Kanatsiz Communications Inc., San Clemente, has hired political veteran Jeff Montejano to head up a new public affairs unit.
The public relations and Internet marketing agency, known as K-Comm, said the move stands to help improve communication among clients, elected officials and the media.
Montejano, who came to K-Comm from M4 Strategies in Costa Mesa, has worked for the moderate Republican New Majority Political Action Committee. He also has been an adviser to members of the state Legislature and Congress. He served four years in the Legislature as chief of staff and deputy chief of staff to the Assembly Republican leader.
In 2000, Montejano was a member of President Bush’s California campaign.
In addition to politics, Montejano has done a lot of work for public transportation and land use projects.
K-Comm’s clients include the Orange County Transportation Authority, Latino School Board Association, Internet Marketing Association and Dana Capital Group Inc.
The company also works for several cities and public water agencies, providing crisis management, media and community relations and legal support. None of those agencies is in Orange County, Montejano said.
K-Comm also represents Generation Next, an OC-based political action committee for socially moderate Republicans younger than 40 years old. Sinan Kanatsiz, K-Comm chief executive, is a founder of the GOP group.
Kanatsiz said K-Comm is conducting focus groups for the transportation authority with business leaders and the public to determine how the agency might improve.
“It’s the first time they’ve done focus groups with business leaders,” he said.
The shop has four full-time workers and another dozen full-time independent contractors. In all, it represents about 30 clients,some on retainer and some on a project basis.
About 60% of its business is based in OC, bringing in about $1.5 million in local capitalized billings each year, Kanatsiz said.
Goodbye Taco Bell
Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp., a unit of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum Brands Inc., has been forced out of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Despite its long tenure at the UCLA Student Union, a group of students unhappy with the labor practices of one of Taco Bell’s suppliers succeeded in having the fast-food chain removed, reports the Los Angeles Business Journal. Shorty’s Subs took its place.
The tiff stemmed from a complaint by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, which represents Florida tomato pickers. The coalition claimed tomato workers are unfairly paid and denied the right to unionize.
Taco Bell said in a statement that the company is the smallest buyer of Florida tomatoes among fast-food providers and had little chance of influencing the growers’ decisions or the state’s labor practices.
The Associated Students of UCLA, which runs the Student Union, disagreed.
Bob Williams, interim executive director of the student group, said it heard arguments from both sides.
“Because of the impasse between Taco Bell and CIW, we chose not to renew the (Taco Bell) contract,” he said.
Taco Bell served about 1,000 students a day. It closed in late October.
Deconstructing Diedrich
What’s a natural business for two people with the last names Splendid and Light? Media production.
Lynn Splendid and Clayton Light operate Splendid Light Media Production from their offices overlooking Newport Harbor.
They’ve been at it since 1989 and count Irvine-based Diedrich Coffee Inc. as a client.
In October, Splendid Light debuted an employee training series for Diedrich Coffee that focuses on the company’s brand identity and culture.
The first video details Diedrich’s philosophy and goals before jumping into the nuts and bolts of job training.
“You have to market to your employees,” Splendid said.
Light said initial feedback has been positive.
“It’s a real hit,at least with the company executives and managers,” he said.
Employees who attended a recent party thrown by the company also provided positive response, Light said.
Next year, Splendid Light plans to debut three follow-up videos that focus on job training. The first is due out in January.
To measure the effectiveness of the program, the firm will conduct follow-up surveys once the entire program has debuted.
