# Brian Balbirnie

> Brian Balbirnie is the Raleigh-based founder, president, CEO and chairman of ACCESS Newswire, formerly Issuer Direct. His career spans wireless technology, financial reporting and communications software. Since founding Issuer Direct in 2006, he has expanded through acquisitions, renamed the company and sold its legacy compliance business to focus on public relations and investor relations subscriptions.

- **Role:** Founder, President, CEO and Chairman at ACCESS Newswire
- **Organizations:** ACCESS Newswire (formerly Issuer Direct), Catapult Company, Mobile Reach International, IVUE Corporation
- **Education:** St. Petersburg College
- **Known for:** Founded Issuer Direct in 2006 and continues to lead its successor, ACCESS Newswire., Led communications expansion through ACCESSWIRE and Newswire acquisitions., Led the 2025 rebrand and compliance-division divestiture.

## Career timeline

- **early 1990s** — Developed wireless data-compression solutions sold through BellSouth and AT&T channels.
- **2002-2003** — Served as vice president and CFO of Mobile Reach International and as president and CTO of IVUE Corporation.
- **before 2006** — Founded and managed Catapult Company, a Sarbanes-Oxley-focused compliance and consulting practice.
- **2006** — Established Issuer Direct, now ACCESS Newswire.
- **2014** — Issuer Direct acquired ACCESSWIRE.
- **2022-11** — Issuer Direct acquired iNewswire.com LLC (Newswire).
- **2024-10** — Participated in the PRSA ICON panel on trust and disinformation in Anaheim.
- **2025-01** — Issuer Direct renamed itself ACCESS Newswire; ticker changed to ACCS on January 27.
- **2025-02** — Company sold its compliance division to Equiniti for $12.5 million, subject to adjustments.
- **2026** — Continues as founder, president, CEO and chairman while expanding communications subscriptions and verification capabilities.

## Achievements

- Founded Issuer Direct in 2006 and continues to lead its successor, ACCESS Newswire.
- Led communications expansion through ACCESSWIRE and Newswire acquisitions.
- Led the 2025 rebrand and compliance-division divestiture.
- Included in C Level Focus Magazine’s Top 10 Inspiring CEOs of 2023.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Company announced management participation in the September 10 Lake Street Best Ideas Growth Conference.
- **2026-08** — Announced marketplace referral partnerships with TVEyes and Listicle Liaison, available beginning September 1.
- **2026-08** — Reported Q2 2026 revenue of $5.6 million, a GAAP continuing-operations net loss of about $0.4 million, and 1,162 subscription customers at June 30, including 115 education-platform subscribers.
- **2026-03** — Annual filing reported the first-quarter launch of ACCESS Verified, an AI-driven verification and distribution enhancement.

## Links

- Website: https://www.accessnewswire.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbalbirnie

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-balbirnie
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-06