & Jerome Katzin Presidential Chair
Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego
Endorsement:
After my thoughtful reflection on positioning and outfacing exposure for Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, I determined it was time for us to become more pro-active regarding our capabilities and involvement in SOCIAL CHANGE and Impact Investment. Additionally, it was time for us to step forward and speak to the challenges and myriad of issues facing this Community and what JCF has accomplished in making a difference, outside of the Jewish Community. This was very important.
It became apparent to me we needed a “ seasoned and connected communications specialist” be brought on to not only assist in developing our messages, but to create an enhanced “ media “ presence of JFC, as to our involvements and integration with the Community. Larger conversations, those involved with poverty, racism, community development issues and such, would also be brought to the forefront. We were going public with our commentary. I was selected to bring on the PR professional to manage this top-tier engagement.
After dialogue with some board members and high profile community leaders, if became quickly apparent, the name Jack Berkman, came up consistently from all.
This was our selection and I must say, he has more than exceeded our highest expectations. We are in the forefront of many commentaries and our exposure in press, radio and especially TV, has been simply first rate. Jack operates on a different plateau than most in his profession, and his understanding of our needs and the outreach we seek. His skillsets are experienced and consistently demonstrated, while maintaining connections with the media, being second to none.
Client:
Frederick W. Pierce IV
President and CEO of Pierce Education Properties (PEP)
Endorsement:
For the past three (3) years my organization has been using Berkman Strategic Communications, as our PR Counsel of Record, for all our targeted National Public Relations activities. While I never worked with Jack personally before, we both shared experience with one the greatest market research executives ever…Sanford Goodkin. I worked for Sandy years ago, and Jack and his firm were PR representatives for our account. I became aware of many of his clients, and the outstanding work he accomplished on their behalf. My requirements were very targeted, and my outreach needed to be high profile and very selective. I am in the student housing business. I own and manage only Class A communities, all adjacent to D-1 public Universities. I own over 24 student housing communities nationally, located in 24 Cities with over 20K beds.
We are consistently seeking investment partners from Pension Funds, Foundations and Institutional Investment arenas. Our focus is directed to these very sophisticated investment specialists, whose portfolio in multi-family real estate investment, specifically student housing, needed to be greatly enhanced and expanded. The student housing marketplace today is exploding. With more students nationally than ever seeing higher education, coupled with international students in search of education in the US, we have an abundant and highly active marketplace.
Jack has incredibly well positioned PEP and me, on the National Student Housing Stage! I am now regularly sought after for my major national publications, and financial news outlets, for commentary and expanded opinion, regarding student housing. I have been featured in the New York Times, National Real Estate Investor, GlobeSt., Bisnow, Bloomberg, major TV and radio business and finance outlets, and numerous industry newsletters , and others all focused on our target audience. Along the way, he has secured us numerous top journalists who write for these publications, as well as many others. I have become as Jack says: “The Guru of Student Housing”.
Jack has the skill and creativity we were aggressively after. His unyielding commitment to me, and our Brand, is very rare indeed. Our company goal of reaching a $1B portfolio is eminent. Jack will have the opportunity of now taking this heralded achievement to the marketplace. I trust for us and him, it will be his finest hour.
Without question, I decidedly recommend Jack and his associates with the very highest of esteem.
Client:
Robert J. Watkins
R.J. Watkins & Company
Endorsement:
I have known Jack for over 35 years. During this time span, I have witnessed firsthand the plethora of PR engagements he has mastered. As a seasoned executive recruiter and corporate search expert, I understand all too well, the capabilities and integrity people must bring to their profession. Jack is “one of a kind”. I have never observed anyone in his profession with the contacts, energy and passion towards an engagement as he brings. The dedication to strategic thinking, and planning he employs for his clients, is top-tier. Jack is a seasoned veteran, and very knowledgeable about his profession. With the magnitude of understanding of what is required by his clients, aligned with his zeal to deliver higher expectations, the deliverables enjoyed by his efforts are much more expanded than others in his PR profession.
I have used Jack on a wide variety of my own engagements, as well as referring him to many more organizations and contacts. I would say without equivocation, Jack is the finest in this City at what he does. His connections with community and media leadership are in a class by itself.
