Update: After completing two graduate school teaching assignments, J.R. Hipple gained additional insight into strategic thinking problems and opportunities. He offers lessons for both managers and public relations leaders in a PRNews article, where he compares his experience as a part-time instructor in Virginia Commonwealth University’s Executive Masters in PR Fast Track program with his stint as a guest lecturer at The Darden Graduate School of Business at The University of Virginia. Click here to read the article...


With 25-years of public relations experience, J.R. Hipple created a firm to help businesses improve results through managing the key drivers of corporate reputation. He draws from the best—and the worst—of his experiences both as a consultant and as a former company president. The purpose of Hipple&Co. is to provide managers with a knowledgeable, candid resource that connects business goals with reputation management goals.

Hipple&Co. gives honest, hands-on counsel for CEOs, and executives in communications and human resources. We work with organizations that want to build relationships based on mutual understanding and trust, whether they are dealing with employees, consumers, the media, or others. We help leaders articulate their values and aspirations, and then we create genuine methods for corporations to gain understanding and support.

While much about business—and life—can be complicated, we believe that successful consulting relationships are the result of living by a few simple values:

1. Provide high-quality counsel from exploration, analysis and open discussion—access to information on both sides eliminates guess work and inspires collaboration

2. Always seek and speak the truth—honorable relationships come from honesty

3. Keep your good humor even during serious matters—He who laughs, lasts. - Mary Pettibone Poole