As the economy emerges from recession, M&A activity is picking up and communications firms are high on the list of acquisition targets. MDC's Miles Nadal has already bought two PR shops in the past six months – Sloane & Company and Allison & Partners – and vows that is just the start for his rapidly expanding marketing and communications network.
  
Nadal's mantra is that brand-building is moving away from persuasion and toward the influence of trusted sources, ...