Without any reservation, I highly recommend Jack for any engagement where strategic communications and message positioning is required. He has changed the way the profession is practiced, and has been a role model and example for the entire PR industry to follow.
Client:
Perry Dealy
CEO Dealy Development, Inc.
Endorsement:
Jack and I have our birthday one day apart in October, and we share the same age. We enjoy lunch together every year. I have used Jack’s talents and expertise in PR skills, for projects requiring the most challenging community and media communications outreach. He represented my company for years, playing an essential role in the overall strategy we employed to position Dealy Development. I have gone forward and accomplished a great deal in my career. It is my fervent belief that without the essential PR strategy Jack put in place, and implemented, my success would not have been as prolific as it has become over the years.
I called Jack into assist me in securing the approval of Pacific Gateway, a few years ago. Jack immediately reformed our entire media package, and created a compendium of material that accurately and precisely, reflected the projects full scope and magnitude. He greatly assisted me with community and local governmental presentations, as well as provided the required expansion of messaging, with an ongoing connection to the print and electronic media, reflecting the accurate reporting of our overall development, and its truthful components in a variety of areas.
Jack unleased his PR machine, and created a wide variety of highly placed and noteworthy media opportunities for our project. We faced our responsibilities as a dynamic duo, all the while presenting the messages of Pacific Gateway in a manner reflecting, and positioning its high profile and exceptional imagination, for San Diego. Additionally, Jack brought in the top Naval officer in San Diego as a spokesperson for our development. The addition of Retired Admiral Len Herring, significantly fueled our mission, and created the instant military support and credibility we were after. Jack managed the entire media efforts on behalf of positioning our Naval partner, and used our representative to reach an audience so vital for the achievement of our essential success.
I have brought Jack into a number of challenging opportunities, where communications positioning and media support would be so vital. Each and every engagement was met with the highest level of professional dedication, energy and passion to what was needed to be accomplished.
I highly endorse Jack, and believe he is singularly the best in town at what he does. I continue to use Jack and his unique PR strengths and hopefully, we will be working together as a team, for many birthdays to come!
Client:
Vincent J. Bartolotta Jr.
Managing Partner Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire, LLC
Endorsement:
I have retained Jack’s PR services for our law firm for more than 25 years. I trust his judgment and thinking process, as we continually seek the positioning our firm desires. He understands working with Lawyers. His experience representing Luce Forward for over 16 years, has served him well on our behalf. Our firm has been active for over 35 years, and our commitment to the practice of law in our specialized practice areas, require a superior knowledge and understanding or our core competency. Jack fully understands and uses his positioning skills to push out our Brand, while always recognizing the need for us to be perceived as a firm of the highest integrity, and commitment to our clients’ particular requirements.
Jack has worked diligently with our partners and staff, to produce the type of selected recognition and accomplishment we seek. I believe Jack is the unsurpassed selection for any organization wanting to properly communicate their expertise and capabilities, while being fully cognizant of the overall goals and direction the organization is seeking.
Client:
Steven Cohen
Executive New Director KUSI TV
Endorsement:
As an experienced journalist, with a number of executive TV news operations under my management for several years, I have worked with PR types and have evaluated their overall presentations, content and legitimacy. Many have fallen well below my standards, thus never receiving my approval to make our news programming. I must single out Jack Berkman as one of the most energetic, authentic and professional PR Pro’s I have ever worked with.
Jack personifies the best of the PR profession, and brings a refreshing talent to for those who interact with him. His clients’ messages are always on point with, and crafted with, a thorough understanding of what we look for in TV news reporting. His clients are well prepared and media trained, prior to their TV appearance. Jack’s understanding of his profession is refreshing. He is often personally featured on our own news programming, speaking about an issue relating to a PR challenge for his commentary. My senior reporters use Jack and his contacts, to expand a story, or gain access to persons they need to speak with or interview.
Jack consistently provides our station with news content, and clients we can trust, for our viewers’ consumption. I trust Jack’s decision making and approach with our station. I have worked with many in the PR business, but not many with the enthusiasm, passion, character and integrity of Jack.