We recently connected with Reema Boccia and have shared our conversation below.

Reema, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

When I started my public relations consulting business, a mentor advised me was to name my company something about myself, but not my actual name.

After much consideration, I landed on Two Rivers – I was born in Baghdad, Iraq, the city of the two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. As soon as I landed on this name, I knew it’s what I wanted my business to embody – an homage to my place of birth, my family and my ancestry in ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia. There is so much stigma about that part of the world, but the rich culture and people of that region is unparalleled, and I am proud of my heritage from the land of the Two Rivers.

I didn’t know it until after I selected my business name, but Two Rivers was also the translated name of a thriving business my grandfather started in the 1970s. It was that much more significant for me to carry the legacy he started. It was meant to be.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I majored in Communication at San Diego State University and have worked in the industry for nearly 20 years. I love helping clients foster mutually beneficial relationships with their audiences to grow their organizations.

After working in PR agency and corporate settings for nearly a decade, I struck out on my own and have been a sole practitioner since 2013. I established Two Rivers to serve as an extension of clients’ PR and marketing departments to provide seamless support as part of their teams. I intentionally keep a small client roster and every client is a priority ‘flagship account’ that receives the utmost attention.

For creative services beyond my expertise – photography, graphic design, etc. – I partner with a handful of trusted vendors, each of whom I’ve worked with for many years, to oversee clients’ needs from beginning to end. I selectively partner with vendors like me – small, woman and minority owned, boutique – to foster those local relationships.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I had been encouraged by friends and mentors to start my own consultancy and decided 2013 was the appropriate time to leave my corporate job. While I was in the process of preparing to leave my job I had enjoyed for the prior 7 years, I was also in the midst of obtaining my Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), a year-long credentialed distinction for public relations professionals. During this hectic time, I got into a serious car accident. The trauma from the wreck caused a miscarriage of my first pregnancy, for which my husband and I had been trying to achieve for over a year. Despite the difficult personal loss, I obtained my APR and left my corporate job in late 2013. It was a year of turmoil that changed so much in my life, but starting my business gave me an opportunity to focus on something outside of my personal loss. I am so grateful to have pushed through with the help of close loved ones and to enjoy the fruits of everything that has transpired since.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I was involved with the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter, for over 10 years. I started out as a volunteer, joined a number of committees, became a board member and was eventually the chapter’s president in 2013. Nearly 20 years after first joining the professional organization, the people I joined the board with are among my closest personal friends and trusted colleagues. They helped inspire and encourage me, helped expand my network, referred me clients and entrusted me with their own organizations. I am grateful for the relationships PRSA has afforded me over the years that still last me to this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tworiverspr.com
• Instagram: @eastcountymom
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoRiversStrategies/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reematworivers/
• Twitter: @reematworivers