ATLANTA, March 5—Besty Helgager, who helped launch the African-American Markets Group at Ketchum, has left the firm and is setting up her own consulting business, BLH Consulting, which will specialize in helping companies reach the African-American community, but will also work with companies market to the mainstream market.
 
Helgager has been a leader in the African-American public relations community. In addition to launching the AAMG at Ketchum, she was founder of Ketchum Boot Camp, an intensive two-day training program for public relations students at historically black colleges and universities. She has represented clients including Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Microsoft, and has served on three Silver Anvil winning teams for clients P&G, Tropicana and Visa.
 
“I served as a spokesperson for Hallmark Cards and have nearly nine years of experience at Ketchum in Atlanta where I designed award-winning programs and worked with and learned from some of the smartest people in the industry on business-to-business and consumer brand accounts. I feel well equipped to embark on my own,” said Helgager.
 
She says her most rewarding experience was building Ketchum’s African-American Markets—an experience she says nurtured her entrepreneurial spirit.
 
Her new firm will provide media relations, special event planning, sponsorship leveraging, community partnership negotiation and customer communications strategies, as well as providing strategic counsel regarding effective internal and external diversity communications programs, especially around supplier diversity initiatives.