International public relations firm Cohn & Wolfe, which got its start in Atlanta before closing its doors in 2000, is back.

The company, which went on to success in cities around the world, is merging with competitor GCI Group, which has an office in Atlanta.

The merged agency will take the Cohn & Wolfe name.

The move could pit the resurrected Cohn & Wolfe against one of its original owners, industry icon Bob Cohn, who now heads another Atlanta PR firm, Cohn, Overstreet and Parrish.

"I was surprised that it happened because there were rumors about this three years ago," Cohn said. "I'm happy that Cohn & Wolfe is coming back to Atlanta. It was unfortunate it was ever shuttered."

Cohn said he left the company he founded a decade ago after a compensation dispute. His new company is a "boutique" integrated marketing firm that handles public relations, interactivity and print design services. Their clients include Macy's and Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A.

Donna Fleishman, who heads GCI Group's Atlanta office, will continue on as president of Cohn and Wolfe Atlanta.

WPP, the holding company that owns Cohn & Wolfe, said the new firm will combine Cohn & Wolfe's brand-building and creative programming with GCI Group's expertise in digital and social media.

Cohn said time will tell whether the similarity in the firms' names will cause confusion.

"In terms of the name being on two doors, I don't know how complicated that will be," he said.

Amy Parrish, Cohn's partner in his new firm, said Cohn is an institution and that it's not surprising that the merged Cohn & Wolfe/GCI Group would use his name.

"He has created a lot of the best practices in the PR world," she said. "Bob Cohn is quoted in textbooks. [Cohn & Wolfe] may have the name, but we have the real thing."