Betty Taylor

Founding partner Betty Taylor brings an extremely well rounded background to KTA clients. Betty has worked as a journalist and an editor, covering the technology industry and general business subjects. She has been a corporate executive for one of the industry’s most visible companies. And at KTA she has aided a myriad of companies, both established and start-up, in making their public relations programs more effective and results-oriented.

Betty began her career as a business journalist. “My first encounter with business reporting took place at a Radio Shack store where the TRS-80 was selling well, and I reported on it in a holiday roundup story. Soon after I headed to New York City to become a business journalist.”

Betty helped to found Computer + Software News (now Computer and Software News), one of the industry’s first weeklies focusing on technology and reseller channels, and became its executive editor. In 1986, she received the Computer Press Association award for best news story of the year for coverage about the fall of Businessland, co-written with Bob Scott.

In 1989, Betty moved into the corporate world by joining Apple Computer, Inc. as manager of PR for the company’s northwest operations. She says her transition was eye opening, “I quickly learned that asking questions as a journalist was often a lot easier than answering them.” During her career at Apple, the company saw rapid growth with revenues rising from $4 billion to $11 billion. Betty’s career progressed with this growth and she became manager of corporate public relations and the company’s chief spokesperson. In 1995 she took control of all of the company’s PR efforts as director of worldwide corporate public relations.

To say Betty was involved in Apple’s product PR would be an understatement. During her time at Apple, she was directly involved with the introduction of Apple’s highest volume Macintoshes, the Power Macintosh (based on the PowerPC RISC processor), and the Powerbook line of notebooks. In addition, she was involved in Apple’s operating system product introductions and peripheral products including the industry’s first consumer oriented digital camera.

Her experience at Apple Computer also gave Betty experience in dealing with a wide range of issues that any company can face—from dealing with fast growth, alliances with other companies, corporate earnings announcements, and strategy conferences; to dealing with lawsuits, layoffs, and even bomb threats. She says, “A good PR strategy must not deal only with the events that you know will happen, but also plan for the unexpected—and turn the unexpected to a positive whenever possible.”

In 1996 Betty, along with Barbara Krause, founded Krause Taylor Associates and since its inception the firm’s client list has included a mix of established Nasdaq companies and promising young start-ups. Betty has worked closely with firms such as Garage Technology Ventures, WageWorks, MicronPC, Intershop, and Ridge Technologies—as well as representing companies such as Netscape, Apple Computer, OmniSky, Palm and Borland. Of the clients she works with, she says, “I think what’s common between all of KTA’s current clients is a desire to build a long-term brand identity and a strong foundation for their marketing and sales efforts. They’re building long-term value, rather than looking for quick fixes.”

Betty holds a degree in journalism from Ohio University. She serves on the board of directors of Child Advocates of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, and serves as co-chair of it’s PR and marketing committee.