A deep commitment to clients and broad community involvement are the keys to successful public relations, in the view of Myrna Marston, CEO of Marston+Marston. Marston’s husband Jeff, who heads up the government relations division, is the other Marston.

Myrna Marston, 37, founded the agency in 1997 out of her home. She now employs a team of 11 public relations experts and represents some of the region’s heaviest hitters, including San Diego State University, Lockheed Martin IMS, Calpine Corp., San Diego National Bank and the City of San Diego.

For its flagship client, Episcopal Community Services, the agency produced a public relations campaign to increase awareness of the serious problem of the homeless mentally ill. The event resulted in a model program, now being put into play as a comprehensive cooperative effort involving the city, county, police and social service agencies. The goal is to rehabilitate San Diego’s hardest to reach.

In 1999, Marston+Marston received the Business of the Year award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its local public affairs program relating to President Clinton’s national welfare reform.

Once a part of former Mayor Susan Golding’s staff, Marston likes big jobs. In 1996 she served as assistant director for the San Diego Host Committee for the Republican National Convention.

More evidence of the agency’s involvement: for the past two years it has staged the Southern California leadership conference for the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Foundation. This conference annually takes 350 school sophomores to SDSU for four days of intensive leadership training.

Marston credits “a great team, hard work, knowing the community and being involved” for getting powerhouse clients. Sounds like a good rule for life.

— Jean Lowerison