Press Release

TOBIN & Associates Relocates To Sonoma from Marin County

Communications/Marketing Firm Has Clients in SF Bay Area and Washington DC

Sonoma—May 16, 2023
Communications and marketing firm TOBIN & Associates (www.garytobin.com) has relocated to Sonoma after being headquartered in Marin County since 2005, founder and principal Gary Tobin announced today.

Having previously operated from offices in New York and Seattle, the firm was founded in 1995 and has clients in the SF Bay Area and Washington DC.

“I have been fortunate during my consulting career to have developed long-term relationships with clients,” Tobin said. “I have worked for one since 2007 and another relationship spans three companies over 15 years.”

Tobin, who previously was a reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle and worked in the wine business for Heublein, Inc., has also developed and implemented advertising programs for several clients.

“Having worked with a range of clients from publicly-traded Fortune 100 companies to local and regional businesses,” Tobin said, “I continue to believe that the principles for a successful program are consistent across industries and in local media as well as national and international publications and outlets.

“The ‘magic’ formula is that honest communication, credible information, and candor are the elements of a winning campaign. There are no shortcuts and, as always, disinformation comes back to haunt,” he said.

Current clients of TOBIN & Associates are:

• Claremont Rug Company, based in Oakland, and widely considered the most important global dealer in investment/art level antique Persian rugs woven in the 19th century;
• The Mansion on O Street, located in Washington DC, whose owner, HH Leonards recently was a featured speaker at the Sonoma Writers Festival;
• TASI ® Bank, a division of Bank of Guam ®, which recently exceeded $500 million in total assets for its San Francisco-based operations, and
• The Olympic Club Foundation, for which TOBIN provides pro bono marketing services.

“What they all have in common is that they are leaders in their respective fields and have entrepreneurial management,” he said. “They also all understand the long-term value of communication and accountability for their actions.”
Tobin opened the firm after an extensive corporate career. He held senior PR and marketing positions with MCI Communications, American Express Co., and First Data Corporation. He was also PR director for Heublein, which at the time owned the Inglenook Winery and Beaulieu Vineyards.

“Frankly, PR is a field where email and the telephone still work and where clear writing and messaging are key to client success,” he said.

In addition to his marketing/PR services, Tobin was the editor of and agent for a recent book written by Ms. Leonards (Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus) that recounts a decade-long odyssey in Washington DC that pair shared.