What they’re saying about us…

Persuasion, if not a lost art, is certainly a neglected one. In my many years of working with Deborah Folka, she is a consummate practitioner of the art of persuasion. There’s no better example of this than her writing — clear, compelling, and when called for, devastatingly intelligent and witty. Since clear writing is a reflection of clear thinking, she’s also a nimble strategist. For your most challenging communication tasks, along with your ordinary ones, you would be well served to choose Deborah.
— Michael Colacchio, Founder, Clear Impact LLC, San Francisco, California

Deborah Folka really gave us a 'big picture' look at what our key selling messages needed to be and introduced us to a whole new understanding of communicating with our market. She provided our operations staff with coaching that contributed to our successful pursuit of an important client and helped us realize the importance of developing our own strategic direction before working on communication issues. Deborah took a group of techno-types and gave us all insight into what was possible through even a modest improvement in communication skills and development.
— John Hiebert, PQS (F), President, TASK Construction Management Inc., Burnaby

I have been practicing law for close to 30 years and I have retained Deborah Folka to assist my clients on several occasions. Each time, Deborah has made an outstanding contribution. Many business people and lawyers do not fully realize the strategic importance of media and public relations in any legal controversy. The truth is that legal battles frequently spill over into the "Court of Public Opinion", sometimes by accident but more often by design. Legal disputes are a form of economic warfare. The most effective legal warriors employ media and public relations as an essential weapon in pursuing their strategic objectives. Those who don't use this crucial skill set are at a distinct disadvantage. Deborah has all the "right stuff" required to design, manage and implement a winning media campaign for any legal battle. She has an excellent understanding of how the entire process works, she is well connected with media channels, she is strategically astute, and she has excellent communication skills. Of equal importance, Deborah's services are extraordinarily cost-effective. She is not part of a high overhead, bureaucratic organization. I recommend Deborah highly.
— Robert Fashler, Lawyer, Gowlings LLP, Vancouver

The last thing any company or executive needs in a crisis is someone who mirrors your own thinking. Deborah Folka comes alongside clients in a respectful and unruffled fashion, efficiently and expertly tackling the core issues with clarity and even appropriate comedy when the occasion calls for it. She’s creative in her approach, reliable to a fault, always diplomatic and provides superior results.
— Julie Marzolf, APR, President, Marzolf & Associates, Vancouver

It is trite, but true that if you want to be successful, you need to surround yourself with the best.  Deborah is a quick study and incredibly adept at assessing a situation and defining a successful PR strategy to transform a difficult situation into a positive message. As a natural "people person,” Deborah is always a pleasure to work with and instantly puts clients at ease with her genial personality and straight talk approach. Deborah is the best!
— Ingrid Otto, M.B.A., LL.B., Lawyer, Davis LLP

Over the years we have worked with Deborah, we have found her to be a resourceful individual who brings a positive attitude to every task. She is engaging, fast and funny. Deborah has the ability to not only grasp the task at hand but at the same time be very aware of the big picture, and be able to connect the fine details in the end. She listens closely, is a quick study and has the ability to find the right tone for every engagement. The success of BTY group in becoming one of Canada’s leading Project and Cost Management Consulting Practice can be in part attributed to Deborah’s skills. We have found her to be of great value in helping us craft our message, which, in turn had strengthened our business development.
— Gordon W. Smith, PQS, partner, The BTY Group, Vancouver

Deborah is a seasoned communications professional with whom I have worked on various projects over the years. She listens and provides visionary ideas packaged with great customer service and measurable outcomes.  She is how I expect a communications professional to perform.
— Scott McCloy, MBA, Director, Community Relations, WorkSafeBC

I have worked with Deborah numerous times in order to help clients deal with the communications aspects of various legal matters. Typically, these have been situations where a legal issue has the potential to cause serious reputation damage for the organization or individual. I have always found Deborah to be a very quick study and able to suggest very useful, practical and insightful communications strategies for my clients. She is able to see both the client's immediate short-term needs and the longer term, bigger picture. Deborah is always extremely professional, pleasant (and even fun!) to deal with and shows excellent judgment. I do not hesitate to recommend her services to clients and other lawyers.
— Tamara Hunter, Lawyer, Davis LLP

Deborah is very personable and a true professional. She recently spoke to my Public Relations students about Crisis Management and they were overwhelmed with her presentation. The students stated, “Deborah Folka was the best guest speaker we've had." And "...her topics covered today fit perfectly with the course and her real life experiences made it easier to understand.” In addition, her energy and enthusiasm certainly sparked the interest of the students in the field. The students highly recommend that I ask her back to speak to future classes. I agree!
— Stephanie Koonar, Instructor and External Liaison for the Langara College School of Management

Over the past 15 years or so, I have engaged Deborah Folka as a consultant many times. I rely on her expertise in public relations, including media management, press releases and crisis management. I have always been pleased with the perspective Deborah brings and the value she adds. Deborah is articulate, intelligent and experienced, and has the ability to seamlessly integrate into a legal team, whether it is a litigious or advisory situation. I have a high degree of confidence in Deborah; whenever the need arises, she is my “go to” public relations consultant.
— Allen Soltan, Partner, Davis LLP, Vancouver