Fahlgren Mortine: Columbus Integrated PR Agency Profile
Fahlgren Mortine is a Columbus, Ohio integrated PR and marketing agency founded in 1962, part of The Shipyard Collective since May 2024 under CEO Neil Mortine.
Specialty
Full-Service Advertising & Marketing
Updated
Nov 2, 2026
Desk
EPR Editorial Team
Firm summary
Fahlgren Mortine is a Columbus, Ohio integrated marketing and public relations agency founded in 1962 as Fahlgren & Associates in Parkersburg, West Virginia, by Smoot Fahlgren, per Wikipedia. The Shipyard, a Columbus advertising agency, completed its acquisition on May 14, 2024, and Fahlgren Mortine now operates within The Shipyard Collective alongside TURNER and The Shipyard. Neil Mortine is CEO and vice chairman, and The Shipyard named Sara Garibaldi Chief Communications & Client Officer on October 27, 2026. O'Dwyer's put 2023 fee income at $39.2 million, ranking it 19th.
Originally published May 2018. Updated November 2, 2026.
In this profile
- What are the key facts about Fahlgren Mortine?
- Who owns Fahlgren Mortine?
- Who leads Fahlgren Mortine?
- How did Fahlgren Mortine develop?
- What does Fahlgren Mortine do?
- Which clients has Fahlgren Mortine worked with?
- What recognition has Fahlgren Mortine received?
- What is the latest Fahlgren Mortine news?
- How does Fahlgren Mortine compare with other regional agencies?
Who owns Fahlgren Mortine?
Eastport Holdings, a Memphis private holding company, acquired Fahlgren Mortine in 2018 and merged it with SBC Advertising, per O'Dwyer's. On April 18, 2024 The Shipyard, a fast-growing Columbus agency with offices in Newport Beach, Sacramento and San Diego, announced it would acquire the firm, and the deal completed on May 14, 2024. Shipyard founder and CEO Rick Milenthal said the shared mission was to engineer brand love. The Shipyard kept the Fahlgren Mortine brand, and PRovoke Media noted that both companies were headquartered in Columbus and already shared clients.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Fahlgren & Associates founded in Parkersburg, West Virginia | Wikipedia |
| 1984 | Merges with Swink Advertising | Wikipedia |
| 1988 | Acquired by Lintas | Wikipedia |
| 2009 | Mortine becomes CEO | Mortine profile |
| 2014 | Acquires travel boutique Turner PR | O'Dwyer's |
| April 2018 | Merges with SBC Advertising under Eastport Holdings | O'Dwyer's |
| April 1, 2021 | Merger with Sacramento's Precision Public Relations becomes official | O'Dwyer's |
| May 14, 2024 | The Shipyard completes its acquisition | Fahlgren Mortine release |
Who leads Fahlgren Mortine?
| Name | Role | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Neil Mortine | Vice chairman and CEO | CEO since 2009 and named vice chairman of The Shipyard in the 2024 deal. Recognized nationally by PRWeek in 2022, and led an agency that won the 2019 Holmes Report Corporate/B2B Agency of the Year |
| Sara Garibaldi | Chief Communications & Client Officer, The Shipyard | Appointed October 27, 2026 to advance Communications & Influence and lead integrated client engagement across The Shipyard, Fahlgren Mortine, TURNER and TinyWins |
| Matt Bruot | President, The Shipyard Collective | Named in January 2025 after the acquisition, as The Shipyard introduced a new operating model |
| Christine Turner | President, TURNER | Continues to lead the travel, tourism and lifestyle subsidiary |
Marty McDonald, who spent 26 years at Fahlgren Mortine and rose to president in 2022, moved to FINN Partners in August 2026 as managing partner and head of its new Columbus office, per O'Dwyer's.
How did Fahlgren Mortine develop?
- 1962: Smoot Fahlgren founds the firm in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
- 1984 and 1988: It merges with Swink Advertising and is acquired by Lintas, later becoming Fahlgren & Martin.
- 2009: Neil Mortine becomes CEO, and the Fahlgren Mortine name is extended across the advertising, PR and digital businesses in 2011.
- 2014: The firm acquires TURNER, a travel boutique founded in 1997.
- 2018 to 2022: It joins Eastport Holdings, merges with SBC Advertising, then Precision PR, and integrates shared operations with Mindstream Interactive in 2022.
- May 14, 2024: The Shipyard completes its acquisition.
- January 31, 2025: The Shipyard introduces a new operating model, The Shipyard Collective, with Matt Bruot as president.
- October 27, 2026: The Shipyard names Sara Garibaldi Chief Communications & Client Officer.
What does Fahlgren Mortine do?
