Leading Kansas City PR Agencies

Originally published October 8, 2015. Refreshed July 19, 2026 with cross-city context.

Kansas City's PR landscape is anchored by independent midsize firms serving Fortune 500 corporate headquarters (Hallmark, Sprint parent T-Mobile, H&R Block, AMC), the Kansas City Chiefs and the Royals, regional healthcare systems, and a growing base of B2B technology clients. Four firms have historically defined the market: Trozzolo Communications Group, Crossroads PR (formerly Barkley PR/Cause), Parris Communications, and McCormick Company. Each occupies a distinct positioning inside a metro area where corporate reputation, sports and entertainment, and public affairs all sit inside the same client conversations.

Trozzolo Communications Group

Trozzolo Communications Group specializes in strategy, social branding, digital, PR, and crisis communications, operating under the "Get It Together" positioning that captures its integrated-services pitch. Represented clients have included TouchNet, Freight Quote, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Hotel Sorella, Heartland Tractor, and Light Edge. The firm has expanded steadily by choosing sustainable growth over aggressive scaling — a positioning that has kept it independent while many peers were absorbed into holding companies.

Crossroads PR

Crossroads PR — formerly Barkley PR/Cause — specializes in influencer relations, internal communications, strategic consulting, cause branding, and crisis management. Client work has spanned Weight Watchers, Cargill, Lee, Dawn Food Products, Cake Boss, Marriott AC Hotels, DQ, March of Dimes, and Sonny's BBQ. The firm's operating premise is that communications is a promise to consumers — the work is aimed at helping clients articulate an authentic purpose and then translate it into transparent, purpose-driven messaging.

Parris Communications

Parris Communications works across traditional and social media relations, strategic communications, public affairs and issues management, and crisis communications. The public affairs practice includes staff who have worked on US Senate and House campaigns in both parties — a bench that regional firms in most other cities cannot match. Client roster has included Hallmark, Sprint, Tiffany & Co., the Kansas City Chiefs, Grantham University, AMC Entertainment, H&R Block, St. Luke's Hospital, Smashburger, and the Jewish Community Foundation.

McCormick Company

McCormick specializes in interactive work, media relations, public relations, and crisis planning. Founded in 1926, McCormick is the 10th-oldest integrated marketing communications agency in the United States — a heritage position no other Kansas City firm can claim. Offices span Kansas City, Des Moines, Amarillo, Indianapolis, and Paris. The client base includes top regional and national brands and several Fortune 500 companies. The firm's operating discipline emphasizes agility, creativity, innovation, and respect for clients, employees, and the craft itself.

How Kansas City Compares to Other Major PR Markets

Kansas City sits in a distinct positioning inside the US regional PR landscape. Unlike New York (where holding-company-owned agencies dominate), Los Angeles (entertainment-first), Boston (higher-ed and biotech), or Washington (public affairs and policy), Kansas City is defined by independent midsize firms serving Fortune 500 corporate accounts, sports and entertainment, and a growing regional B2B tech base. The four firms above are the working set for local and regional brands considering a KC-based partner.

Related City-by-City PR Coverage

• Los Angeles PR Firms: The Leading Agencies in LA
• Boston PR Firms: The Leading Agencies in Boston
• Solomon McCown & Cence: Boston PR Firm Profile
• The 2010 Google–Topeka Rename — the other Kansas PR story
• Smashburger and Parris Communications

Related Everything-PR Coverage

• PR Firms Directory
• EPR Guide to Leading PR Firms by Market, Industry, and Region
• The Public Relations Pillar
• The 5 Largest PR Firms in the World

If you need PR help in Kansas City, Missouri — Trozzolo, Crossroads, Parris, and McCormick are the working set.