
About Us
David’s trail of success began in Washington, D.C., where he cut his teeth working for GMMB – one of the premier cause marketing and public relations firms in the nation’s capital.
While in Washington, David spearheaded public engagement initiatives for the Reiner Foundation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while contributing to winning election-year advertising campaigns for a U.S. Congressman and a U.S. Senator.
Upon returning to his hometown of Minneapolis in 2000, David joined Carmichael Lynch Spong (CLS), the public relations division of Carmichael Lynch advertising. At CLS, David and his team won a prestigious Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil award for a General Mills product launch, as well as back-to-back SABRE Awards for trade media relations on behalf of Formica Corporation.
In 2006, David joined Haberman and Associates as a modern storyteller for media and marketing, specializing in technology, finance and thought-leadership communications for business-to-business companies. Among his achievements on behalf of a diverse client portfolio, David created and launched CHOICES, a sustainability marketing initiative for Boise, one of the nation’s largest paper companies.
Before setting out on his own, David joined Bellmont Partners in 2012 as an account director in charge of the firm’s business-to-business practice group. While at Bellmont, David helped his clients – including entry-level recruiting firm GradStaff, technology startup ID Insight and transportation SaaS provider XRS Corporation win national and regional awards, garner national media attention and attract significant investments that contributed to explosive business growth and – in the case of XRS and GradStaff – eventual sale of both companies.
David’s passion for his clients and tireless advocacy on their behalf is well-known among his past clients and colleagues. No matter his role on a piece of business, David performs as if he is a member of the team, sharing in challenges and successes while remaining a vocal voice at the table with decision-makers. It is this commitment and “all-in” attitude that sets Belletrist Communications apart from other independent firms and freelancers.

David Hlavac (luh-VOCK) is founder and principal of Belletrist Communications. Following more than 20 years of award-winning work in cause marketing, brand public relations, business-to-business communications and content strategy, David took the plunge into the world of entrepreneurship in 2017.