Luquire Hires Consumer PR Veteran to Lead Bojangles, Simon Property Group Accounts

Integrated advertising and public relations agency Luquire has appointed 15-year communications veteran Beth Clayton as the agency’s new vice president of public relations, overseeing strategic direction for some of Luquire’s largest client accounts, including Bojangles, Magnolia Wash Holdings and Simon Property Group. Clayton’s onboarding is the latest in a string of senior-level hires at the Charlotte-based firm, including Director of Strategy Laura Forester and Director of Analytics Matt Kaupa, which have come on the heels of significant new business wins for the agency, including Experience Columbus, Harris Teeter, Nucor and Elon University. 

Clayton joins Luquire from Indianapolis-based The Basement where she served as director of strategic communications, introducing and fostering the integrated agency’s first-ever strategic communications service line. Clayton’s public relations expertise, which includes traditional media relations, influencer marketing, event planning and corporate social responsibility strategy provided myriad clients top-of-funnel awareness across a variety of industries, including food service, retail, hospitality and tourism and more.

Prior to The Basement, Clayton spent nearly a decade at Bandy Carroll Hellige, now BCH Agency, most recently as vice president of public relations. During her tenure at BCH, Clayton oversaw the agency’s consumer accounts portfolio, including grocer Earth Fare, engineering makerspace and incubator GE FirstBuild™, fast-casual salad concept Green District and real estate trust Simon Property Group. Clayton began her career in journalism as an editor for Indianapolis Monthly magazine and The Republic, a daily newspaper for Columbus, Ind., overseeing lifestyle and dining coverage and spurring her interest in consumer public relations.

“As we thought about how to best build out our public relations team over an unprecedented period of client growth, we knew we were looking not only for a person who understood the nuances of public relations from a tactical perspective, but also someone with an analytical and strategic mind that could help us chart the course for success for dozens of clients across industries,” said Luquire Director of Public Relations Barry Finkelstein. “Beth’s background in creating integrated communications strategies – and even departments – from the ground up, coupled with her deep expertise and knowledge of the consumer marketing space, make her the ideal addition to our team and agency.”

Over the past year, the growth of Luquire’s public relations portfolio has played a significant role in cementing the agency’s best-ever year in new business, with new accounts representing 28 percent of the firm’s 2022 revenues alongside 24 percent organic growth from existing clients. 

“Luquire’s rallying cry of ‘uncomfortably ambitious’ specifically resonated with me throughout the interview process, as I felt it so perfectly aligned with my career path to that point,” said Clayton. “Transitioning from journalism into public relations required a huge leap of faith, as did spearheading the development of my former agency’s first PR department, and I’m excited for the uncomfortably ambitious goals I’ll have the privilege of setting – and hopefully surpassing – for equally ambitious clients with my new team.”