Vistaprint N.V. an online provider of professional marketing products and services to micro businesses, based in the Netherlands, and Webs, Inc., the Silver Spring-based company that provides a do-it-yourself suite of Facebook pages and mobile presence solutions for small businesses, announced the companies have entered into an agreement in which Vistaprint will acquire Webs for $117.5 million payable at closing.

It’s traditional at this time of year to take a look back to see what trends developed during the past year and how those trends impact communicators. Here’s five trends we saw during the past 12 months that are worth sharing:

Widmeyer Communications adds Christine Messina-Boyer as VP in its higher education practice ... C. Fox Communications adds Bethany Young Hardy as assistant vice president ... and, iostudio adds Nicole Weaver as a PR account executive.

SmithGifford has launched a new corporate branding campaign for Inova Health System that was designed to define and communicate the organization’s vision for the next three to five years. That vision is personalized patient care, which focuses on their needs now and into the future.

After more than eighteen years as Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., the firm now will be known as Witeck Communications, Inc. Starting Jan. 1, Bob Witeck will take on all responsibilities and services on behalf of the firm’s clients. As the firm’s co-founder and CEO, he intends to continue the consulting and strategic advice he has successfully offered throughout his long professional career.

Capitol Communicator is posting holiday cards sent out by area communications firms.  Here's the one sent by Fixation Marketing.

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The Independent Public Relations Alliance (IPRA) has announced its new board of directors and committee members for 2012.  Shawn Flaherty, president, Creative Strategies Public Relations, will serve as chair of the group, a network of over 60 senior level communications professionals who own or operate independent practices or agencies in the Washington, D.C. area.  Other directors include:

Jones Public Affairs adds Mollie Turner and Lauren Smith as account directors ... ASHA has won a Gold MarCom Award for the new ASHA Marketing Solutions site that was designed and built by OmniStudio ... Bob Witeck, CEO and co-founder of the D.C. PR firm Witeck-Combs Communications, has been named a recipient of Arlington County’s annual Human Rights Award ... and, Nasuti & Hinkle Creative Thinking is moving.

With CBS Radio about to launch a new all-news radio operation in DC, WTOP announced it is reorganizing and expanding its newsroom to emphasize its growing digital efforts and to unify the digital and broadcast staff to become a true multi-platform news operation. Vice President of News and Programming Jim Farley will oversee the new operation which includes the addition of several positions

AMA Baltimore is accepting applications for its 2012 Undergraduate Marketing Education Scholarships, which will be awarded to three exceptional undergraduate students in marketing or a marketing-related degree program in Spring 2012. For this year's competition, they are offering a first-place prize of $2,500 and two $500 Book Scholarships for runner-up winners.

Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) celebrated the holiday season on Dec. 13 at Tuscana West. Attendees supported WWPR’s pro bono client, Thrive DC, by bringing Target, CVS, or Giant gift cards.

WTOP Radio’s traffic reporter Bob Marbourg has been named to the Broadcasters Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio. Marbourg was inducted along with the other 2011 class members last month and honored at a public induction ceremony in Akron. Marbourg has been observing and reporting on traffic for WTOP since November 1979

Like many marketing professionals these days, Jerry McCann recently found himself laid off and jobless after 14 years at one of the mid-Atlantic’s leading advertising agencies. But unlike most others in this situation he didn’t limit himself to networking and online job-hunting - he put himself back to work in a unique way, by creating the Good for Nothing Marketing Project.

The reported death of Ofield Dukes, Dec. 6, has caused the African American community “to pause out of respect for the loss of talent and fervor, and out of wonderment at how that particular void will be filled,” stated AFRO.com. The death of Dukes, a long-time PR practitioner, who was admired by those who knew him, provides us a chance to review the career, courtesy of AFRO.com, of this remarkable gentleman.