Peter Schorsch
As the calendar rolls from 2022 to 2023, Tallahassee’s oldest public relations firm will celebrate with a change in ownership.
Longtime Tallahassee PR guru Rick Oppenheim is retiring as the founder, president and CEO of RB Oppenheim Associates and passing the torch to current Executive Vice President, Michael Winn.
Winn has served as executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer for the past 12 years, and will usher in a new era as president and CEO at the start of 2023.
“A new year is the perfect time for new beginnings,” Oppenheim said. “After 37 years, this was the right time for me to step away and to bring new energy, new vision and new leadership for RBOA’s next chapter.”
Oppenheim will turn 71 in January. He founded RBOA in 1985. Since its launch, the firm has served more than 300 clients, employed nearly 150 professionals, educated more than 200 student interns and churned an economic impact in Tallahassee of more than $20 million.
RBOA began as a public relations firm, but expanded services to include advertising in 1989, and became one of Florida’s first full-service integrated marketing communications firms in 1991.
Winn has been with the agency since 2011, bringing with him an array of digital marketing services to add to RBOA’s full-service portfolio. Together, Oppenheim and Winn launched the firm’s digital marketing division, Digital Opps, to provide digital advertising, website development, social media management, search engine optimization, virtual event management and more to clients.
To date, the firm has developed more than 185 websites and hosts more than 200.
“During the pandemic, when many businesses struggled, our company flourished thanks to Michael and his leadership in helping us pivot to enhanced digital marketing services and virtual events,” Oppenheim said.
“We were able to provide new and innovative solutions during a very challenging period to keep our clients relevant, active, connected, engaged with their customers and successful, which led to great growth and success for us too.”
Prior to joining RBOA, Winn owned a digital consulting firm and is excited to again take his career to new heights.
“It is an incredible privilege to carry on the legacy of what Rick has created and nurtured over the past 37 years,” Winn said. “So much of the firm’s success has been its commitment to innovation, strategic thinking, a full array of communications capabilities, skilled execution, superior customer service and a passionate, dedicated team. I intend to continue that tradition and take it to the next level.”
