"Back" to School and "Forward" with New Leadership!

Counting Down...
As my term as President winds down, this week and next will be my last blogs. It's hard to believe that the year is almost over...but I leave you in good hands with President-Elect Bryan Beaty!

Installation of Officers and Awards Ceremony
Speaking of President-Elect Beaty, you don't want to miss the 2009-10 FPRA Treasure Coast Chapter Installation of Officers and Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at noon. The location is the Kight Center, Room 309, on the Indian River State College Campus in Fort Pierce. At the Ceremony, we will announce the 2008-09 Member of the Year, the Virginia Moulton President's Award recipient and the Adrienne Moore Award of Excellence winner to three deserving members of the Treasure Coast Chapter. We'll also celebrate the State Awards for Best Chapter Newsletter, President's Award for Communications and Outstanding Chapter of the Year. Reservations can be made online at www.fpratreasurecoast.com and the cost is $20 per person. Thanks and see you at the celebration!



And There’s More…
In last week’s blog, I mentioned the extensive participation from the Treasure Coast Chapter in the Annual Conference. I neglected two things: Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC was installed on the State Board as the Florida Public Relations Association’s Education Foundation Chair for 2009-10 and IRSC associate professor James Mason prepared the opening video for
state president Lanette Hart, APR, CPRC. The video showed photos of her chapter visits, the voiceover referred to the State theme of “The Birth of New Ideas” and included baby photos of the Executive Committee members.

Member News
Steve Schmoyer of Multicolor Printing Inc. hosted seven Indian River State College graphic design students recently at his printing facility in Stuart. He welcomed the students and their instructor, Walter Hines, IRSC Assistant Professor-Graphic Design, Advanced Technology Division for a 90-minute presentation.

During the visit, IRSC students learned pre-press techniques and digital file preparation for Quark XPress projects in a contemporary, commercial printing environment. Among the topics covered were: PDF creation and setting preferences, hot-folders, page imposition and on-the-fly PDF editing. Schmoyer provided an overview of the printing industry, past and present, and its close relationship with graphic designers. The presentation included demonstrations of several printing and finishing processes including, lithographic offset, letterpress, die-cutting, hot foil stamping and embossing.

IRSC students appreciated the quality time and professional advice given to them through these hands-on opportunities. The students enjoyed learning about the complete printing process start to finish in full detail. Way to go Steve!

Have a great week!
Linette

The Final Piece of the Puzzle ~ Outstanding Chapter of the Year!

Hello FPRA Treasure Coast Chapter!

As you saw last week, our Chapter put the “final piece in the puzzle” by winning the “Outstanding Chapter of the Year” for the first time in our 25-year history! All year, this Chapter pulled together, worked hard as a team and advanced the public relations profession on the Treasure Coast. We are a wonderful team and I appreciate everything each and every one of you did this year to make this recognition possible. And, as your President, I am so proud to have served such a fantastic group of PR Professionals this past year.

Congratulations goes to Communications Chair, Erick Gill, who made it possible for us to win the President’s Award for Communications. And thanks to Misti Guertin, APR and Sarah Starr, our newsletter editors, who made it possible for us to win the Best Chapter Newsletter Award, too!

FPRA State President, Lanette Hart, APR, CPRC, was kind enough to share her comments with me and I’d like to share them with you:

President’s Award for Communications
Communications plays such a major role in the success of any organization or business. Identifying your target audiences and understanding the importance of message consistency and continued dialogue is incredibly important. The same can be said of an FPRA Chapter. Timely and meaningful information being sent to members in the manner in which they’d like it received is a delicate balance. I believe one chapter rose to the top in this area and gave the perfect example of how to do it right this year. In fact, this chapter lead the way for many of the chapters by being the first to announce their new chapter blog, and they were probably wondering why they weren’t mentioned for new technology because they did SO much in this area, even sharing ideas and helping other chapters as they set up their own blogs or other tools in the “new technology” department. However, this chapter didn’t just excel in the area of new technology; they excelled in all areas of communications. The chapter we will honor today has spent the year finding new ways to take their communications to new levels through already established tools and the introduction of many new ones! Chapter communications efforts were top priority for this chapter. From an upgraded Web site to a weekly President’s blog, communications to their members, the State Executive Committee and Board updates, and media and non-members were of utmost importance. In September, the first redesigned e-newsletter, The PRO, was issued. Continued upgrades and enhancements of the chapter’s Website provided new options and content. The chapter distributed more than 21 press releases with several media hits included newspaper and magazine articles and radio shows. The President’s new idea was to begin and maintain a weekly blog to communicate to the members. Additionally, the chapter created a Facebook page and LinkedIn group. Let’s hear it for Linette Trabulsy and the Treasure Coast Chapter for their outstanding work in Communications this year!

