Former WRAL-TV news anchor Pam Saulsby is joining forces with two others to form a new Raleigh public relations firm, GTB Communications.

Saulsby's partners in the new firm are Dan Holly, a former editor at the News & Observer, and Philip Little, a former director of communications for the UCLA School of Law.

Holly will be the managing partner of the new firm.

GTB Communications is targeting small businesses, nonprofits and educational and religious institutions.

"We bring different strengths and a wide variety of experience to the table," Holly said in a statement.

"What unites us is a strong desire to serve small businesses, nonprofit groups and other organizations that want to get their message out or need expert media advice but cannot necessarily afford big, expensive public relations firms."

Saulsby left WRAL in September after 20 years at the station.

Public relations firm French/West/Vaughan has been selected as the agency of record for the U.S. Polo Association.

The association, which is the national governing body for the sport of polo, will work with the Raleigh agency to enhance the visibility of polo and promote the game on both the professional and amateur levels.

The agreement adds the Kentucky-based U.S. Polo Association to French/West/Vaughan's list of sports-related clients, including the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

A competitor is quickly snapping up laid-off marketing reps who lost their jobs Friday when Raleigh-based Catevo Group shut down.

Media Two Interactive, also in Raleigh, has already hired two former Catevo employees and would like to hire as many as 15, said Media Two CEO Michael Hubbard. Media Two has job offers to several more ex-Catevo workers, he said.

Catevo laid off 25 people when it shut down as part of a reorganization by its parent company, the Laudes Corp. The company's portfolio included Blue Cross, Novozymes and BB&T, among other top drawer clients.

A Raleigh public relations and marketing agency will shut down Friday and lay off its 25 employees.

The Catevo Group has represented a variety of local businesses, including Blue Cross, Novozymes and BB&T.

But the company's parent corporation, the Laudes Corp., recently decided to "restructure and consolidate its businesses both in the U.S. and abroad," Catevo wrote in a prepared statement.

Most businesses have cut back on spending during the recession, hurting many PR firms. The closure of Catevo follows news in August that Ray Hornak had been named as the company's president.

Catevo was formed in 2006 by the merger of Epley Associates, a PR agency, and Digiton Group, a marketing firm. At its peak, Catevo employed more than 50 people with offices in Raleigh, Charlotte, Washington and London.

Raleigh public relations firm French/West/Vaughan is expanding its presence in Tampa, Fla.

FrenchWest announced today it has agreed to acquire a four-person Tampa
agency, Relations PR & Marketing, for an undisclosed price. The
move will give it a staff of 10 in Tampa, not including independent
contractors.

"We feel fortunate to be able to continue to invest in our business
while a lot of other agencies are pulling back," said FrenchWest CEO
Rick French.

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.

"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."