Industry Veterans and Twin Sister Duo Make Change as a Result of Pandemic

Polished Nichols Public Relations & Marketing (Polished Nichols), a full-service public relations, marketing and branding firm, announced today the launch of its new brand. Boasting 40 years of combined industry experience, Natalie Van Buskirk and Nicole Halsey created an opportunity to emerge from the national pandemic and share their talents with clients seeking marketing guidance.

Polished Nichols offers services with a twist. A twin team – one left brainer, one right brainer, joining forces to provide the best approaches to exceed marketing and business goal expectations. Van Buskirk and Halsey provide tactical guidance in advertising, brand development, digital and email marketing, event management, market resource, media relations, partnership cultivation, social media, strategic planning, and web development. Clients include organizations in diverse industries, including but not limited to dining, real estate/landscaping, entertainment, health/spa, hospitality, finances, and retail.

The name of the agency was derived from the twins’ maiden name “Nichols” paired with the adjective “polished.” Clients, colleagues and vendors consistently described Van Buskirk and Halsey as skillful and bright. By combining the two, Polished Nichols was formed.

Van Buskirk founded Polished Nichols LLC in 2010 to provide personalized client attention and detail-oriented work. As a one-person shop, Van Buskirk maintained several clients, and grew the business ten-fold in January 2020. Halsey joined Van Buskirk as Managing Partner in December 2020.

Prior to establishing Polished Nichols, Van Buskirk shared her talents at MGH, leading accounts for award-winning clients. She served as Public Relations Manager at 180s, a premier provider of wearable outdoor technology accessories for five years. During her tenure, she oversaw the increase of media impressions by 281% within two years and secured prominent media placements on CNN, Early Show, Good morning America, and in USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. Van Buskirk also developed international media relations campaigns to reach Asia, Europe and Canada. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with minors in Advertising and Management, and an MBA in Marketing Management from York College of Pennsylvania. Van Buskirk manages a commercial and residential Interior Design business and occupies PTA board positions for her children’s schools.

Halsey touts 20 years of agency and corporate communications experience. Most recently, Halsey served as Director of Marketing & Communications at RoundTable Strategic Solutions, a nationally recognized full-service health IT, revenue cycle and operational change management consulting firm. She oversaw company messaging, lead generation, CRM establishment and maintenance, marketing automation campaigns, conference marketing and social media planning. Prior to her corporate position, Halsey enjoyed a 14-year tenure at Weinberg Harris & Associates, two years at Warschawski, and two at Eisner Petrou & Associates. She managed accounts and created award-winning campaigns for clients such as Under Armour, 180s, SylvanLearning Centers, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Cirque du Soleil, Bozzuto, Verdence, Port of Baltimore, and Ella Pritsker Couture. Halsey has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations with minors in Marketing, Speech Communication and English with a concentration in writing from York College of Pennsylvania. She has volunteered her time and marketing services with institutions including Mercy Medical Center, Loyola Blakefield, Maryland HIMSS, and York College.

“Having founded Polished Nichols Public Relations & Marketing over 10 years ago, I was able to concentrate on my small business and my role as a stay-at-home-mom,” said Van Buskirk, Founder and Managing Partner. “Ten years later and as the post-Covid female-owned small business landscape was declining, I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I asked Nicole to join me, and we decided to launch this brand together. We realized that more companies actually need a new style of marketing at this time, so we figured that we would give it to them.”

According to research more than 2.3 million women have left the labor force since February 2020, putting women’s labor force participation rate at 57%, the lowest it’s been since 1988.* This pandemic forced women to face the pressure of managing careers and caretaking roles. As a result, women stepped down from jobs to operate the home responsibilities. Halsey was one of them until her partnership with Van Buskirk.

“After an entire year home with my children and playing the roles of teacher, chef, therapist, playmate, dog walker, among others, my brain longed for a release of my talents. I was ready to get back out there,” said Nicole Halsey, Managing Partner. “Despite the challenges of 2020, there were many silver linings. I spent much-appreciated time with my family; I took industry classes and caught up on industry reads; I evaluated my soul for what was next; and then Natalie and I decided we were ready to take the leap of faith and succeed at this business.”

About Polished Nichols Public Relations & Marketing

Polished Nichols Public Relations & Marketing is a full-service public relations, marketing and branding firm located in Baltimore, Maryland. The team offers services with a twist. A twin team- one left brainer, one right brainer- joining forces to provide the best strategies certain to exceed marketing and business goal expectations. Van Buskirk and Halsey provide tactical guidance in advertising, brand development, digital and email marketing, event management, market resource, media relations, partnership cultivation, social media, strategic planning, and web development. Clients include organizations in diverse industries, including but not limited to dining, real estate/landscaping, entertainment, health/spa, hospitality, finances, and retail. 

For more information, visit www.polishednichols.com.