Best Chapter Newsletter (presented by Melanie Mowery Etters, APR, CPRC, FPRA State Communications Chair)
I will share that the newsletter competition was extremely close. Chapters, please keep up the great work next year. Let me tell you some of the comments from the judges in selecting our winner.

• This chapter newsletter had outstanding graphics which increased its readability.
• Visually it was attractive
• It contained lots of information about a variety of subjects
• And, it was consistently of high quality

Our 2009 winner for the Best FPRA Chapter Newsletter is: The Pro Newsletter from the Treasure Coast Chapter, President: Linette Trabulsy, Newsletter Editor: Sarah Starr and Designer: Misti Guertin, APR. Congratulations to the Treasure Coast and Thank you all!

Outstanding Chapter of the Year (Presented by Lanette Hart, APR, CPRC, FPRA State President)
The chapter that I’m about to honor with the most coveted “Outstanding Chapter of the Year” had their sights set on this award going into the year, and they shared that with me last August when I visited their chapter to install their new board. As far as I’m concerned they have more than earned it. But, I have to tell you, several chapters gave you all a serious run for your money!!! I can’t really tell you how difficult a decision this was to make. I truly believe you all did an outstanding job this year and I am not ashamed to admit that I did lose some sleep on making this and many of these award selections. So many of you have worked so hard all year and I’m so honored to have had the chance to serve alongside you. However, the chapter we honor today really outdid themselves and it truly was a team effort; all year I saw the perfect teamwork of the president, the immediate past president, the president-elect and many of the other chapter leaders and members. What really stood out to me was how they didn’t stop there. They were eager to share best practices with so many of the other chapters and really led the way with being available to help others when they were called upon to assist with “how-to’s” and other such info sharing and teamwork. This chapter had an exciting and busy year. From a “puzzle” themed Installation Ceremony in September to the annual Media Conference in June, high quality opportunities for member professional development, networking, local awards competitions and leadership were presented. The chapter’s theme, “Putting All the Pieces of the Puzzle Together,” was used to build a network of professionals and put all the pieces into place to form one awesome chapter. After such a strong year and excelling in so many areas, this chapter is poised to flourish and continue to provide the pieces of the puzzle for this chapter for many years to come. Cleary it’s a great time to be part of FPRA at the Treasure Coast Chapter and I’ve been so pleased and impressed with this chapter. Please join me in congratulating Linette Trabulsy and her fabulous chapter! Will you all come forward to be recognized?

Chapter Participation at Annual Conference
While we were at the Annual Conference, it occurred to me that the Treasure Coast Chapter really went above and beyond to help make the conference successful. From raising money for the Foundation to participating in panel presentations, our Chapter served the association by hosting, sponsoring and assisting with the conference including:

