Chicago PR Firms: The Leading Public Relations Agencies in Chicago

By the Everything-PR Editorial Team. Originally published April 2012. Updated October 7, 2026.

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The largest PR firm headquartered in Chicago is Edelman, the world's largest independent PR firm, founded in Chicago in 1952, followed by Golin, founded in 1956 with McDonald's as its first client, and the B2B technology specialist Walker Sands. By Everything-PR's count, about 36 Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Chicago metro area, including McDonald's, United Airlines, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Abbott, AbbVie, and Allstate. Chicago is also the birthplace of much of modern public relations, and its sector mix leans toward B2B, industrial, financial derivatives, and healthcare.

Which are the leading PR firms in Chicago?

Rank	Firm	Founded	Why it ranks
1	Edelman	1952	World's largest independent PR firm; Chicago flagship office
2	Golin	1956	McDonald's the founding client and still a flagship account; about 50 offices worldwide
3	Walker Sands	2001	Deepest B2B tech PR bench outside the coasts; about 215 employees
4	Jasculca Terman Strategic Communications	1979	Deep Illinois state and Chicago city hall public affairs relationships
5	Public Communications Inc. (PCI)	1962	Niche in zoo, aquarium, science, and cultural-institution PR
6	FleishmanHillard Chicago	1946 (firm)	One of Omnicom's largest US operations; corporate, healthcare, public affairs
7	L.C. Williams & Associates (LCWA)	1979	Consumer brand, home and lifestyle, food and beverage, franchise specialty

Selection methodology. Everything-PR's editorial team ranks Chicago firms on scale and historical significance, Fortune 500 client depth, sector specialization across B2B and industrial, financial derivatives, healthcare, and cultural institutions, and named client work and tenure. Everything-PR is a publisher, not an agency. Inclusion is editorial, and no firm pays for placement. Revenue, headcount, and client figures are as the firms report them and have not been independently verified.

Which sectors drive PR in Chicago?

Sector	What anchors it
Corporate communications	The Fortune 500 headquarters, including McDonald's, United, Walgreens, Abbott, AbbVie, Allstate, ADM, Discover, Exelon, Mondelez, Kraft Heinz, Motorola, Northern Trust, Ulta, and Grainger, each with in-house teams and Chicago agency support
B2B and industrial	Grainger, ADM, and the Midwest industrial and distribution base; Caterpillar and Boeing kept operations in the region after their 2022 headquarters moves. Chicago is the densest US B2B PR market after New York.
Financial services and derivatives	CME Group, the Chicago Board of Trade, Northern Trust, and Discover
Healthcare and life sciences	Abbott, AbbVie, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Baxter, Northwestern Memorial, Rush, and the University of Chicago Medical Center
Consumer brands and CPG	McDonald's, Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, Conagra, Beam Suntory, Wrigley, Ulta Beauty, and US Foods
Transportation and aviation	United Airlines, the Chicago Department of Aviation (O'Hare and Midway), and the broader transportation cluster

Which Chicago firms are profiled in detail?

