Ray Hornak, a mainstay of the Triangle's public relations circuit, has ascended to the pinnacle of the company where he has burnished corporate reputations for the past 26 years.
Hornak, 59, this month was named president of The Catevo Group, a company that provides PR, communications, marketing and other services. He takes the helm from Mitch Javidi, who left to pursue other opportunities.
Hornak has been with the company and its predecessor, Epley Associates, since 1983, joining as an account executive. He has represented such corporate clients as John Deere, Corning and BB&T.
He said the clouds are beginning to clear on the recession; clients are scheduling strategy planning sessions and want to revive their marketing and branding activities.
"We've struggled over the last 12 to 18 months to make ends meet," Hornak said. "I'm lucky because I'm going to get to preside over a growth rather than a holding back."
Catevo was formed 3 1/2 years ago through the merger of Epley and several other marketing and research shops. The company has 40 employees in Raleigh and represents such clients as Raytheon, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina, Lawn Doctor, Novozymes, Arup, Sirchie, Toffler Associates, Community Affordable Housing Equity Corporation and the N.C. Foundation for Advanced Health Programs.
John Murawski has been a full-time newspaper reporter since 1991, with stints at Legal Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (both in Washington, DC), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Palm Beach Post (in South Florida) before arriving at the N&O in December 2004. At the N&O he covers energy (nuclear, coal, renewable, efficiency), hydralic fracturing (or "fracking"), public utilities (both electric and natural gas) and health care. His beat includes Progress Energy, PSNC Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, PowerSecure International, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Biogen Idec and others. You can reach him at 919-829-8932 or