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In the fall of 2003, the true impact of the Patriot Act began reverberating through the economy of Houston. Although most applauded its strict new controls on immigration, few understood its potential negative repercussions. DPK Public Relations began examining opportunities to establish Pinchak & Associates – a practice concentrating on business immigration law – as an expert in navigating and avoiding the pitfalls of the law’s finer points.

Research indicated that no person or organization had stepped forward as a strong voice on behalf of immigrants or employers. Therefore, we established a “rapid response” approach to capitalize on news coverage regarding the Patriot Act.

When The Houston Chronicle featured the story of how the head of Houston’s two lung transplant programs had struggled to avoid deportation, we determined this was an opportunity for Pinchak. We quickly worked to develop and submit an op-ed. We then negotiated with the editorial page editor and secured publication in the Sunday edition.

The op-ed succeeded in securing positive media coverage in Houston that portrayed Ann Pinchak as a strong presence in the discussions surrounding immigration law. The circulation of the Sunday Houston Chronicle is 740,000 and did an effective job of reaching our core target of Houston business leaders. The op-ed was also honored with the 2004 PRSA Excalibur for Media Relations – Op-Ed / Byline Article.