Dan Johnson
By Joshua Burd
Violet PR has bolstered its Montclair-based team with the addition of veteran strategist Dan Johnson as an account director.
The public relations agency, which specializes in economic development and real estate, said Johnson comes to the role with more than 15 years of communications and marketing experience. He will lead strategic communications programs for Violet PR’s expanding roster of clients in economic development, commercial real estate, architecture and engineering, helping them shape narratives that advance business objectives, promote development and spotlight impact across communities.
“Dan’s depth of commercial real estate experience and his ability to tell stories that connect business goals to broader community outcomes make him an ideal fit for Violet PR’s mission,” said April Mason, the firm’s president and founder. “His extensive network and proven leadership will help drive our business forward as we continue to expand our impact across the economic development and real estate industries.”
Johnson most recently was an account director at R&J Strategic Communications, where he led the agency’s B2B practice specializing in commercial real estate, according to a news release. That included developing and executing strategies that raised client visibility and managing high-profile milestone announcements, as well as guiding community relations efforts and positioning executives as leading industry voices.
His recent assignments in commercial real estate included campaigns for the mixed-use Print House and Ora projects in Hackensack and Rivet Apartments and West Side Square in Jersey City, along with several medical and residential properties throughout the region.
“I have long admired Violet PR’s work to consistently push the boundaries of what creative storytelling can achieve in economic development and real estate,” Johnson said. “I’m thrilled to join a team that shares my passion for storytelling and helping clients make a lasting impact.”
Prior to R&J, Johnson held roles with Weichert Realtors, L&M Healthcare Communications, the U.S. House of Representatives and Kessler PR Group. He is a current co-chair of the Urban Land Institute of Northern New Jersey, one of the state’s largest and most active real estate and planning organizations, while he volunteers with ULI’s UrbanPlan program, a simulated real estate development curriculum offered in East Brunswick, East Orange, Morris County and West Windsor.
The expansion of Violet PR’s leadership team follows a year of milestones for the firm, which was named to Inc.’s Best Workplaces list for its exceptional culture, as well as the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S., the news release said. The agency has also recently welcomed national economic development clients including the Greater Baltimore Committee, Bermuda Business Development Agency and the National Association of Foreign Trade-Zones.
