Jennifer L Fortney

From the Milk Moustache, a Longest Kiss Challenge Tour, the Largest Roll of Toilet Paper in the World and launching the Appletini to helping grow small business clients into $1M in revenue in under two years, setting up a special corn maze theme to go viral, celebrity red carpet events and film premieres, a national media tour for a tech startup founded by a former NFL player, expert business mentorship, redesigning websites and brand messaging to increase SEO, exposure, credibility, sales and engagement. She's done it all.

Jennifer Fortney is Founder and Principal of Cascade Communications, a boutique, virtual Story Agency focusing on PR and marketing communications for startups to small enterprise around the world. Cascade Communications is an acclaimed PR and content agency also named one of the top 10 PR firms for startups globally. Fortney is also author of “Pitched: A Simple DIY Guide to Public Relations for Small Businesses”. In her 20+ year career, she has worked with top Fortune 500 companies and a wide variety of small businesses and startups across the country, generating millions of media impressions.

A Journalism major from The University of Kansas, she has written broadcast news, worked in sports, broadcast marketing and corporate agency, was the PR Instructor at SCORE Chicago/Small Business Administration for 5 years, guest lectured at Loyola, DePaul and Columbia Universities in Chicago and contributed to NBCChicago.com “Inc. Well” blog. She has been a guest on several business radio shows, podcasts, trusted source for the Chicago Tribune and a contributor to several magazines and digital news sites. Cascade has been named one of the Top 20 PR agencies in Chicago annually since 2018 among, several other honors.

Sub-specialities:
Small Business
Startups
The mistakes all failed business owners make
Female founders- differences, success frame of mind, unique struggles and opportunities, failure, spirituality, women supporting women
Fear vs faith - in business and life, as an entrepreneur or business owner
Public relations and marketing - DIY, trends, variety of business industries
Storytelling for startups to small enterprise – why and how to across communications channels