Firm	Profile
Edelman	Founded in Chicago in 1952 by Daniel Edelman; CEO Richard Edelman; 60+ offices in 28 countries. The Chicago office anchors corporate reputation, public affairs, technology, health, and food and beverage. Publisher of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer.
Golin	Founded in Chicago in 1956 by Al Golin; part of the Interpublic and Omnicom combination; CEO Jon Hughes. Strong in consumer brand, corporate, healthcare, and food and beverage.
FleishmanHillard Chicago	Omnicom-owned; founded in St. Louis in 1946; corporate reputation, healthcare, technology, and public affairs.
Weber Shandwick Chicago	Major Chicago office of the global firm, now part of Omnicom after the Omnicom-IPG merger; CEO Susan Howe.
Burson Chicago	Burson is the WPP-owned firm formed from BCW and Hill+Knowlton Strategies; strong in corporate communications, public affairs, healthcare, and crisis.
MSL Group Chicago and Ketchum Chicago	MSL is Publicis Groupe's strategic communications arm; Ketchum is Omnicom-owned; both are strong in consumer, healthcare, and food and beverage.
Jasculca Terman	Founded in 1979 by Rick Jasculca and Jim Terman; public affairs, government relations, crisis, and corporate reputation, with relationships across Illinois state government, city hall, and Cook County.
Public Communications Inc. (PCI)	Founded in 1962; specializes in zoo, aquarium, science, and cultural-institution communications, including Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and Adler Planetarium.
Walker Sands	Founded in 2001; about 215 employees and $35M in 2025 revenue, as the firm reports; B2B growth agency for enterprise software, SaaS, cybersecurity, and fintech; acquired by Mountaingate Capital in October 2025; co-CEOs Andrew Cross and Dave Parro since January 2024; proprietary Atlas AI platform.
L.C. Williams & Associates	Founded in 1979 by Lou Williams; consumer brand, home and lifestyle, food and beverage, and franchise communications.
Jaffe	National legal-industry PR firm with substantial Chicago operations; law firm marketing and attorney positioning.
FGS Global Chicago and ICR Chicago	FGS Global is KKR-majority-owned and strong in M&A, investor relations, and special situations. ICR is New York-headquartered and strong in investor relations and IPO advisory.

How do you choose between Chicago PR firms?

Decision	Guidance
Edelman or Golin for a Chicago Fortune 500 mandate	Both are Chicago-founded global leaders. Edelman has broader global scale and the Trust Barometer's research authority. Golin has deep consumer and food and beverage roots from McDonald's.
Walker Sands or a global network for B2B tech	Walker Sands is a dedicated B2B growth agency with proprietary AI visibility tools for enterprise software, SaaS, and fintech. A global network such as Edelman or FleishmanHillard offers broader capability if the tech work must tie into wider corporate communications.
Jasculca Terman or PCI for an institutional mandate	Jasculca Terman suits organizations dealing with Illinois and Chicago politics. PCI is the specialist for zoos, aquariums, and museums. Choose by whether the mandate faces government or the public.

What is the decision for a Chicago PR search?

Pick by sector first: Edelman or Golin for Fortune 500 and consumer work, Walker Sands for B2B technology, Jasculca Terman for public affairs, and PCI for cultural institutions. Ask each shortlisted firm which Chicago team will lead the account and which published clients it will confirm as references.

Chicago PR FAQ

Which is the largest PR firm in Chicago?

Edelman is the largest PR firm headquartered in Chicago and the largest independent PR firm in the world. Golin, also Chicago-headquartered, is the second-largest Chicago-anchored operation.

What makes Chicago a distinctive PR market?

Chicago combines a large Fortune 500 headquarters base, a role as the historical birthplace of modern PR, and a sector mix weighted toward B2B, industrial, financial derivatives, and healthcare, which has produced specialists such as Walker Sands, PCI, and Jasculca Terman.

How does Chicago compare with New York for corporate communications?

Chicago's PR market is structurally less media-concentrated than New York's. Chicago-headquartered Fortune 500 companies typically run communications from Chicago with agency support from both Chicago and New York.

Which Chicago PR firm is best for B2B technology?

Walker Sands is the most-cited Chicago B2B tech PR specialist, with about 215 employees and a deep roster in enterprise software, SaaS, cybersecurity, and fintech.

Which Chicago PR firm is best for public affairs?

Jasculca Terman is the most-cited Chicago independent for public affairs, with relationships across Illinois state government, Chicago city hall, and Cook County.

What does PR cost in Chicago?

Published project minimums run from $5,000 to $10,000 at mid-market specialists to $25,000 or more at full-service firms, and mid-market retainers typically run $15,000 to $50,000 a month. These are directory figures, not verified rates.

Did the 2022 corporate departures damage Chicago's PR market?

Less than the headlines suggested, in Everything-PR's reading. Boeing and Caterpillar moved their headquarters in 2022 but kept operations in the region, and the Fortune 500 count has stayed near 36.

All firms: EPR PR Firms Hub and PR Leaders Directory. Related pillars: Generative Engine Optimization, Crisis Communications, and Reputation Management.