NEWS BRIEFS

AUSTIN, TX: Tonic Software, an Austin-based Web producer of application management software, has tapped marketing communications veteran Gwen Smith as its first director of PR, reporting to chief marketing officer Debbie Yount. Smith came to Tonic from FreeMe.com, where she served as marketing director until the start-up shut down last month. Prior to that, she was an account director for Citigate Cunningham's Austin branch and spent nine years in marketing positions for Salt Lake City companies such as Megahertz/US Robotics and Dayna Communications.