A few years ago, during Sandy Young’s sixteen years at the PR firm in San Diego J. Walcher Communicationsagency founder Jean Walcher and Young had a private conversation.
According to Young, “Jean said to me, ‘When I’m ready to not own the agency, I’d like you to be an owner if you’re interested.’ I was extremely honored to be considered. I said ‘yes’ and here we are today.”
Last summer, Young, previously the agency’s vice president, acquired 100% ownership of the PR agency and was named CEO and owner, overseeing the agency’s operations and strategic leadership.
In late October, a press release announced: “Jean Walcher appoints long-time employee Sandy Young as new owner.”
“The official transfer took place on June 1,” Young told Times of San Diego. “We focused on the transition itself last summer and then developed a marketing plan to get the news out in the fall.”
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“It has been a whirlwind of a journey over the past few months to step into Jean’s shoes and lead all sides of the operation,” said Young, who believes she is the only female owner of an Asian PR agency in San Diego.
Jean’s mother, San Diego PR legend Laura Walcher, founded her PR agency in 1974. At the time, Walcher was believed to be the first woman in San Diego marketing history to own a PR agency.
Jean began her PR career working for her mother before moving to New York to work for several PR firms, including Ruder Finn & Rotman. She then spent eight years in Los Angeles working in film production and development and spent five years as VP of marketing and PR for the American Council on Exercise. She founded her agency in 2001.
The agency now has four full-time employees, including Young, and also works with a half-dozen independent contractors.
“I am honored to continue building on the legacy that Jean and Laura Walcher have created,” said Young. “Our team and our clients are a testament to their dedication and impact, embedded in our work ethic.”
A native of Sacramento, Young, 42, arrived in San Diego in 2002 to attend UC San Diego, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in literary writing. She also studied abroad at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge in film studies and Italian Renaissance art.
She has 21 years of experience in PR. Her areas of expertise include PR and marketing strategy, writing and editing, media relationship building, community partnerships, crisis communications and media training. She has also served as a freelance writer, columnist and contributor for various media outlets.
She is a member of the National Public Relations Association of America‘s Counselors Academy for senior PR practitioners. In 2023, Young was named “Deborah Baker PR Pro of the Year” by the San Diego-Imperial Counties Chapter of the PRSA and was named to the San Diego Business Journal’s 2023 Asian Pacific Islander Leaders of Influence list.
According to Young, Jean is not retiring and will remain an integral part of the agency, including advising clients and attracting new clients. Jean is also active in the community as a member of the City of San Diego Arts and Culture Commission.
“I have gotten so much satisfaction from running J. Walcher Communications over the past 24 years, and I look forward to seeing where Sandy goes next,” Jean said in a statement. “She has been an effective right hand and has played a critical role in mentoring staff, cultivating long-term client relationships and developing strategic communications and crisis management programs that have earned respect and trust with clients and the media.”
Young said Laura Walcher “continues to be a source of advice and expertise. We call her our PR Fairy Godmother.”
The agency’s current and recent clients include Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Policy and Innovation Center, City Heights Community Development Corporation, Greystar, the Invictus Games San Diego 2029 bid, Civico 1845, Comic-Con Museum, MVE + Partners, Circulate San Diego, the #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign and Bazaar del Mundo restaurants and retail.
Services include media relations and strategy, social and digital media, content creation, crisis communications, media training, digital optimization, pricing and speaking coordination, influencer relations, branding and graphic design and advertising. The agency has been included in the Forbes list of ‘Best PR Agencies in America’.
San Diego AMA to discuss how AI does not replace creativity
The American Marketing Association San Diego Chapter will present a program entitled, “The Future is Now: How AI (Artificial Intelligence) Enhances, Not Replaces, Marketing Creativity,” beginning at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center, 200 West Harbor Drive.
The speaker will be Mary Ann O’Brien, founder and CEO of OBI Creative. Her consulting firm has worked with many companies to determine their strategic direction, develop their brand positioning and guide their marketing and communications efforts, the AMA said.
Discussion topics include how AI can enhance, not replace, creativity in marketing, practical tools to take campaigns and customer relationships to the next level, and the future of marketing and consumer engagement. Rather than replacing creativity, AI is expanding it, opening doors to smarter strategies, deeper insights and more effective campaigns, a statement said.
The cost of participation is €45 for members and €55 for non-members, including snacks and a free drink.
For more information, email info@sdama.org or visit sdama.org.
MarketInk earns writing awards from the San Diego Press Club
Times of San Diego’s “MarketInk,” a weekly marketing and media column covering trends and news in the news media, marketing, advertising, branding and creative industries, received a first place award for writing at the Press Club of San Diego’s recent Excellence in Journalism awards program.
The column was recognized in the Online and Daily Newspapers, Profile category, for profiles on food blogger Darryl Gordon, who eats out every night, and talk show host Mark Larson’s battle with lymphoma.’ The food blogger profile received first place and the radio talk show profile received an honorable mention.
The column was also recognized in the “Online and Newspapers” division, category “Column, Light Topic” with an honorable mention.
The column, which is now appearing for the tenth time, is posted on Monday mornings.
Rik Griffioen is a San Diego-based PR and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in the Times of San Diego.
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