New PRSA Cleve. logo

 
June
 
E-Newsletter
Jun 11, 2009
In This E-Newsletter
PRSA member deploys overseas
Post your PR news on PRSA's website
PRSA & NIRI members get "street" smart at June event
Go green at Cleveland's Greenhouse with the PRos
Free PR resources just a click away
Hasty Impressions  Rick Batyko headshot
 
Like a million or so people, you have probably seen the "Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism" videos created by local comedian Mike Polk that poke fun at Cleveland. Credit to Positively Cleveland, the convention and visitors bureau, for countering with a contest to showcase positive versions of the concept that received national attention and included Polk as a judge. (Looks like a Silver Anvil contender to me!) You can view the videos at www.positivelycleveland.com/hastilymade.
 
Dueling videos may make for good fun, but there is a serious side to the impressions others have of our region. As members of the Greater Cleveland Chapter, we have a stake in the opinions people hold of Northeast Ohio. Good impressions are a factor in helping us retain and attract talented professionals, as well as the companies and organizations that employ them. In spite of what you may have been led to believe, research by the Cleveland Plus Marketing Alliance shows only 13 percent of U.S. residents hold a negative opinion of our region. The study found 26 percent of the population is positive while 61 percent is neutral.
 
As practitioners, we know that just a few words or an experience can hastily move someone from a neutral to a positive or negative position. I urge all of us to keep in mind that in the course of our work and our interactions with people outside the region, we play an important role in helping to shape the impressions others have of Northeast Ohio. Ultimately, we all want our area to grow and prosper.
 
For, in the context of this publication, as the region goes, so goes our chapter!

Rick Batyko, APR
President, PRSA Greater Cleveland Partnership
PRSA member deploys to Afghanistan 

Take a moment to say thanks: One of our chapter's members is currently serving our country in Afghanistan. Technical Sergeant Nicole Sharply is assigned to a munitions position. When not on active duty, she works for PR Newswire here in Cleveland. We bet she'd like to hear from anyone who could take a moment and send a kind thought and a word of thanks to her at [email protected]. Her mailing address is: 

Nicole Sharpley, TSGT
455 AEW/EAMXS/C-130 AMU
APO AE 09354
Member recruitment contest: win a night out on PRSA 
 
Recruit a new member to the Cleveland PRSA chapter between now and the end of 2009 and you'll be entered into a contest to win a free night's stay in 2010 in a two-room suite at the Cleveland Downtown Doubletree with access to the hotel's Executive Lounge (some limitations may apply), a $100 gift card for a PlayhouseSquare show good for all of 2010 and a $100 gift certificate for the Star restaurant (located in the Playhouse Square complex). Special thank to the Doubletree for providing the chapter with a suite for this contest. Make sure the new member you recruit to the chapter tells us you did the recruiting and you're entered to win!
Making your dues payments smaller and easier! 
 
Now Pay National Dues Through Quarterly Payment Plan
PRSA members can renew with quarterly payments by visiting http://www.prsa.org/membership/Renewal%20and%20Reinstatement.html or contact Jackie Gonsalves, Member Services billing manager, at [email protected] or 212-460-1492. The option is for renewing members only and is not available through online renewal.
 
New members - Skip the initiation fee!
New PRSA members can avoid paying the $65 national initiation if they join before the end of this month. Learn more at: http://www.prsa.org/membership/staysmart
PRSA chapter member organizations invited to have their news posted on the Cleveland PRSA website
 
Member news icon
PRSA Greater Cleveland member organizations are invited - as a benefit of memership - to send in their news items to be posted on the Cleveland PRSA chapter's website. This news can range from major contracts, to new hires and promotions, to awards and much more.
 
For more information, visit our website at www.prsacleveland.org.
News items appear under the "Member News" column on our homepage, and also on a "Member News" page. For more information or to submit items, contact our chapter's administrative office (440) 988-1112, or [email protected]
Getting smart on the Street at Pickwick
 
Members of both PRSA and NIRI - the National Investor Relations Institute -- got "street smart" with Mike Santoli from Barron's at a jointly-held meet-and-greet event held June 1 at Pickwick & Frolic, in downtown Cleveland. Santoli, an associate editor for the magazine, mingled with guests and gave brief remarks at the happy hour networking event. He provided the crowd with insight into the publication's coverage and readership.
 
Santoli writes the "Streetwise" column for Barron's, offering a forward-looking take on financial markets, illuminating market trends and identifying investment opportunities. He is also a regular on-air contributor to several national business cable and broadcast networks.
 
This event,sponsored by by Dix & Eaton and the Cleveland Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute, is just a part of the robust programming done by the Cleveland chapter of PRSA. For a list of all the events, go to: http://www.prsacleveland.org/content/events.asp
Getting green at the Greenhouse with the PRos
 greenhouse young pros
Enjoy the outdoors this summer and "Go Green" with the YoungPRos at The Greenhouse Tavern. As you know, Clevelanders wait a long time for the snow to melt and plants to bloom. So the Young PRos are inviting you to enjoy Mother Nature (and a drink or two) in this earth-friendly, certified green restaurant complete with a delectable menu that supports our local farmers.
  • 6:30-8 p.m., Wednesday, June 17, 2009
  • The Greenhouse Tavern, 2038 E 4th Street, Cleveland, OH 44115 (downtown)
  • Members and nonmembers are encouraged to attend and join the group

About Young PRos
As public relations professionals, we all know how difficult it can be to explain to "outsiders" what exactly it is we do all day. Add to that the fact that you are new to the profession and trying to advance along your career track, excelling in this field can feel daunting at times.

 
The Young PRos Committee
  • Kira Hennessey, Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP, Committee Chair
  • Becky Casto, Falls Communications
  • Maureen Nagg, Marcus Thomas LLC
  • Christina Karas, thunder::tech
  • Misty Fry, thunder::tech
That's why the Cleveland chapter of PRSA has established Young PRos, a group tailored specifically toward those with less than seven years of public relations or marketing experience. Our mission is to provide opportunities for individual professional growth while building a strong network of peers.
 
For more information about the the Cleveland Chapter of PRSA, upcoming events and job postings, please visit www.prsacleveland.org 
Other upcoming PRSA events
 
Here is the list of other upcoming PRSA events. For more information about these events check our website's Events page regularly. 
  • July 15: "Finding your Career" with Laurie Mitchell
  • August: Speed Networking, co-presented with IABC
  • September: Business and the Media
  • October: Professional Development
  • November: Student Day
  • Friday, December 4: Cleveland Rocks Awards
PRSA has got free resources for you just a click away

Get your money's worth from your PRSA dues by taking advantage of their free-to-member resources. Among them is PRC Search that connects you with a fully accessible online reference library that houses a vast collection of full-text articles from PRSA's publications, PR Tactics and The Strategist, as well as hundreds of groundbreaking Silver and Bronze Anvil campaign profiles dating back to 1969. You will quickly and easily find the answers you need within this indispensible knowledge repository. PRSA members have unlimited FREE access to PRC Search as a member benefit! Go to www.prsa.org and click on the Resources option.
Don't forget to vote on chapter bylaw change if you haven't already

Don't forget to vote: It's not too late to vote on a resolution the board has floated to members. The resolution seeks to amend the chapter's bylaws to allow a Vice President for Communications to be added to the PRSA Greater Cleveland Board of Directors Executive Committee. Take a few seconds and cast your vote by clicking here.