Barnett Cox & Associates of SLO is being sold to Bay Area firm
Barnett Cox & Associates, a leading public relations, marketing and crisis communications firm in San Luis Obispo, is being acquired by AMF Media Group, a larger full-service marketing firm in the Bay Area.
The deal will take effect Jan. 1, the privately held companies said Monday in a news release. Terms were not disclosed.
“AMF is a perfect strategic fit for our clients, and for us. By blending our complementary skill sets, we will be able to offer our clients expanded service and strengthen our expertise,” said Maggie Cox, who with her husband Dave Cox founded the company 28 years ago.
“The combined company gives us and our BCA employees an opportunity to be part of an even faster-growing business, yet lets us maintain our physical presence on the Central Coast,” she said.
Both Coxes will stay on with the new company. Maggie Cox will become president of AMF Media Group, Central California; Dave Cox will become AMF vice president of operations.
Three employees at Barnett Cox will be laid off because their positions overlap with those of the new owner, a spokesman said, noting that they will be given severance.
AMF Media Group employs 25 people; when the deal takes effect, Barnett Cox will employ 12.
Vintage Foster, chief executive officer of San Ramon-based AMF, praised BCA’s talented professionals and “sterling reputation in key industries that AMF sees as major growth opportunities” including land-use and development, tourism, health care and education.
BCA’s clients include Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, Twin Cities Community Hospital, Cal Poly and the California Mid-State Fair.
The combined firm will provide branding and marketing, public relations, internal communications, web and app development, video production, events and crisis communications services.
“Happily, AMF is a company that shares our vision and values about how best to serve clients in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape,” Dave Cox said.
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This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Barnett Cox & Associates of SLO is being sold to Bay Area firm."