In the generalists versus specialists debate, there is no right or wrong, just middling returns or home runs. In Orlando Bravo’s case, his string of successful software bets offers a compelling argument for the specialists’ camp. 

Bravo, 39, one of four managing partners at private equity firm Thoma Bravo LLC, gravitated toward the sector as a graduate student at Stanford University in the ’90s. He led the firm’s first foray into software in 2002, when his firm, then Thoma Cressey Equity Partners Inc., and LLR Partners Inc. took private Prophet 21 Inc., a Yardley, Pa., enterprise resource planning, or ERP, software provider. A dozen other software acquisitions have followed — all successful, Bravo claims — burnishing his reputation among institutional investors. 

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Roundarch Remains One of the Top U.S. Digital Agencies
By Paul Buranosky

Roundarch moves to #38 on the Advertising Age Top Digital Agencies list.

The list is ranked by 2009 U.S. digital revenue.

The Heathman
1001 SW Broadway; Portland, Ore.; (503) 241-4100. Best mid-range.

The best hotel  in a mid-sized American city traditionally occupies an important place in the city’s business life. Executives meet there for breakfast, local companies hold meetings, parties and dinners, and the lobby serves as a civic gathering place. While standbys such as Milwaukee’s Pfister and Dallas’ Adolphus have seen their influence erode, Portland’s Heathman has become more vital than ever–and thoroughly high-tech. The center of Portland’s arts scene, the hotel hosts jazz lunches and serves as an ever-evolving gallery space for local artists. Eight private boardrooms offer Wi-Fi (as well as fully wired connections for uneasy CFOs), and guest-room connections are complimentary, along with loose-leaf tea and French-press coffee.

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BusinessWire - LANE PR, an independently owned, national public relations agency, recently expanded its food and beverage portfolio with the addition of three clients: Moonstruck Chocolates, Redhook Ale Brewery and Widmer Brothers Brewing.

“We are honored to be working with these companies, each of which is a leader in its respective industry,” said Kristen Siefkin, vice president of LANE PR and lead of the agency’s food and beverage division. “We look forward to providing these companies with superior public relations strategies that drive sales and increase their national presence.”

LANE PR ranks 16th on O’Dwyer’s list of national food and beverage public relations firms. The firm’s new clients join Pacific Seafood, Wines from Spain, Hood River Distillers and Dutch Bros. in the agency’s food and beverage portfolio.

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