Eric Koefoot

CEO

PublicRelay

Washington, DC

Hometown: Evanston, IL

“This will create an opportunity for a much richer, more dynamic and flexible work-life balance than we have ever seen. Perhaps it may also bring talent and money to the wonderful smaller communities that have lost to urban areas over the past few decades."

In 2020, commtech developer Eric Koefoot gave communicators an edge in fighting false or damaging information with the launch of Predictive Alerts, AI-enabled technology that identifies troublesome content 24 to 48 hours before it goes viral. Koefoot and his team created the offering in response to communicators’ ongoing quest for ways to know what’s coming down pike to respond proactively. Roughly 20 PublicRelay clients are now doing just that thanks to Predictive Alerts. The technology isn’t used exclusively to handle negative news, it also identifies positive stories with strong potential.

Do you think the global pandemic has made the industry more innovative? If you would like, please elaborate on your response.
More innovative. We've been forced to find new ways to collaborate, share information, and build trust in a virtual world with little to no in-person contact. We've also had to step up our game to take a much stronger role in developing c-suite strategy.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of? 
Founding 4 companies from scratch - all of them successful and still in business today.

We're at a pivotal moment on the future of the office and how we work. How would like to see 'office/work culture' evolve?
It would be great to give people the ability to work any time and any place they want so long as they can get their job done. This will create an opportunity for a much richer, more dynamic and flexible work-life balance than we have ever seen. Perhaps it may also bring talent and money to the wonderful smaller communities that have lost to urban areas over the past few decades, creating jobs and income where it is needed most.

How can the PR industry make real progress in diversity, inclusion and equity?
We should all become more aware of the natural biases we bring to our jobs and open our eyes, minds, and hearts to people of different backgrounds, lifestyles, and ways of solving problems.  We also need to realize that celebrating and embracing diverse people and diverse ideas leads to more powerful innovation every single time.

What makes you most excited or proud to be part of the PR industry? 
I've never seen a group of professionals who work harder every single day of the year.  Yet while under such pressure, they maintain a level of kindness and collaboration that makes them a pleasure to work with.

What are your fears/concerns for our industry? 
I worry that we will accept "close enough is good enough" too often in our analytics work, while every other discipline in the c-suite demands excellence in the data behind their decisions and performance metrics.  Things have changed, and we all need to recognize that we need to change our approach to be successful.

What inspires you? This could be a person, place, activity, etc.
I love to create, innovate, and motivate - so activities that allow me to do that either in my personal or professional life get me going every day.

What are you thinking about most these days? 
I wake and go to sleep thinking about how to innovate and continue to put our customers first in everything we do.  We obsess over our customers, and that really sets us apart from much of the competition, so keeping my eye on that ball is critical.

What is your idea of happiness?
Good health, good friends, and a doing my part to make the world a better place for everyone.  (A cold beer helps too.)