The firm combines PR, advertising, digital and social media, with practice depth in tourism and economic development, financial services, consumer products, energy, retail, building products, logistics, technology and healthcare, per the 2024 announcement. TURNER leads its travel, tourism and active lifestyle work.
- Public relations and integrated communications
- Advertising and digital marketing
- Travel, tourism and destination marketing through TURNER
- Economic development and public affairs communications
- Corporate and employee communications
EPR's travel PR and public affairs sections cover related disciplines.
Which clients has Fahlgren Mortine worked with?
| Client | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Smucker's, Bob Evans Restaurants, Kroger | Food, restaurants and retail | 2024 announcement |
| Ohio Lottery, University at Buffalo | Public sector and education | 2024 announcement |
| Visit Myrtle Beach, Travel Nevada | Tourism | 2024 announcement |
| Avery Dennison, Cardinal Health | Industrial and healthcare | 2024 announcement |
| DHL Supply Chain | Logistics; "Step Up for Safety" campaign won a Global SABRE Award, ceremony October 28, 2024 | Fahlgren Mortine release |
These are firm-reported clients, not a current roster, so ask the agency for current references.
What recognition has Fahlgren Mortine received?
| Year | Recognition | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Global SABRE Award with DHL Supply Chain for "Step Up for Safety"; described at the acquisition as the reigning PRSA agency of the year | Fahlgren Mortine release; JEGI Leonis (jl-co.com) |
| 2023 | Ranked 19th by O'Dwyer's with $39.2 million in fee income; named Agency of the Year at the PRSA Anvil Awards | O'Dwyer's; firm release |
| 2022 | Neil Mortine recognized nationally by PRWeek | Firm news page |
| 2019 | Holmes Report Corporate/B2B Agency of the Year | Yespress |
What is the latest Fahlgren Mortine news?
| Date | News | Source |
|---|---|---|
| October 27, 2026 | The Shipyard names Sara Garibaldi Chief Communications & Client Officer, with oversight across Fahlgren Mortine and TURNER | GlobeNewswire via MENAFN |
| August 11, 2026 | Former president Marty McDonald joins FINN Partners to lead its new Columbus office | O'Dwyer's |
| January 31, 2025 | Matt Bruot named president of The Shipyard Collective under a new operating model | Fahlgren Mortine news |
| September 26, 2024 | Fahlgren Mortine and DHL Supply Chain to receive a Global SABRE Award | Fahlgren Mortine release |
| May 14, 2024 | The Shipyard completes its acquisition | Fahlgren Mortine |
EPR updates this table when Fahlgren Mortine or The Shipyard announces a leadership change, client win or award.
How does Fahlgren Mortine compare with other regional agencies?
Fahlgren Mortine is a large Midwest integrated agency now inside a larger group, so compare it with Matter Communications, Chicago PR firms and the firms in EPR's PR agency profiles directory.
| Firm | Focus | EPR profile |
|---|---|---|
| Matter Communications | Newburyport, Massachusetts PR and marketing agency | Matter Communications |
| Chicago PR firms | Midwest peer market | Chicago PR firms |
Related: PR agency profiles, Travel PR, Public affairs, Chicago PR firms
Fahlgren Mortine: Columbus Integrated PR Agency Profile FAQ
Who owns Fahlgren Mortine?
The Shipyard completed its acquisition on May 14, 2024, after Eastport Holdings acquired the firm in 2018.
When was Fahlgren Mortine founded?
Smoot Fahlgren founded it in 1962 in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Who is the CEO of Fahlgren Mortine?
Neil Mortine has been CEO since 2009 and is also vice chairman of The Shipyard.
What is TURNER?
TURNER is a travel, tourism and lifestyle agency Fahlgren Mortine acquired in 2014, led by president Christine Turner.
What is The Shipyard Collective?
It is the operating model The Shipyard introduced in 2025, grouping The Shipyard, Fahlgren Mortine and TURNER under president Matt Bruot.
Where is Fahlgren Mortine based?
Columbus, Ohio, with offices in Cleveland, Dayton, Boise, Denver, Chicago and New York.
What happened to Marty McDonald?
The longtime Fahlgren Mortine president joined FINN Partners in August 2026 to lead its new Columbus office.
How big is Fahlgren Mortine?
O'Dwyer's reported $39.2 million in 2023 fee income, ranking it 19th. The combined Shipyard company was described as having about 400 professionals. Sources: O'Dwyer's, PRovoke Media, Agility PR, GlobeNewswire, Campaign, Wikipedia and Fahlgren Mortine releases. Editorial assessment by Everything-PR based on public record, with no firm-supplied marketing copy and no paid placement.
Editorial assessment by Everything-PR, based on public record and archive coverage. No firm-supplied marketing copy, no paid placement.
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