Everyone enjoys a good story.

We tell them to our children, our husbands and wives, friends in a bar, at the tailgate or the salon.  It’s done so often it’s rarely given a second thought.

But consider what stories do:  when done right, the world you know – or imagine – comes to life in the mind of another, and becomes the world you share.

In the business world, experienced marketers know the best way to talk about a company is by telling credible stories.  The kind of stories that persuade, inspire and influence others.  The type that dig deep into a company’s ethos and reveals who they are, where they’re from, how they got started and what they stand for.

Dick Roberts founded his company, Roberts Communications USA, on the belief that a company’s most important asset is its reputation. And the best way to enhance a reputation is by shaping narratives for brand success.

“I’ve always been captivated by a great story,” said Roberts.  “I’m sure it started as a kid in Ligonier with bedtime stories and stories around the Sunday dinner table with my Italian family . . . that emotional journey was enough to impact me for the rest of my life.

“It wasn’t until I was older that I realized the power of well-told stories and how effective corporate storytelling is relevant, insightful, authentic and informative.”

It started with discovering the written word and becoming an award-winning editor of his high school newspaper and writer for the hometown Ligonier Echo.  And while earning his B.A. degree in Journalism from Duquesne University, he became a sports writer and columnist for the Duquesne Duke.

After graduation, Roberts parlayed his experiences into a position as an entertainment promoter for Dick Clark Presentations.  It was here that he first gained insight into a new kind of storytelling – marketing strategy.  After promoting hundreds of shows and moments that also included a thank you kiss from Liza Minnelli and a bowl of vegetable soup with “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen, he went to work for MARC Advertising working on a variety of national retail accounts including GNC, Sears, Sheetz, and Salton Kitchen Appliances.

“The biggest break of my professional career came when I was recruited to join the New York-based J. Walter Thompson Company,” said Roberts.  “I managed the $12 million Mellon Bank advertising account and in 1989 struck out on my own.”

Today, Roberts and his firm are focused on public relations, content marketing and owned digital channels, corporate communications, advertising and experiential marketing. 

“Roberts Communications started with financial clients and we grounded ourselves in consumer and business-to-business marketing,” said Roberts.  “I’ve been very fortunate to have had clients like Giant Eagle, Hefren-Tillotson, The Academy Schools, Today’s Home, Pittsburgh Mercy Health System and others, local and national, for so many years.”

As an adjunct professor, Roberts also teaches advertising and public relations classes in the School of Business at Point Park University. 

Roberts has lived in Fox Chapel for 25 years with his wife Karen and twin daughters Delaney and Deirdre, sophomores at Fox Chapel High School.  He serves on the board of directors of Blind & Vision Rehabilitation Services and The Summit Academy.