What RLF Communications does

RLF Communications is a private, founder-led public relations agency founded in 2007 in Greensboro, North Carolina, by Monty Hagler under a "Respected, Liked and Feared" operating philosophy. The firm delivers earned media relations, strategy and messaging, internal communications, crisis communications, grassroots and grasstops campaigns, social media management, and brand development services to industry-leading clients across eight vertical practices: financial services, manufacturing, real estate and development, foundations and nonprofits, education, government, retail and hospitality, and professional services. Named clients span Fortune-grade enterprises (Google, Google Fiber, BASF, Jeld-Wen, Colonial Pipeline, Brookfield Properties, Ingersoll Rand, Hayward, HAECO, Shurtape), mid-market operators (Biscuitville, South Atlantic Packaging, NSV Development, Beechwood Carolinas), and a long tail of nonprofits, schools, and SMBs.

The agency's underlying capability stack is service-led rather than platform-led: senior practitioners (former journalists, corporate communications executives, and public policy veterans) build custom teams per engagement, supported by an in-house creative function and AI tools used for research, drafting, and editing. International reach is delivered through a 17-year membership in the Worldcom Public Relations Group, providing access to 94 partner agencies across more than 110 cities on 6 continents. RLF has expanded its domestic footprint from a single Greensboro headquarters to three North Carolina offices (Greensboro, Raleigh, Charlotte) and has broadened its vertical depth through three completed acquisitions: BAERING Group (January 2023, agriculture/chemicals), Clairemont Communications (December 2023, leadership), and GBW Strategies (2024, strategic communications).

RLF's revenue model is professional-services retainers and project-based engagements, with quote-based, custom-scoped pricing that is not publicly disclosed. The firm is self-funded, with no external funding rounds disclosed in the source material, and earns its award credibility through ADDY, PRSA Silver Anvil, SABRE, PRWeek, Hermes, and regional Sir Walter Raleigh and NC PRSA InSpire awards. New business is generated through a thought-leadership content engine (the "Orange Slices" blog, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, op-eds, and webinars), direct outreach from three NC offices, and inbound via the website contact form, with global campaigns routed through Worldcom partner agencies.

Name

RLF Communications

Legal name

RLF Communications

Website

https://rlfcommunications.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RLF Communications is a private North Carolina-based public relations agency that delivers earned media, crisis communications, strategic messaging, and grassroots campaigns to industry-leading clients across financial services, manufacturing, real estate, education, government, nonprofit, and professional services sectors from three NC offices, with global reach via the Worldcom partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Public Relations Services: Core revenue from ongoing PR retainers and project-based engagements covering media relations, internal communications, strategic messaging, crisis communications, grassroots campaigns, social media management, and brand development. Long-term engagements with clients (e.g., CNL since 2007, Biscuitville across two stints dating to 2015) suggest recurring retainer relationships.
2. Brand Strategy and Messaging Engagements: Project-based engagements led by seasoned professionals using latest tools, technologies and human instinct to develop strategy, creative concepts and communications that drive growth.
3. Government/Public Affairs Campaign Services: High-profile public affairs engagements (e.g., Care4Carolina Medicaid expansion coalition) involving content development, grassroots outreach, grasstops activation, and strategic counsel for legislative campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

RLF Communications is a North Carolina-based public relations agency that provides media relations, strategic communications, crisis communications, internal communications, grassroots outreach, social media management, and brand development services. The agency serves industry-leading clients including publicly traded companies, privately owned businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, professional service firms and nonprofits, executing engagements through custom-built senior-led teams with support from the Worldcom Public Relations Group partnership for global reach.

Product overview

RLF Communications is a North Carolina-based public relations services agency (not a unified SaaS product or platform-plus-modules architecture); instead, its offering is a portfolio of named communications service lines — Earned Media, Strategy & Messaging, Internal Communications, Crisis Communications, Grassroots, Social Media and Brand Development — that are combined into custom-built teams for each client. These core service lines are reinforced by an Industry Verticals Practice covering Financial Services, Manufacturing, Real Estate & Development, Foundations & Non Profits, Education, Government, Retail & Hospitality and Professional Services, a documented Case Studies / Campaign Portfolio (e.g., Care4Carolina, Biscuitville, Sand Dollars, Vote S.M.A.R.T.) and international reach delivered through the Worldcom Global Partner Network Service. Capability has been expanded through three acquisitions — BAERING Group (Jan 2023), Clairemont Communications (late 2023) and GBW Strategies (2024) — each of which is now part of the RLF offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Earned Media
• Strategy & Messaging
• Internal Communications
• Crisis Communications
• Grassroots
• Social Media
• Brand Development
• Industry Verticals Practice

Quantifiable outcome

• 450,000+ North Carolinians enrolled in Medicaid within one year (reaching 600,000 by later reporting); nearly 900 media articles covering the campaign's success
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers61 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, flagship and minor.

