PRSA Buffalo Niagara News
January 2007
From the President: A Bright Tomorrow
Tom Lucia
For baseball fans, each season's opening day is hailed as a rebirth. An open slate. That day the possibilities are endless, potential is unlimited, and thoughts of success abound. The flags wave, the fans cheer, and the beloved cliché “Hope springs eternal” is tossed around even more than the baseballs themselves.
Well, Jan. 1 was opening day on another year for our chapter. And with it, “hope springs eternal.”
Each and every member should be excited about the direction we are headed in. Our chapter is solid financially, our ranks continue to swell to record levels, and our leadership remains firmly committed to boosting the value of your membership. I can say without hesitation that it is the goal of every single board/committee member to ensure that your $40 check for chapter dues is the easiest one you write all year long.
Specifically, a few highlights for the upcoming year will be:
- The expansion of the chapter’s diversity initiative.
- The rolling out of a mentoring program for our new professionals.
- The addition of a handful of purely social/networking outings.
- A continued commitment to quality programming that touches on the topics you are most interested in – crisis communications, media relations, integrated marketing, etc.
- A new-look awards event.
- And maybe even a surprise or two along the way.
It is my sincere hope that you are just as excited about 2007 as I am. When the playing field is pristine, the strategy is sound, and the players are all-star caliber, success is guaranteed. And that is the way I feel about our chapter in the days ahead. Play ball!
Upcoming Chapter Programs
Committed to providing quality programming for professional development, the Buffalo Niagara Chapter is kicking off 2007 with a PRSA Teleseminar on Branding on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at Travers Collins & Company. Learn how strategic planning and public relations, beyond just publicity, can be successfully integrated with branding to help organizations successfully establish positive brand identities. The Program Committee would like to thank Bill Collins for making this program FREE to our members.
Are you interested in learning more about the value of accreditation and how to obtain it? Then join us at Univera Healthcare on Thursday, Feb. 15, for an APR orientation session designed to get candidates started on their way to becoming accredited. Look for more information on our APR review class too.
Do you believe in Buffalo? Do you believe that Buffalo can turn around and bring quality businesses and jobs to Western New York? As communication professionals, we have made a career of turning something old into something new, revitalizing and changing communication and perceptions of our product, service or organization. Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at the Buffalo Museum of Science as we discuss the different perspectives and unique outlook into what Buffalo’s future holds and share ideas about how we can be part of the movement toward a bigger and better Buffalo.
Join us on Thursday, March 22, from 5-7:30 p.m., for the October Storm: Communication Strategies in the Flurry of Mother Nature at the Albright-Knozx Art Gallery. We will reminisce about the October Surprise, as communication professionals from local utility companies discuss crisis communication strategies utilized during the flurry of the October storm! What worked, what didn't and what changes need to be made for the future. Panelists include Steve Brady, National Grid; Steve Jaworowski, Time Warner Cable, and Maureen Rasp-Glose,
On Tuesday, April 24, we will be holding our ever-popular “Meet the Media” program at the Holiday Inn in Amherst. Join local and national media folks as they discuss the newspaper industry and where it’s headed, how to distribute your company’s news to national media outlets, and more.
Learn more or register for these upcoming programs now!
APR
The next APR orientation session is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 15, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Univera Healthcare, 200 Park Club Lane in Williamsville. Please
The MarCom Creative Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding achievements by marketing and communication professionals. McAuliffe’s honor came from among more than 5,000 entries from throughout the United States and several foreign countries. Congratulations Virginia!
