JDPR announces new era with agency veteran Matt Lochel named president & CEO

Full-service mar-comm agency honors its 35-year legacy while embracing the future.

Leading strategic marketing-communications agency JDPR – which represents clients such as Verizon, Cobra Puma Golf and Bridgestone Golf – is proud to announce the start of a new era, naming agency veteran Matt Lochel as its new president and CEO. Founded in 1991 as Jeff Dezen Public Relations, JDPR has evolved with the industry, introducing new capabilities over the better part of a decade. With this transition, the agency is fully embracing its role as a full-service marketing-communications agency that strategically elevates brands.

Lochel has been instrumental in the agency’s growth over more than a decade, supporting leadership, bolstering client teams, providing strategic direction and helping to implement new service offerings.

“The opportunity to lead JDPR into a new era is the proudest moment of my career,” said Lochel. “It marks an important progression for our agency as we continue to raise the standard of excellence that we provide to our clients. I am inspired by the dedication of our team to exceed the expectations of our clients.”

A Winthrop University alum with a BA in political science and history, Lochel has two decades of professional experience in creative storytelling and more than 15 years in leadership. Early in his career, he served as a producer for NBC News developing scripts and editing footage. He also served as a member of the international production team during key international conflicts such as the 2006 Lebanon War and events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Lochel joined JDPR in 2013 as an account executive and, by 2019, was director of strategy and client service. Early in his tenure, Lochel managed many of JDPR’s premium accounts including Verizon, through which he helped spearhead the communication campaign for the launch of 4G LTE, and IRWIN Tools, for which he played a pivotal role in National Tradesmen Day, which is still celebrated in September each year.

Founded over 35 years ago by namesake Jeff Dezen as a family-owned-and-operated business, for the past six years the Agency has been owned and directed by Drew Dezen, Jeff’s son. Under Drew’s stewardship, the firm experienced unprecedented growth and has diversified into a national, full-service marketing-communications business headquartered in Greenville, S.C., servicing dozens of nationally and internationally-recognized clients.

“Matt has been a long-standing, respected leader of the agency,” said Jeff Dezen. “During his tenure, he has inspired JDPR’s team and has helped to fortify an unbending standard of excellence. I know that he will do an outstanding job building upon JDPR’s legacy while forging new paths in the years ahead.”

Building on JDPR’s legacy, the agency’s strategy-first approach will continue to serve as its foundation, with earned media expertise remaining a key differentiator. In addition to JDPR’s core competencies of strategic planning, media relations, message development, crisis planning, issues management and content marketing, the agency is taking a dedicated approach to expanded offerings including paid media marketing, influencer and social media management, advertising, SEM/paid search and the newly-relevant AiO or GEO—marketing with a focus on influencing large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT and Gemini, for the benefit of its clients.

About JDPR

For more than 35 years, JDPR has set the standard of excellence in strategic brand elevation. Obsessed with exceeding client expectations, JDPR provides best-in-class strategic marketing-communications services guided by client goals and underpinned by meticulous analysis and reporting. Based in Greenville, S.C., JDPR has supported the strategic goals of global lifestyle, sports, hospitality, hardware and outdoor power equipment, health and education, banking and technology brands in strategic planning, national and regional media relations, SEO and AiO, social media campaigns, crisis communication planning, and creative ideation aimed at advancing clients’ business objectives.