• GBW StrategiesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024GBW Strategies, a firm founded by Billy Warden, was acquired by RLF Communications in 2024. Billy Warden subsequently became RLF's Chief Strategy Officer. The acquisition added communications expertise and contributed to the Care4Carolina Medicaid expansion campaign with Billy's firm working alongside RLF.
• Clairemont CommunicationsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2023Clairemont Communications of Raleigh was acquired by RLF Communications, strengthening RLF's presence in Raleigh and resulting in changes to its leadership structure. Chair Dana Phelps, founder of Clairemont Communications, subsequently joined RLF. Anna Beth Adcock had previously interned at Clairemont in 2020.
• BAERING GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2023BAERING Group, a Raleigh-based PR firm, was acquired by RLF Communications on January 31, 2023. The acquisition enhances RLF's presence across North Carolina and expands its industry expertise, particularly in agriculture and chemicals. VP Marston Waldo and Senior Communications Manager Hannah Allison joined RLF together due to this acquisition.
• Worldcom Public Relations GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRLF is an active leader in Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world's leading partnership of independent communications agencies. As of 2026, the partnership has 94 partners across more than 110 cities on 6 continents. RLF joined Worldcom 17 years ago. Partners undergo rigorous vetting and required peer review every 2.5 years. Co-founder/CEO Monty Hagler served on the global board for five years.
• Pollack Group (Worldcom partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPollack Group is a Worldcom Public Relations Group partner referenced by RLF for thought leadership on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI visibility topics; their WellRed POV content is referenced in RLF's AI/GEO thought leadership articles.
• MuckRackminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMuckRack referenced as a PR industry resource; hosted a webinar covering PR in the Generative Engine Optimization era cited by RLF in their AI/GEO thought leadership content.
• Worldcom Public Relations GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced again as part of RLF's industry affiliations; mentioned in the Agnes Stevens profile as an organization RLF actively participates in for professional development and best practices sharing.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Largest global independent PR firm with deep enterprise and consumer practice areas. Sets the competitive ceiling for premium enterprise accounts and global mandates that RLF pursues via the Worldcom partnership; comparable in services offered but vastly larger in scale.
• Ketchum: Major global PR firm (Omnicom network) with consumer, corporate and public affairs expertise. Comparable on enterprise client work and global reach, representing the scale-tier RLF competes against for larger mandates.
• Padilla (ICF Next): Mid-size integrated communications agency owned by ICF, serving consumer, health, agriculture and food clients across the U.S. Comparable on vertical expertise (especially agriculture/chemicals after the BAERING acquisition) and enterprise client engagement model, but with broader service portfolio.
• Weber Shandwick: Top-tier global PR network with strengths in consumer, corporate, healthcare and public affairs. Direct competitor for large enterprise and global mandates where RLF's Worldcom partnership enables parallel pitching.
• FleishmanHillard: Global integrated communications agency with healthcare, manufacturing and public affairs practices. Comparable for crisis, internal communications and corporate reputation work where RLF operates.

Direct peers

• The Hodges Partnership: Boutique PR firm in Greensboro, NC, focused on B2B and consumer clients in the Triad region. Comparable in size, geography and offering mix, competing for similar mid-market and enterprise accounts in the same North Carolina footprint.
• French/West/Woodhouse: Large independent PR and public affairs agency headquartered in Raleigh, NC, serving consumer, lifestyle and corporate clients across the Southeast. Most directly comparable North Carolina-based independent competitor with a similar vertical practice model and retainer structure.
• Capstrat: Raleigh-based public relations and public affairs firm (and prior employer of RLF founder Monty Hagler). Direct historical and operational comparable in the North Carolina market, particularly for government affairs and corporate communications work.
• Gibbs & Soell: Independent B2B public relations agency serving manufacturing, industrial and technology clients nationally. Comparable in vertical concentration (manufacturing, industrial) and enterprise B2B engagement model, particularly relevant to RLF's Shurtape, BASF, Jeld-Wen and HAECO roster.
• Mower: Independent marketing and communications agency with offices in the Carolinas and Northeast, offering PR, advertising and digital services. Comparable independent competitor with overlapping verticals (financial services, manufacturing, nonprofit) and similar mid-market to enterprise client mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rlf-communications
• Instagraminstagram.com/rlfcommunications
• Xx.com/RLF

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RLF Communications