Mark A. Miner (continued)

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A Law Marketing Pioneer – For a decade, from 1991 to 2002, Miner was head of corporate communications for what is now Pittsburgh’s Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, one of the 100 largest law firms in the nation, during a time when the firm more than doubled in size to 465 lawyers in 17 cities.

At age 30, he was the first in-house professional in the city to specialize in law firm PR, reflecting the leading edge of dramatic changes in legal marketing of the early 1990s. Many of his innovations have had lasting impact, including a culture of two-way dialogue with the news media, Pittsburgh's first law firm annual report and early website initiatives.

He provided media and public relations support for the following high level Buchanan Ingersoll activities:

• Representing the City of Pittsburgh to retain the Pittsburgh Pirates, including identifying new owner Kevin McClatchy and editing the Forbes Field Task Force Report recommending the site of PNC Park;
• Opening offices in New York, London and Washington, D.C.;
• Winning the nation's first Y2K trial decision;
• Representing a major U.S. railroad in its $10.5 billion hostile, three-way takeover battle with advocacy in the Wall Street Journal and Philadelphia Inquirer;
• Develop the leading technology practice in New Jersey as evidenced by praiseworthy articles in Business News-New Jersey and Corporate Legal Times; and
• Successfully nominating a leading partner (twice) to be named one of the National Law Journal's "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America."

During his 10-year Buchanan Ingersoll career, Miner planned and executed concurrent media relations programs for headquarters and regional offices; handled hundreds of interviews; positioned practice leaders as “go-to” media experts; edited scores of client newsletters; and advised clients on how to respond to dicey press inquiries.

Media Relationship Building – Trained as a journalist, Miner always has been a proponent of solid working relationships with news reporters to build trust and credibility. He has been recognized nationally in Fortune and People magazines for his work and authored a column in the National Law Journal -- the bible of the legal field -- on "Lawyers and the Press: Bitter Enemies or Friends?" He often is quoted in the Pittsburgh Business Times and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and has been featured in Law Office Administrator on "Free and Good Marketing: It's a Matter of Knowing How to Get Quoted." Many of the professional relationships he has built with journalists have endured for decades.

High Quality Publications – Miner's extensive portfolio includes writing, editing and production of high quality printed literature, including Malin Bergquist's inaugural Annual Report in 2008 and Buchanan Ingersoll's first-ever report in 1993. He has written or edited more than 1,000 professional biographies during his career and knows how the impact of the written word and attractive packaging collectively can define an organization's unique personality.

Web Development – An early advocate for a strong Internet presence, Miner helped create Buchanan Ingersoll's first website in 1996, and since 2007 has shaped Malin Bergquist's website as its frontline marketing and recruiting outreach. He has helped build, refine or manage 15 websites during his career, dating back to 1996. One early site was praised as "unusually instructive" by The Insider's Guide to Law Firms as well as "aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate and loaded with content." 

Awards – With Miner's help, a number of VIPs have received major, prestigious awards that set them apart in their fields. These have included thePittsburgh Business Times' "Fast Tracker," "CFO of the Year," "Manufacturer of the Year" and "Entrepreneur of the Year," among others.

In 2005, Miner was named "Rotarian of the Year" for Rotary District 7300 covering serving 1,500 members in 51 Pittsburgh regional communities. Books and articles he has authored have won awards from the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Little Big Horn Associates, and his pioneering genealogy site Minerd.com has been named a “Top 10 Family Website” in the nation by Family Tree Magazine.

Ongoing Consulting in the Professions – In 2002, Miner founded his own consulting firm, Mark Miner Communications, LLC, which serves clients today on a part-time basis. Clients include firms in the fields of law, finance and civil engineering as well as a Central American resort development company founded by Pittsburghers, with properties in Nicaragua, Belize and Costa Rica. From 1985 to 1991, he was a PR executive with Michael Baker Corporation, a nationally known, publicly traded civil engineering and energy firm.

Zeal for Professional and Community Leadership – Miner was elected in 2009 to the board of directors of the American Cancer Society, Pittsburgh Unit. He has lectured on entrepreneurship at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business and West Virginia University's College of Business and Economics. Miner has served as a Judge for Pittsburgh Magazine's "40 Under 40" awards program and the Renaissance Awards of the Public Relations Society of America (Pittsburgh Chapter). He chaired Rotary District 7300's PR Committee in 2005-2007; is a past president of the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation; and a past trustee of the Beaver Area Historical Museum and the Beaver Area Education Foundation.