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NEW YORK: Lou Hammond & Associates recently won a number of new accounts in the travel and tourism sector. The agency will now handle PR for the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, Sonoma County Vinters, and the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, in Sonoma County, CA, . Additionally,  LH&A was hired by the Paradise Island Tourism Development Association and the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, both in the Bahamas, and Gurney’s Inn, located in Montauk, NY.

IRVINE, CA: Bivar, which provides LED indication products and solutions, hired high-tech PR firm Lages & Associates as marketing AOR. The agency will design and execute a full communications program, including brand messaging, advertising, PR, internal communications, and online.  The campaign will work to enhance Bivar’s image in the marketplace and publicize the company’s recent shift into emphasizing LED lighting.

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ: Palisades Safety and Insurance Management Corporation hired MWW Group as AOR, effective March 12. The agency’s consumer lifestyle and digital marketing practice groups will work together on the account, a consumer awareness campaign targeting drivers in New Jersey.

BLOOMINGTON, MN: The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) hired Carmichael Lynch Spong for project work, starting in March. The firm is providing media relations and PR counsel for ICSI’s Diamond program, which aims to improve healthcare for people with depression.

NEW YORK: PRoject JS2, the recently-launched project practice of JS2 Communications, has added its first four clients: Rare Concepts Group, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Margo’s Bark Root Beer, and advertising firm Karlin & Pimsler.

WASHINGTON: The government of Turkey hired Edelman for media relations and influencer outreach during President Barack Obama’s visit to the country, according to the US Department of Justice Web site. Work on the $117,000 account began April 4.

MADISON, WI: Jewelers Mutual Insurance, a company that specializes exclusively in jewelery insurance in the US and Canada, has selected Lindsay, Stone & Briggs (LSB) as its AOR. The firm will provide national advertising, PR, and interactive services for Jewelers Personal Lines Insurance program.

SAN DIEGO: Green Star Alternative Energy has selected Del Mar Corporate Communications (DMCC) for IR and media relations work. One focus of the PR effort will be to raise awareness among European and North American investors in the “green industry.”

NEW YORK: Ben & Jack’s Steak House hired Carolyn Izzo Integrated Communications (CIIC) as AOR. The agency will handle PR around the grand opening of the restaurant’s second location in Manhattan.