CBPR: The Firm That Chooses Women and the Long Game

Charlotte Berger, the owner of the Charleston-based marketing and public relations firm CBPR did not set out to start a marketing agency as much as she set out to stop watching other people burn out. CBPR has always been drawn to the communications industry, both for the creativity of the work and the relationships within it.

In Michigan, she’d always been drawn to marketing – partly because she liked the craft and the other part was because she couldn’t ignore the quiet mismatch she kept seeing in the industry. When she worked in the public relations industry for the past decade, she saw what happened when talent is treated like a revolving door: turnover, burnout and pay inequity that no one framed a business problem.

It was simply put as “how things are.” Berger described it as being cutthroat, and especially challenging when juggling life changes like having kids. After more than a decade working in public relations, she saw an opportunity to build an agency differently: one where exceptional client work and a strong company culture could exist simultaneously. 

In 2020, instead of waiting for clarity, she made a bet with herself. “I started my own (business) at the height of Covid,” using what she already had: chef contacts, nonprofit relationships, and a belief that her work could matter more when it was built on values instead of exhaustion. She wanted to create an agency centered on both meaningful results for clients and meaningful careers for its team. 

At first, she started small. She took on clients to build credibility, and learned the rhythms of entrepreneurship in real time. As CBPR grew, so did its client roster and areas of expertise, eventually growing CBPR into a team of 15.

Berger describes CBPR as an agency that is “small enough to be hands-on and nimble, but experienced enough to deliver big-picture strategy and meaningful results.” Today, the firm works with clients throughout the Southeast and beyond across hospitality, real estate and development, wellness, nonprofit, consumer brands, technology, B2B, and other sectors. 

She also explored adjacent industries like food and beverage products, and wellness before realizing something important: she didn’t need to be trapped in one category and could expand. What Berger loves the most wasn’t a specific niche, but it is the work itself and the reassurance behind it. That’s when her story became less about starting a business and more about designing one that she was even prouder of. Berger spoke about the culture she has built. For her, communications success is not about chasing the biggest possible number or media impression count. It is about understanding a client’s business goals and creating a strategy that supports them.

That could mean securing the right media placement, identifying a strategic influencer partnership, landing a podcast opportunity, building thought leadership or connecting a brand with an audience that is likely to take action. The goal is not simply visibility. It is meaningful visibility.

In public relations, employee turnover averages around 20 percent, according to O’Dwyer’s. “At CBPR, our retention rate sits around 80 percent,” a number that implies more than good management. It implies an internal logic where people feel supported and when work doesn’t grind them into dust. She listed what support looks like for CBPR, it’s “hundred percent employer paid health insurance,” not “max(ing) out our people and spread(ing) them too thin,” and creating permission for balance – especially for parents – like “being off at 5.” CBPR provides competitive compensation, strong commission opportunities for new businesses and clear paths for professional growth while prioritizing manageable workloads. 

In her hiring process, she looks for strong character and kindness paired with drive. When asked to define her business by using three words, she chose: Trustworthy. Kindness-led. Go-getters. Clients, she shared, consistently tell her they trust her team with their brands and expectations and feel they receive honest outcomes. A “press hit with a billion media impressions doesn’t actually move the needle,” she explained, noting that her clients care about something different. Results, she suggested, are often less about visibility and more about overall alignment. Alignment in partnerships, podcasts, thought leadership, and the kinds of placements that match what the audience actually wants and believes. 

With the advancement of technology and the constantly evolving public relations landscape, she and her team focus on perpetual learning – studying founders, researching platforms, and comparing strategies across firms. They utilize AI as a “tool versus relying on it for creativity and strategic thinking.” They study emerging platforms and evaluate new tools and strategies. 

Her philosophy extends past CBPR. Berger encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to seek each other out – especially women and leaders “that you think are doing exceptional work.” Her belief inspired the Marketing Mavens, a Charleston-based network of more than 40 women agency owners and marketing leaders meeting quarterly to share real and authentic feedback: hiring questions, handling clients who go silent on payment, practical day-to-day decisions that don’t show up in marketing decks.  

To Berger, it is a different type of growth and one that is community-powered rather than ego-driven. Berger shared that what differentiated her early on, and it wasn’t gimmicks. She said she came in with a “competitive mindset,” then realized the real key was shifting into an abundance mindset – acknowledging that there is room for everyone to succeed. That shift, she explained, makes relationships better and work better, too. Berger didn’t start CBPR just for the sake of building an agency. 

Six years in, Berger focused on continuing to build an agency known for high-standards, strong work, trusted client relationships, and a culture where talented women can build careers they are proud of. For her and her team, marketing isn’t about being loud. It’s about being dependable and choosing the kind of success you can sustain long after the launch day energy fades. 

To learn more about CBPR, feel free to contact them directly through their website: https://charlottebergerpr.com/