(Editor’s Note: Please join us in congratulating San Francisco Bay Times columnist David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” on his retirement from the highly successful and influential business he founded, Landis Communications, Inc. We are happy to report that David will continue to write his popular column for the Bay Times.)
David Landis, who founded San Francisco-based Landis Communications, Inc. (LCI), at his kitchen table in 1990, is retiring after a 43-year career in marketing communications. Sean Dowdall, LCI’s current General Manager, has been promoted to be the agency’s new president.
“I started this integrated communications agency with the lofty goal of creating a corporate culture that values employees, clients, and those in need. Our commitment to the community, award-winning work, and partnership with clients is a testament to the teams who have worked at LCI for more than 30 years,” stated Landis. “During that time, we’ve donated hundreds of thousands of dollars—and volunteer hours—to San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits. LCI’s staff is ready to take the next step in the agency’s evolution and I’m excited to see what’s next.”
“David is a true example of someone succeeding by following his passion,” said Sean Dowdall, president of LCI. “He has run LCI based on the tenets of superior client service, creativity, and service both to the community and our employees. The business he built has shaped the industry and led service evolution—whether that was the rise of social media and digital marketing, joining an international public relations network like the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), or focusing on employee well-being. I’m humbled to be following in those footsteps.”
LCI specializes in serving clients representing a diverse array of industries, including: consumer technology, B2B, healthcare, the environment, consumer products, hospitality, and nonprofits. It is one of the last remaining independent communications agencies in San Francisco. Over the past 31 years, Landis has worked with notable LCI clients, including: Match.com, Old Navy, Whole Foods Market, UCSF, Save the Redwoods League, Centre for Neuro Skills, Graton Casino and Resort, Velodyne Lidar, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Project Open Hand, PRC, Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation, San Francisco Symphony, iTradeNetwork, and many more. LCI is the recipient of numerous awards recently and over the decades: America’s #1 PR Firm (Ragan’s Ace Awards), two national IABC Gold Quill Awards, a national PRSA Sabre Award, PR News Agency 100 Elite, Forbes Top 200 U.S. Agencies, and PRSA SF’s Agency of the Year and Campaign of the Year.
Landis taught public relations in the MBA program at San Francisco’s Golden Gate University. A recipient of numerous awards, he is a published writer and has been a featured speaker at numerous industry conferences, as well as a guest lecturer at Stanford University, the University of California – Berkeley, University of San Francisco, and Golden Gate University. David currently writes for Forbes and the San Francisco Business Times, as well as penning a food/restaurant column for the San Francisco Bay Times called “The Gay Gourmet.” He is also the Curator of Amateur Music Network, where he interviews stars of opera, symphony, and Broadway.
Prior to launching LCI, Landis served as a Public and Community Relations Director for KPIX TV, the San Francisco CBS affiliate; there, he helped the station win both a Peabody Award and a National Emmy Award for the groundbreaking AIDS Lifeline nationally-televised AIDS education series. Before his work in television, Landis was PR Director of the San Francisco Symphony, where he helped open San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall. Landis is a Past President of PRGN. He has devoted both his life and his career to helping people in the community and throughout the business world succeed.
An out gay businessman, he is a lifelong champion for LGBTQ+ causes and is proud that LCI is certified by the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Landis currently serves on the boards of Friends of Alta Plaza Park, ODC (San Francisco’s modern dance company and school), and Project Open Hand, which serves meals to vulnerable populations. Landis is especially proud that the San Francisco Business Times named the agency a top Bay Area corporate philanthropy donor for the past two years. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he majored in classical piano.
https://www.landispr.com/
Published on September 9, 2021
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