Pierce Communications Blog

This article is a bit long, but well worth reading.  It includes many of the same messages we give our clients every day.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/04/04/10-communication-secrets-of-great-leaders/

Check out this cool new site www.albany2cents.com and add your two cents to what’s happening in the area and across the nation.

We are thrilled to say that for the third year in a row, we have been retained by the fine folks who produce the Windham Mountain Bike World Cup to handle all communications and media relations activities for this international event.  From June 30th to July 1st, the world’s best professional mountain bikers will converge on Windham Mountain as the resort town hosts the seventh in a series of 10 World Cup events held all over the globe. Pre-event festivities will take place from June 26th to June 29th.

For the past two years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with the organizing team and more than 100 journalists from all over the world.  With more than 1,000 racers and more than 15,000 spectators attending this exciting event, the mountain and the town are alive with activity. For more details, visit www.racewindham.com

Mark your calendar for this very cool summer event and plan to join us in Windham!

Our friends at Unity House need some help as they prepare to open the new domestic violence shelter in Troy in March.  Would you please consider buying and donating one of the items listed below?  How simple would it be to pick up a package of socks or pajamas, a set of sheets or some potholders or towels the next time you are shopping?  Your help would be greatly appreciated by the Unity House staff, and by us!

Some of the needed items include:  twin size sheets, comforters and bed-in-a-bag sets; bath, hand and face towels; dish towels and dish cloths; potholders; ladies pajamas, sweat suits and socks; children’s pajamas, socks and underwear; toaster ovens and coffeemakers.

Donations can be dropped of at Unity House’s Development Office at 33 Second Street in Troy.   Or, if you would like to conduct a drive for these items at your place of work, or with your club, team, book group or group of friends, Unity House will gladly pick up your donations.

Questions?  Please call Diane Cameron Pascone in the Unity House Development Office at 518.274.2633, extension 356 or email her at DCameron@UnityhouseNY.org

Quick facts about the Unity House Domestic Violence Program: In 2011, Unity House sheltered 106 women and 56 children.  Because of space limitations in the old shelter, they were forced to redirect more than 340 additional victims and their 428 children to distant shelters or motels.  With the new 33-bed shelter, they will double the number of women and children served each year.

To our clients who were able to attend our holiday open house on Friday, thanks for joining us.  We were happy to show off our cool office space and to share some laughs with you.  To all of our clients, know that we value your business and your friendship and look forward to another productive year working together.

Happy Holidays!

Our new logo sign greets you as you leave the elevator and enter our offices

Tools of our trade

Not quite the smartphones we use today, but a tribute to the past

Thanks to our good friend Mark Duffy, we have some really cool artwork hanging on our walls these days.  We asked Mark to create some paintings that illustrate the tools of our trade and he did a fantastic job.  And just today, he came by with the latest installation — a large sign depicting our logo that you’ll see as you step out of the elevator into our offices.  Come visit us soon!

And now a word from our president on the occasion of Pierce Communications’ 8th anniversary:

Eight years ago, when I started Pierce Communications in the attic of my house I never would have dreamed that in 2011 I would be sitting at a desk in an office with my name on the door, with phones ringing and computers chirping throughout the day and night.  I also never dreamed that eight years later I would be looking at websites on my phone, worrying about social media crises and engaging in twitter wars with Michigan fans.

But, I am.

So, happy anniversary to us!  Many thanks to all of our clients, partners, friends and colleagues who have helped us make it to this day.  Special thanks to Jo Ann and Penny for all of their hard work and dilligence to getting results for our clients and keeping things running around here.

For the last seven years, Thanksgiving week has meant several things to me:  the anniversary of this great adventure, the Ohio State-Michigan game and, of course, being thankful for the many people and things who have contributed to the success of Pierce Communications.

So, if you’re reading this, thank you too!

Being a native Ohioan, this time of year reminds me of more than the greatest rivalry in sports (good vs. evil or, as you probably know it, Ohio State vs. Michigan).  Every year, Thanksgiving also reminds me of this classic television episode from my youth.

“As God is my witnesss, I thought turkeys could fly.”

Here’s to another year of trying to fly better than the turkeys.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

ION (Independent Optical Network) Holdco, a new Pierce Communications client, has just completed installing 3,300 feet of fiber optic cable (part of a 53.5-mile network build) across the newly opened Lake Champlain Bridge, bringing state-of-the-art broadband service to these rural communities. Read what the Times Union reported about the project here:  http://bit.ly/v5erSB

Pierce client Adirondack Small Cap Fund is sponsoring a competition for student teams from 18 colleges and universities that is generating interest from the media and some healthy competition among the students.  Student teams get to manage a hypothetical $1 million portfolio of stocks, making only two trades between now and when the contest ends in April.  Go to  http://www.adirondackfunds.com/adirondackCup.html to learn more about the contest and see which colleges are participating.  Local favorite UAlbany is leading the race after the first week!

Check out the Times Union article about the contest here:  http://bit.ly/u5Op35 and the Business Review article here:  http://bit.ly/volrBN

At last night’s Empire Awards for public relations excellence, presented by the Capital Region chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, Pierce Communications won two awards for client work.

Our work to raise awareness locally, regionally and nationally for the 2010 Windham World Cup of Mountain Bike Racing won the Empire Award for Public Relations Campaign for Non-Profits.  This world-class event was put on by a team of Windham volunteers and resulted in more than 15,000 people visiting the event and worldwide media attention.

Our efforts for the Adirondack Small Cap Fund also won an Empire Award in the Regional Media Relations category for for-profit firms.  Earlier this year, Adirondack’s fund managers were presented with the prestigious Lipper Award as the best small cap fund in the nation and we helped them leverage this into a series of regional and national articles which has helped contribute to an unprecedented growth in the fund.

So…we were two for two!  Two entries and two winners! 

Actually, though, we were three for three because our very own Penny Vavura, who currently serves as the PRSA chapter president, did an amazing job putting the evening together (with the help of Jo Ann and several other dedicated volunteers).  Congratulations to Penny for all of her hard work, which has resulted in an amazing year for our local chapter of PRSA.

We’re so pleased to continue to get this kind of recognition from our peers in the public relations industry (including the Outstanding Practioner Awards that Jon and Jo Ann have won, we’ve now won eight Empire Awards!), but we’re more pleased with the recognition and appreciation that we get every day from our wonderful clients.