News & Media

California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) has earned certification as an Intentionally Thriving Institution (ITI), the highest level of recognition through Excelencia in Education’s Seal of Excelencia. This marks the university’s third Seal of Excelencia recognition and its first time among just 12 institutions nationwide to achieve ITI certification, recognizing its success in preparing Latino and all students for life after graduation and workforce participation.

Congratulations to our friends in Suffolk, Virginia, as Dollar Tree celebrates its 40th anniversary with two major milestones: the opening of its 9,500th store and a $40 million investment through the newly established Dollar Tree Impact Fund. We have had the pleasure of supporting Suffolk's economic development, tourism, and citywide marketing communications efforts since 2018, and are excited to see the continued growth the city is experiencing.

A recent Forbes Communications Council article outlines 20 skills communications professionals will need to succeed by 2027, emphasizing that as artificial intelligence (AI) makes content creation faster and more accessible, strategic thinking and sound judgment will become increasingly valuable. Professionals must know how to identify meaningful stories, ask the right questions, evaluate information critically, and determine what messages will resonate with their audiences.

Discover your next career opportunity with the State of California at the 2026 Winter Career Fair! Engage with state recruiters, explore exciting roles, and learn how your skills and passions can make a real impact in public service. The event will be held in Sacramento at Cal Expo. The State of California has been a PDDG Client Partner for nearly 50 years! We have collaborated with large and small departments, divisions, commissions, and more, all across the state, on a wide variety of marketing communications projects.

Performance data is great, but without context, it can lead to some pretty entertaining conversations. Traffic is down 11%. Time to panic? Not so fast! If your entire industry is down 15%, you’re actually gaining ground. The numbers tell a story, but they don’t always give you the whole picture. That’s where Google’s latest update comes in. Google is adding benchmarking to Ask Advisor, giving businesses the ability to compare their performance against anonymized averages from similar companies.

The Town of Gilbert, Arizona has announced Jennifer Lindley will serve as the new Director of Economic Development beginning October 26. Jennifer joins Gilbert following a national search and brings more than 20 years of municipal leadership experience across Arizona. Most recently, she served as Downtown Development Manager for the Town of Queen Creek, where she led redevelopment strategy, coordinated interdepartmental project teams, and helped transform the town’s downtown core.

The Waco Housing Authority Board of Commissioners has appointed Rebecca Ellis as Acting President & CEO of the Waco Housing Authority. During her tenure with Waco Housing Authority, she has played a key role in strengthening organizational culture, improving operational efficiency, leading major agency initiatives, and supporting the Authority’s mission of serving families throughout the community.

During the 12 months ending June 30, 2026, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) and local economic development partners helped secure commitments for 26,225 projected new jobs and more than $109 billion in investment statewide—both single-year records. We have supported the economic development marketing needs of communities throughout Arizona for more than 20 years and congratulate ACA on its milestone fiscal year and for celebrating 15 years of impact in Arizona!

Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty presented Greek-American Angelo K. Tsakopoulos with the Key to the City, honoring his 90th birthday and 75 years since he arrived in the United States from Greece. After settling in California, he studied political science and business at California State University, Sacramento and later launched his real estate business in 1963 and went on to build more than 40,000 homes and 30 million square feet of office space throughout Northern and Central California.

For the fourth year in a row, our team developed and implemented the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) annual Excellence in Partnering Awards Ceremony. Our creative team crafted the theme and overall design aesthetic for the event program, posters, signage, award certificates, and various other print and digital products. We also provided comprehensive event planning services for the day of the event.