• Coordinated and presented a panel discussion for the Student Track of the conference -- Debra Banta, APR, and a committee of five other local FPRA members presented “What Is Public Relations/PR Career Opportunities” to a group of university students at the conference. Panelists discussed their jobs as public relations professionals, how they got into their career and offered advice for entering the public relations field. The panel included: Banta, Trabulsy, Kendall Clifford with The Firefly Group, Pat Austin Novak, APR, Audra Shaneman of Mariner Sands Country Club and Sam Yates with Yates and Associates.
• Blogged from the conference -- Bryan Beaty, president-elect of the Treasure Coast Chapter, was part of the blogging team that provided real-time information from the conference (www.fprablog.org).
• Assisted with Student Track presenters -- Cara Perry, of FAU Treasure Coast Campus, assisted the State Conference Chair, Karen Smittle, APR, with the coordination and scheduling of speakers for the Student Track of the Conference.
• Introduced speakers -- Linette Trabulsy, your Chapter President, was honored to introduce a legend in our profession -- Mr. Joseph Curley, APR, CPRC as one of the speakers during conference.
• Coordinated and hosted the FPRA Education Foundation annual scholarship fundraiser -- Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC served as the chairman of the fundraiser which raised $8,000 for scholarships given to university students going into the public relations profession.
• Provided golf lessons for the participants -- as part of the fundraising efforts of the Foundation, an annual golf outing is provided to the participants of the conference on the Sunday before the meetings. Chapter member Susan Naugle, of the Executive Women’s Golf Association, provided the lessons.

Even before the conference, our Chapter won 3rd place in the State’s Chapter Challenge by promoting Annual Conference, Image Awards and Golden Image Awards. For our efforts, our Chapter was given a prime spot table at Golden Image Awards along with a bottle of wine. Thanks to all who helped before, during and after annual conference! Your hard work really paid off!

Golden Image Awards
Speaking of Golden Image Awards, congratulations goes to Stacy Ranieri and Nancy McCarthy, APR of The Firefly Group for their Award of Distinction at Golden Image Awards for their work on the Manatee Pocket Dredging Website. Congratulations also goes to Doreen Poreba, APR, of the PR Czar, for her Award of Distinction and Judges Award at Golden Image Awards for her work on Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow news release for the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast. Way to go ladies!!!


What's on the Horizon
Looking forward to 2009-10, I wanted the theme to be: Do it again in 2010....but we’ll just have to wait to see what Mr. President Bryan Beaty has up his sleeve! Whatever the theme, it will certainly be an exciting year under his leadership. Please mark your calendars now for our Annual Meeting and Installation of Officers and Directors, scheduled for Wednesday, September 2nd at noon at the IRSC Kight Center for Emerging Technologies, room 309. If you haven’t already done so, please go online and RSVP by clicking here.

Wow! Thanks again for all you do, did and will do in the future for FPRA! :-)

Have a great week,
Linette

F.I.R.E! Can’t make it to Conference…you can still be part of the FUN!

Thanks to Universal Studios, the FPRE Foundation has received a two-night stay at the Loew’s Royal Pacific Resort and four (4) two-day Universal Studios park passes for a weekend of family fun. This gift package is valued at $1,000.

You don’t have to attend annual conference to participate in this fabulous experience. Take a chance and you just might win a weekend at one of Florida’s top attractions for you and your family or friends, with accommodations at one of Florida’s top hotel facilities. Don’t miss The Simpsons, E.T., Shrek and lots of other friends from Universal Studios!!

To enter your name in this drawing click here to make a $10 donation. Donations are not required and your name can be entered in this drawing by faxing your name, chapter name and phone number to (941) 906-1556.

The winner will be announced at the end of the HOT STUFF/COOL CASH auction fundraiser at the Boca Raton Resort on Monday, August 9, 2009. Don’t miss out on this exciting weekend package! As required by Florida law related to non-profit raffles, no purchase or contribution is necessary to participate. You do not have to be present to win.

Still want to attend conference? It’s not too late!
Conference is a time to renew your professional self, connect with old friends and meet new professional peers and ensure that you are linked in with the who’s who in public relations in the state of Florida. Join 200 of your closest PR friends and get the most out of your membership by registering today! click here.

The Treasure Coast AdFed Presents: "The Incredible Changing Newspaper"
The Treasure Coast Advertising Federation will host “The Incredible Changing Newspaper,” a panel discussion with executives from the Treasure Coast’s daily newspapers, featuring Bob Brunjes of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and Chuck Gerardi of The Palm Beach Post. Moderator for the discussion will be celebrity spokesperson Greg Rice. Attendees are requested to e-mail any questions they have for the panel to fineartdaily@gmail.com prior to the event.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Indian River State College’s Chastain Campus, 2400 SE Salerno Road in Stuart. Cost is $17 for members and $20 for non-members; lunch is included. RSVP to the Ad Fed web site at www.treasurecoastadfed.com.

