French/West/Vaughan

White-Glove Service to Blue-Chip Clients Worldwide

The agency has worked with some of the world’s leading brands, including top-selling denim maker Wrangler and coffee purveyor Melitta. It has clients in fashion, food and beverage, education, technology, public affairs, healthcare, sports, entertainment, retail, and emerging product sectors. 

FWV also has become one of the nation’s go-to agencies for issues management and crisis counseling, Rick says. For example, it helped former pro football player Michael Vick recast his public image and bring forward legislation to strengthen dog fighting laws. “We’re not afraid to take on different marketing challenges,” Rick says. 

What sets FWV apart from competitors is its unique approach to solving its clients’ business challenges, Rick says. Rather than solely focusing on public relations or a specific marketing discipline, the agency reverse-engineers outcomes for its clients, employing a full suite of strategic approaches.

TowneBank has been invaluable to FWV, working with him and his company to provide access to capital and creative banking solutions to continue the agency’s growth. “Towne is an impressive organization because of their white-glove service, the way they are with their clients,” says Rick, who serves on TowneBank’s regional advisory board in Raleigh. “We share that philosophy in the way that we try to work with our clients. That’s what differentiates us — and differentiates them — from the competition.” The trust he developed with Brian Reid, president of TowneBank Triangle, is a driving force behind the partnership. “We go back a long way,” Rick says. 

FWV’s partnership with TowneBank dates to 2007, says Jeff Marshall, the agency’s commercial banking officer at TowneBank. FWV enjoyed a relationship with Paragon Bank that continued when it joined with TowneBank in 2018.

TowneBank’s comprehensive support of FWV includes traditional banking services as well as guidance in areas such as expansion and acquisition strategies, Jeff says. TowneBank also has developed relationships with several affiliated entities within Rick’s business portfolio.

The partnership with FWV is an example of TowneBank’s commitment to fostering relationships.  “When we find a valuable relationship in the community, we want to nurture it, we want to support it and continue to see the client grow,” Jeff says. 

Rick’s other business interests include private equity investments in nearly a dozen sports, media, and entertainment properties. He is co-owner of the Daytona Tortugas, the Single-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. He also is a limited partner in a private equity fund that holds ownership stakes in three National Basketball Association franchises: the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and Sacramento Kings. 

Rick has exciting projects in the pipeline. He is involved in the production of “Not Without Hope,” a film featuring Zachary Levi and Pierce Brosnan and directed by Joe Carnahan, and a documentary, “Four Down,” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as executive producer. 

Among his many other activities, Rick is a member of the board of trustees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he serves on the board of directors and leads the National Advisory Council of Teen Cancer America, the U.S.-based charity founded by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend of The Who. In 2020, he was appointed to serve a four-year term on the board of trustees of PBS North Carolina, one of the nation’s largest public broadcasting networks.

“I don’t have plans to retire any time soon,” Rick says. “I still find myself being inspired by the work.”  For more information, visit FWV-US.com.