Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. -- The Meridian Group (TMG), a full service advertising, public relations, and interactive marketing agency, is pleased to announce the promotion of Jim Monastra to general manager, Florida region, and the hiring of Cecilia Martinez, art director, Lee Goddard, account manager, and Samanta Aberle, account coordinator.

As general manager of TMG's Florida region, Monastra will oversee accounts at TMG's offices in Ft. Lauderdale and St. Augustine, Fla. including Radisson Bahia Mar Resort, Lago Mar Resort, The Moorings Yacht Charters, PGA Resort & Spa, and St. Johns County CVB. Before joining TMG, Monastra worked in the travel and leisure sector at a variety of advertising agencies including West Wayne, Cooper & Hayes Advertising and Wyse Advertising.

Martinez most recently worked as a freelance graphic designer for the city of Miami, Fla. and will serve a variety of TMG's Florida clients as art director. She has also worked as an assistant art director for Caregiver's Magazine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and as assistant to graphic design chairperson for the International Fine Arts College in Miami, Fla.

Goddard, a 20-year industry veteran, will spearhead new business initiatives for the TMG Florida region and serve as account manager on travel- and hospitality-based accounts. Goddard previously served as a new business consultant for a variety of agencies in the Southeast including Gaby & Moleta in Miami, Fla., LHWH in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and St. John & Partners in Jacksonville, Fla.

Aberle joins TMG as an account coordinator. Formerly with Poller and Jordan Advertising in Miami, Fla., Aberle will support the agency's account management team in serving its Florida clients. A recent graduate of University of Missouri, Aberle earned a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in photojournalism, art history, and communications.

About The Meridian Group
The Meridian Group-Marketing Communications, one of the fastest growing agencies in the mid-Atlantic region headquartered in Virginia Beach, Va., specializes in consumer and business-to-business accounts in the financial services, travel and tourism, multi-outlet retail, real estate and industrial/corporate sectors. Providing comprehensive marketing solutions to over sixty clients in North America and the Caribbean, the agency operates under "The Why? Philosophy," an exclusive six-step process designed to uncover the core issues of most communications problems. The Meridian Group is a member of TAAN (Transworld Advertising Agency Network). For more information, go to www.themeridiangroup.com, or www.tmg3.com.