Nyhus Communications

Nyhus Communications is a strategic communications and advocacy firm^[1] located in Seattle, Washington state. The company incorporates Public Relations, Public Affairs,^[2] and Social Media teams to produce a full array of communications services. Nyhus clients represent a variety of industries, including health care, technology, biotech and real estate.^[3]

Nyhus clients include Marchex, PhRMA, Teo, Vertafore, Allied Waste and the Nisqually Indian Tribe. The firm has also worked with Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, Seeds of Compassion and Hainan Airlines.

Nyhus Communications has been involved with Seattle's booming global health sector. Nyhus Communications is a founding partner and deeply involved in the development of the Global Health Nexus project. Global Health Nexus promotes Seattle’s role in global health. In addition, Nyhus works with the Washington Global Health Alliance and coordinates with its members, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and PATH, to convey the complex functions of global health work simply and succinctly to diverse audiences. The firm also works with the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, and created message architecture that simplified Seattle BioMed’s branding. Nyhus also developed a social media campaign aimed at research fundraising in spring 2010.

In 2009, Nyhus Communications won the Seattle Mayor's Small Business Award. CEO Roger Nyhus was named Business Leader of the Year by the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) in 2010.

History

Roger Nyhus^[4] founded Nyhus Communications in 1994 in Seattle, Wash., after a successful career as a political reporter for The Associated Press and a senior communications executive for several high-profile organizations. Today Nyhus has 17 employees in its downtown Seattle headquarters.

Nyhus Communications is known for its activity in the Seattle real estate market, particularly high-end downtown residential construction projects.^[5]

Seeds of Compassion

In April 2008,^[6] the Dalai Lama visited Seattle in a five-day gathering of local community members and compassionate world leaders. Nyhus dedicated a team and resources to the event pro-bono. Seeds of Compassion sought to launch a global compassion movement, starting in Washington state. The strategy included building a social networking site and distributing thousands of free tickets to schools and community groups.

The event received $2.5 million in estimated media value with 1,000 broadcast and 100 print/online pieces mentioning Seeds of Compassion. Special segments were featured in top-tier broadcast outlets such as the NBC Nightly News, Today Show and NPR Morning Edition. Elected officials integrated “compassion” into their public speaking and daily decision making process, 480 media outlets were credentialed and 45,000 people attended, including 14,900 students and teachers from 23 counties.^[7]

Sources

1. ^ Nyhus Communications Ranked in the Top 25 Percent of Inc. Magazine's Fastest-Growing Private Companies 8/12/09 [1]
2. ^ PR firms gain new ground, Puget Sound Business Journal 9/26/05
3. ^ Condos feel cash crunch, Puget Sound Business Journal 10/20/06
4. ^ 40 Under 40, Puget Sound Business Journal 9/15/06
5. ^ Got millions to spend on condo? Plenty to pick from downtown, Seattle Post-Intelligencer 9/13/03 [2]
6. ^ Seeds of compassion are planted here, The Seattle Times 5/11/08
7. ^ The story behind the Dalai Lama's visit to Seattle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer 5/03/08 [3]