The Treasure Coast Advertising Federation, an affiliate of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), meets on the third Tuesday of each month at locations throughout the Treasure Coast. The AAF is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals through a network of 200 ad clubs in communities across the country. For more information, contact Ad Fed President Jodi Connolly at 772-409-1391 or jodi.connolly@scripps.com, or visit the club’s website at www.treasurecoastadfed.com.

Winding Down...

Hello FPRA Treasure Coast!

Winding Down...
As summertime winds down, my term as President winds down as well. Your President-Elect, Bryan Beaty, will officially be sworn in as President on August 10 at the State FPRA Annual Conference in Boca Raton. A local Chapter Installation Ceremony will take place in September. I hope you will make plans to join us at the Installation Ceremony (when the date and location is finalized, I'll let you know!) to welcome your 2009-10 FPRA Treasure Coast Board of Directors. I can say that this has been a wonderful experience for me and I look forward to working closely with Bryan and the rest of the Board next year to continue the good things we have started this year.

Annual Conference is Only Two Weeks Away!

2009 FPRA Annual Conference!
PR on F.I.R.E.
Foundation, Innovation, Reputation, Education

Join us for 3-days of “hot” professional development topics ranging from new media to green marketing and beyond. This year’s conference will offer attendees the tools, tactics and strategies needed for success. Put yourself in the F.I.R.E! Check out the State's NEW website at www.fpra.org for detailed information about the agenda, registration information and a video presentation about the conference!

http://www.fpra.org/Professional_Development/Annual_Conference_Video.aspx

FPRE Education Foundation Silent and Live Auction Items Still Needed!
Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC is still looking for items for the FPRE Foundation Auction. She recently acquired a $1,000 Universal Studios package as well as JetBlue airline tickets! If you have an idea for an auction item, please contact Adrienne at adrienne.moore7@gmail.com.

Member News
Congratulations to Earle Kirkbride, an FPRA Treasure Coast Member from Indian River County. Earle recently published a book titled Letters Home. The book is based on the letters his late wife, Norma Jean Cone, wrote to her mother, sister and brother while she was the first American woman on the team inventorying the assets of the Bank of Japan in Tokyo right after the Japanese surrender in 1945.

Through Letters Home, the reader gets a personal view of what life was like for a young American woman who was a civilian employee with General Douglas MacArthur’s occupying force of 200,000 G.I’s. At the same time that her team was finding paper bags of diamonds in the vaults, she was learning a little about Japanese culture, sightseeing, attending dances, and developing a deep friendship, which ended tragically. Some of these activities are documented in the book with photos she took.

Letters Home is available online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Local book stores can also order it from the publisher iuniverse. Earle also donated an autographed copy for the FPRA Education Foundation fundraiser at the Annual Conference! Congratulations!

Have a great week!
Linette

Fun in the Sun!

Hello FPRA Treasure Coast!

A Big Thank You!
Thank you to President-Elect Bryan Beaty as he filled in for me last week while I was on vacation in Islamorada. I have to say, Facebook made it possible for me to share some fun videos and pictures while on my trip with all my friends. Facebook has really changed the way we work and play!

I'd like to remind you about my different contact information. Please make note that you can now find me at:

St. Anastasia Catholic School
401 South 33rd Street
Fort Pierce, FL 34947
ltrabulsy@stanna.org
(772) 461-2232

Annual Conference is Only Three Weeks Away!

2009 FPRA Annual Conference!
PR on F.I.R.E.
Foundation, Innovation, Reputation, Education

Join us for 3-days of “hot” professional development topics ranging from new media to green marketing and beyond. This year’s conference will offer attendees the tools, tactics and strategies needed for success. Put yourself in the F.I.R.E! Check out the State's NEW website at www.fpra.org for detailed information about the agenda, registration information and a video presentation about the conference!

http://www.fpra.org/Professional_Development/Annual_Conference_Video.aspx

FPRE Education Foundation Silent and Live Auction Items Still Needed!
Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC is still looking for items for the FPRE Foundation Auction. She recently acquired a $1,000 Universal Studios package as well as JetBlue airline tickets! Woo hoo! If you have an idea for an auction item, please contact Adrienne at adrienne.moore7@gmail.com.

