"By acquiring new business and growing existing accounts we have been able to increase our staffing in a variety of our service areas," said Joseph Takach, CEO of the Meridian Group. "Our newest team members' collective experience and talent will be an asset to our creative and client service efforts."

The six new employees include:

Stephanie Beaty, Public Relations Counselor - Public Relations Team. Beaty services a variety of public relations accounts, focuses on new business initiatives and supports internal TMG communications initiatives as a public relations counselor. She most recently served as a Partner at Brickell & Partners in Virginia Beach and brings a breadth of marketing communications experience to the team from previous positions held with Ogilvy Public Relations in Atlanta, Ketchum in New York, and Cadbury-Schweppes in London.

Cynthia Benton, Media Coordinator - Travel and Luxury Team. Benton, applies her eight years of advertising account experience to TMG's 12 Travel and Luxury clients. She joins the agency from Cahoon & Cross in Chesapeake where she worked with Nationwide Insurance, Virginia Department of Health, and Virginia Department of Social Services. Benton has also served in production and administrative capacities on retail and automotive accounts for Benton Corporate Communications in Hampton.

Laura Bryant, Account Coordinator - Public Relations and Corporate Teams. As account coordinator, Bryant supports public relations and communications efforts for a variety of clients including STIHL, The Breeden Company, The Chrysler Museum and others. She previously held marketing positions with Americomm Direct Marketing in Virginia and Dragonfly Interactive and The Marra Group in New Jersey. Bryant earned a BBA in marketing from James Madison University in May 2002.

Erin Hagee, Executive Assistant - Administrative Team. Hagee provides administrative assistance and support to the agency. A 2002 graduate of Elon University, she received a BA in communications with an emphasis on both corporate and broadcast communications.

Michele Montgomery, Graphic Production Artist - Travel and Tourism Team. Montgomery contributes to ad layouts for a variety of Travel and Tourism clients including Kingsmill Resort, The Sanderling, The Hermitage Hotel, The Jefferson, Kiawah Island Resorts and Park Central Hotel. She previously worked as a graphic designer for a variety of Virginia firms including Norfolk Southern Corporation, Tempo Marketing, Printing Plus and Graphic Impressions. Montgomery received a BFA in graphic design from Old Dominion University in May 2002.

Brenda Rust, Controller - Administrative Team. Rust brings more than 20 years of accounting experience to TMG where she oversees the accounting department and provides billing and projections support to senior management. She previously served as an accounting manager at Lynnhaven Marine in Virginia Beach.

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.