Skilled Storyteller Paul Furiga Honored at PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Awards
Paul Furiga, chief storyteller, founder and CEO of WordWrite Communications, a Pittsburgh-based strategic communications consulting firm, was honored with the Hall of Fame Award at the PRSA Pittsburgh Chapter Renaissance Awards on Thursday at the CONSOL Energy Center Lexus Club. Celebrating and recognizing the best and brightest stars in the public relations industry, the event was attended by communications practitioners representing agencies and corporations from around the region.
The Renaissance Hall of Fame Award, the chapter’s highest honor, is presented to a veteran public relations professional who has made a substantial impact in the Pittsburgh region.
“Paul has been an instrumental component of the Koppers family for many years,” said Walt Turner, CEO at Koppers. “One of his most outstanding traits is that Paul brings continuous research and understanding of the company’s communication needs both internally and externally. We applaud the Public Relations Society of America for recognizing and selecting Paul for this very prestigious and very well-deserved award.”
Driven forward by Furiga’s unique storytelling approach, WordWrite has become one of Pittsburgh’s fastest-growing communications firms since its founding in 2002. WordWrite has received numerous awards for its work, including 2013 PRSA Renaissance Awards of Merit for media relations campaign and social media campaign, as well as International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Golden Triangle Awards for speechwriting and organizational identity.
Throughout his 30-year professional career, Furiga developed a passion for storytelling that inspired him to form WordWrite. He previously served as a vice president at Ketchum public relations in Pittsburgh, where he managed strategic communications teams for clients such as H.J. Heinz, Delta Air Lines and Quaker Oats.
Prior to entering the field of public relations, Furiga spent two decades in journalism. He worked as editor of the Pittsburgh Business Times from 1994 to 1998. He was the news editor of Thomson Newspapers from 1988-1993, during which he covered Congress, the White House and four national political conventions. In his earlier years as a journalist, he was chosen as a congressional fellow and worked as legislative aide to U.S. Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois on budget, economic and trade issues. He was also issues director for Sen. Simon’s 1988 presidential campaign, leading a staff responsible for speechwriting, debate preparation, position papers and opposition research.
Furiga graduated from Miami University in Ohio in 1980 with a degree in mass communication. He earned his accreditation in business communication from IABC. He serves on several boards throughout Pittsburgh, including the River City Brass Band, the Rivers Club and the IABC Pittsburgh Chapter.
###
As the founder of WordWrite in 2002, Paul has been the force behind its growth and the professional development of its employees. Please view this video of the WordWrite team sharing their thoughts about this honor.