Have a great week!
Linette

And Now A Word From The President-In-Training

Good afternoon Treasure Coast Chapter!

While President Trabulsy is away this week, I have the privileged of presiding at today's membership meeting and writing this week's blog. I suppose this is good training for next year and also a good opportunity to understand first hand the work that our President has undertaken during the 11 months.

July Membership Meeting Re-Cap
Today, more than 20 members and guests heard first-hand how to effectively and efficiently launch and coordinate an organizational re-branding and image initiative. Aileen Izquierdo, Vice President of Communication for Florida Atlantic University presented “Brand New. FAU’s Journey Through the World of Visual Identity.” This initiative was conducted to allow FAU to revise their institutional image through visual identifiers such as their academic logo, athletic logo and official seal. Aileen stated that organizational brands tend to take a life of their own and that it's important to maintain a brand's integrity through proper procedures for it's usage.

Also at today's meeting the 2009-10 FPRA Treasure Coast Chapter Board of Directors Slate of Officers was approved. The Slate is as follows:

Executive Committee:
President – Bryan Beaty, Indian River State College
Immediate Past President – Linette Trabulsy, St. Annastasia Catholic School
1st Vice President, President-Elect – TBD
2nd Vice President, Membership – Kathryn Treadwell, ARC of Martin County
Treasurer – Lisa Swyryn, Communigraphics
Secretary – Samantha Kayser, inVision Brand Partners, Inc.

Directors:
Image Awards Chair: Louise Murtaugh, APR, Molly’s House;
Committee Members: Robin Delgado, Attorney Philip DeBerard, Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC, A. Moore Communications Strategies; Kherri Anderson, Martin County Supervisor of Elections

Professional Development (Includes Media Conference, High School presentation, etc.) Co-Chairs: Krista Garofalo, United Way of St. Lucie County and Lauren Anderson, Stuart Cardiology Associates

Media Conference Committee Members: Beverly Bevis Jones, APR, BBJones Communications; Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC; other committee members: TBD

Communications Chair: Erick Gill, St. Lucie County;
Committee Members: Newsletter Writer – Sue-Ellen Sanders; Layout - Robert Lane, IRSC; Website – Mark Weinberg, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office

Programs Chair: Cara Perry, FAU Treasure Coast Campus
Committee Members: TBD (need 3-4)

Accreditation & Certification Chair: Nancy McCarthy, APR, The Firefly Group

Indian River Council Co-Chairs: Sarah Starr, Childcare Resources of Indian River County and TBD

As you can see, we have a couple key “TBDs” in the slate. If you are interested in serving on a committee or a leadership role for the Executive Committee, please contact Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC at adrienne.moore7@gmail.com for information.

News from the State Office
The last day to register for FPRA's 71st Annual Conference and receive the early bird discount is
this Sunday, July 19h. After that, the rate goes from $595 to $675. Register today for Florida's
premier public relations professional development opportunity on the NEW FPRA Web site at www.fpra.org.


Across-the-board room upgrades are still available for conference attendees. For example,
rooms in the tower used to be $165 and are now $155. The Yacht Club, which was not available before, is now available for $165. The bungalow one-bedroom suites, which were $185, are now $169. And the bungalow two-bedroom suite, which was not previously available, is now available for $199. Although the hotel registration deadline has passed, our special room rates are available as long as rooms are available at the Boca Raton Resort. Call 1-888-503-2622 for reservations.

Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC is still looking for outstanding items for the FPRE Foundation Auction. She has been very successful so far in collecting items such as College Football Tickets and a lunch for four with a NASA astronaut including a VIP tour of the Space Center. If you have an idea for an auction item, please contact Adrienne in the next week adrienne.moore7@gmail.com.

Enjoy the rest of your week!
Bryan
a/k/a President-in-Training

Out of the Loop

Hello Treasure Coast Chapter!

