ABOUT

Learn more about us!

OUR HISTORY

The story begins when the company was first founded on April 1, 1993 on Pittsburgh’s South Side. April Fools’ Day may not be the most strategic day to start a business, but it has worked out just fine.

Founder Jeff Krakoff has more than three decades of high-level experience. In addition to his role at Krakoff Communications, he served as Communications Director at a national trade association and Senior Director in the Brand Marketing Practice at one of largest PR firms in the world. Jeff was inducted into the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Pittsburgh Renaissance Hall of Fame and has served on the PRSA Board of Directors. In 2024, he was honored as the organization’s Entrepreneur of the Year. He also teaches PR classes at the business school at the University of Pittsburgh.

In the early years, we worked as a PR and design firm for manufacturing, consumer and nonprofit clients, but also as a support partner to some of the larger ad and public relations firms in the city. We had offices in downtown Pittsburgh and then in the South Hills suburbs.

After years of growth—we were listed among the Top 20 of the Pittsburgh Business Times 100 fastest growing companies (and #1 for growth in the communications and public relations category)—the company grew mostly because we delivered on all the promises we made and produced great work on time and on budget. If we were approached by a prospective client we didn’t think we could help or would not be a good fit for us, we declined the work.

Our office model is hybrid including a blend of having our team members working in our office located in Dormont, just a few miles south of downtown Pittsburgh, working onsite at some of our clients and also working remotely. 

Today, many of our clients are located in the Pittsburgh region, but we also work with clients around the country. Clients are a mix of Fortune-500 companies, small- and medium-sized firms as well as nonprofit organization and school districts.

THE KCI TEAM

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 Jeff Krakoff
President

Jeff Krakoff headshot

Jeff Krakoff
President

Jeff has more than three decades of PR, branding and marketing communications experience and has been inducted into the PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Hall of Fame. He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) with a degree in Journalism & Public Relations and has held leadership positions at several organizations, including Burson Cohn Wolfe (BCW) Global. Jeff is also an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh Business School.

His hobbies are cycling, soccer, golf and music. Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife Lori, three adult children Andy, Rachel and Josh, and their golden retriever Leo.

 Scott Bowlin
Creative Director

Scott Bowlin headshot

Scott BowlinCreative Director

Scott ran his own graphic design firm for more than 15 years before rolling it into Krakoff Communications. He works on everything that includes design from new brands to signage, ads, printed/digital collateral, websites and more. Scott has delivered design solutions for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small startups. He earned his degree in design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Scott is also a firefighter and spends his free time working out, cycling and spending time with his wife Erica and their boxer Piper.

 Josh Krakoff
Assistant Client Executive

Josh Krakoff headshot

Josh Krakoff
Assistant Client Executive

Josh has worked at KCI in various capacities over the past couple of years and currently works on a variety of client projects while also driving our firm’s new business activities.

A graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising/Public Relations, Josh has experience working with global paints and coating giant PPG as a Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Intern as well as a Corporate Communications Contractor. Additionally, he was a Marketing Intern at Thompson Creek Window Company, one of the nation’s largest independent window manufacturers and retailers serving Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. and North Carolina.

Josh is an avid golfer and enjoys fitness, friends and family.

 Rachel Haas
Assistant Client Executive

Josh Krakoff headshot

Rachel Haas
Assistant Client Executive

Rachel is adept at writing, media relations, graphic design, social media, photography and more. Before joining KCI, she was social media manager at a San Francisco-based company that shares stories and experiences about creators in the music industry. Rachel was also a content creator for a Las Vegas-based social media creative agency. She graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in digital marketing and a minor in Fashion.

Rachel spends her free time painting, traveling and baking.

 Juliana Tarcson
Intern

Josh Krakoff headshot

Juliana Tarcson
Intern

Juli helps us with many important tasks including media list development, research, content writing, social media and much more. She is a senior at University of Florida in Gainesville who will be graduating in December 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a minor in Business Administration and will begin working on her master’s degree in Mass Communication with a concentration in Digital Strategy.. She is President of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and a member of the UF chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

Juli enjoys Starbucks for a daily XL cold brew, spending a lot of time on Tik Tok and Instagram to keep up on the latest trends, and spending time with her family and dog Zeus.

Interested in Joining Our Team?

We’re growing and expect to continue that trend in the future. We’re always interested in hearing from creative, talented and hard-working professionals. Please email us your resume and a cover letter so we can get to know more about you.

JOIN OUR TEAM

Our team includes a variety of strategists, media relations professionals, content creators, designers, digital developers and more. We’re always interested in hearing from talented professionals who may want to join our team. Please email us your resume and a cover letter so we can get to know you better.

Leo
Director of Barketing

Leo joined our team (and the Krakoff household) in December 2018. He is regularly in the office and has vast experience playing fetch, receiving belly rubs and chewing on his many chew and rope toys. Leo brings a lot of fun to the team even though he’s not the most focused employee.

 

 

See our work
to learn more about what we do for our clients.

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