I've started my new job at St. Anastasia Catholic School, but am still a bit out of the loop. Hopefully, by the end of the week, I'll be back up and running with e-mail and other forms of communication. If you need to reach me, please e-mail me at ltrabulsy@stanna.org or call me at (772) 216-8631.

Last Day to Register for the July Monthly Business Meeting is Friday, July 10!
Make your reservation TODAY for the Chapter’s last monthly business meeting of the year scheduled for Tuesday, July 14th at 11:30 a.m. at the IRSC Schreiber Center in St. Lucie West. Aileen Izquierdo, Vice President of Communication, Florida Atlantic University will present: “Brand New. FAU’s Journey Through the World of Visual Identity.” Izquierdo is responsible for creating and managing integrated communications plans and initiatives for internal and external university audiences that are aligned with the University’s strategic plan. Izquierdo is the first Hispanic vice president in the FAU’s 44 year history.

The Treasure Coast Chapter invites all interested public relations practitioners and anyone responsible for handling company communications. The cost is $15 for FPRA members and $20 for non-members. Again this month, Panera Bread will be catering lunch.

The Treasure Coast Chapter is privileged to have Ms. Izquierdo present at our monthly business meeting. Let’s show her a very warm welcome to the Treasure Coast by attending this last meeting of the year! RSVP NOW online at http://www.fpratreasurecoast.com/ or by calling Cara Perry, Director of University Relations at FAU Treasure Coast Campus, at (772) 873-3339.


Reminder...the FPRA 2009-10 Treasure Coast Chapter Board of Directors Slate of Officers Set for Vote at the July 14th Meeting
The 2009-10 FPRA Treasure Coast Chapter Board of Directors Slate of Officers will be presented to the membership for approval at the July Monthly Business Meeting. The Slate is as follows:

Executive Committee:
President – Bryan Beaty, Indian River State College
Immediate Past President – Linette Trabulsy, South Florida Water Management District
1st Vice President, President-Elect – TBD
2nd Vice President, Membership – Kathryn Treadwell, ARC of Martin County
Treasurer – Lisa Swyryn, Communigraphics
Secretary – Samantha Kayser, inVision Brand Partners, Inc.

Directors:
Image Awards
Chair: Louise Murtaugh, APR, Molly’s House; Committee Members: Robin Delgado, Attorney Philip DeBerard, Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC, A. Moore Communications Strategies; Kherri Anderson, Martin County Supervisor of Elections

Professional Development (Includes Media Conference, High School presentation, etc.)
Co-Chairs: Krista Garofalo, United Way of St. Lucie County and Lauren Anderson, Stuart Cardiology Associates; Media Conference Committee Members: Beverly Bevis Jones, APR, BBJones Communications; Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC; other committee members: TBD

Communications
Chair: Erick Gill, St. Lucie County; Committee Members: Newsletter Writer – Sue-Ellen Sanders; Newsletter Layout - Robert Lane, IRSC; Website – Mark Weinberg, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office

Programs
Chair: Cara Perry, FAU Treasure Coast Campus
Committee Members: TBD (need 3-4)

Accreditation & Certification
Chair: Nancy McCarthy, APR, The Firefly Group

Indian River Council
Co-Chairs: Sarah Starr, Childcare Resources of Indian River County and TBD

As you can see, we have a couple key “TBDs” in the slate. If you are interested in serving on a committew or a leadership role for the Executive Committee, please contact Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC at adrienne.moore7@gmail.com for information.


Deadline for Registration for Annual Conference – PR on FIRE - July 19!
Register now and make your hotel reservations (http://waldorfastoria.hilton.com/en/wa/groups/personalized/BCTBCWA-ZZEPRZ-20090803/index.jhtml). The deadline for early registration is July 19, 2009, and the deadline for hotel reservations at the FPRA discounted price is July 9, 2009. Hotel rooms are going fast, so reserve your room as soon as possible.

71ST FPRA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Location: Boca Raton Resort and Club, Boca Raton, FL
Date: August 9 – 12, 2009
Registration Fee: $595/person

Have a great week,
Linette