is the chair and chief executive officer of Padilla Speer Beardsley. She took a few moments with Minnesota Public Relations Blog to share her thoughts on public relations.

Lynn Casey, APR

1. What are the highlights of your public relations career?

I've been blessed throughout my career with great clients, talented colleagues, and challenging assignments. Hitting the highlights is difficult, so how about if I describe the work that hooked me on our profession? It was my internship during grad school in the late 1970s -- creating Ramsey County's first public relations effort to attract foster parents. Children in need of foster care were far outpacing available homes. Something needed to be done, and on a shoestring budget. I gathered a few of my PRSSA friends, and we went to work on collateral material and a media relations campaign that moved the needle. Seeing the results, and knowing that those results were directly tied to better lives for scores of vulnerable children, galvanized my desire to make a difference through helping organizations communicate with the people who are important to their success.

2. What are some of the key lessons that you have learned in your career?

First, per the experience I shared in question one, what we do as public relations professionals really matters. It's a privilege and a responsibility to work with organizations to build and protect their reputations. Second, the learning never stops and it comes from everywhere, not just from our professional organizations, although they are tremendously important in furthering our sector's body of knowledge. Third, there is no substitute for experience. Many of us who enter this business are super-quick studies, but the seasoning that comes from repeated exposure to challenging client situations fosters judgment that builds over time. It can't be rushed.

3. Padilla Speer Beardsley was the premier founding sponsor of the John Beardsley Lecture. What do you think John Beardsley would have said about Dr. Michael Chorost's talk?

One of John's favorite sayings was that everything is dead except the future. I'd put money on hearing that phrase if he'd been in the auditorium that evening.

4. What advice would you give to new public relations practitioners?

Exercise your curiosity muscles; soak up information and experiences from a broad base. Keep writing; it teaches you to think, and that's an ongoing journey. And get involved in causes you care about so you can understand advocacy from a first-person perspective.

5. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Not at this point. Thanks for the opportunity to weigh in, Brant.

-- / Skogrand PR Solutions, LLC

Three years ago my wife and I adopted a baby boy. From that time till now my life has never been the same. Shortly after adopting Samuel I was asked attend an event put on by Adoption Option.

Today, I sit on the board of directors for this organization and we are gearing up for National Adoption Month in November. You can 'like' them on and receive adoption information from time to time.

We have a couple of great documents on our site full of agency information with side by side comparisons. I thought you guys might want to take a look: http://www.adoptionoptionmn.org/inforesources.html.

If you are interested in learning more about adoption, I would love to talk with you. If you want to know more about my story you can find it here.

Neuger Communications Group, a full-service strategic communications firm specializing in marketing and public relations, is pleased to announce that Jeff McLaughlin has been promoted to executive vice president. McLaughlin has been a member of the firm since 2004.

3M is ranked 2nd in Interbrand’s Best Global Green Brands 2011 study. But as the global marketplace becomes increasingly competitive, it’s important that companies like 3M nurture and promote the power of their corporate brands. On Nov. 15, the Minnesota chapter of the Business Marketing Association (BMA-Minnesota) will host a professional development seminar on how companies can redefine and differentiate themselves in the competitive B2B market.

• maintaining a sustained commitment to articulating the brand's unique strengths and capacity for innovation
• focusing on increasing brand awareness and loyalty among new generations to help influence business development and growth
• helping employees embrace their roles as brand ambassadors to tell the stories of how to  harness the chain reaction of new ideas to bring innovation to the world

and have recently joined the Minneapolis office of public relations agency Carmichael Lynch Spong. Both come to the agency with a multitude of experience in the industry, particularly in the health and wellness category, and will provide superior counsel for clients.

Agency veteran Beth Miller has been charged with the role of principal at Carmichael Lynch Spong. She is responsible for providing innovative and effective strategic thinking, along with superior account management for clients. Prior to joining Carmichael Lynch Spong, Miller worked as a senior director at The Carrot Agency in Minneapolis. She led client service, strategy and research teams for many of the agency’s health and wellness clients.

Miller gained much of her vast agency expertise at Minneapolis agency Campbell Mithun. She began in account management and worked her way to become a senior vice president and group management supervisor. While there, she created and led a team of “health innovators” on Emmy and Effie award-winning accounts, including Pfizer, Novartis, Kimberly-Clark and Johnson&Johnson.

Miller received her MBA in marketing from Loyola University in Chicago and studied at the Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies at Northwestern University.

Another experienced addition to the health and wellness team is Debra Hays. She has been named a senior counselor for the agency, leading efforts for clients Jennie-O Turkey Store®, Martek® and PowerBar®. Previously, Hays worked as a managing supervisor for Fleishman-Hillard, doing strategic communications and media relations for her health and wellness clients. She also served as a vice president at Porter Novelli in New York City, supporting a variety of pharmaceutical and healthcare brands.

Hays brings a wealth of knowledge of the healthcare industry and has produced award-winning work for clients such as 3M Healthcare, Alzheimer’s Association of Minnesota-North Dakota, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and Johnson&Johnson’s Tylenol and Bendryl brands. With her work at Porter Novelli, she developed and oversaw pre-market through post-launch communications programs and directly managed much of the account resources for her pharmaceutical clients.

Hays graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a bachelor of science degree in politics.
“As health and wellness is closely linked to virtually everything from food to the environments we live, work, learn andplay in, we continue to build our Living Well™ team to provide new and enlightened perspectives for our clients. Beth’s and Debra’s contributions will bolster the agency’s knowledge and expertise,” says Julie Batliner, Carmichael Lynch Spong managing director.

, vice president at Minneapolis-based PR and social media marketing agency Maccabee, has been promoted to the title of Executive Vice President. At the same time, the agency’s account supervisor has been promoted to Maccabee’s Vice President. 

has named Giles Martin director of analytics and marketing accountability.  Martin joined the agency on October 17 and will lead its deeper infusion of data analysis and marketing ROI throughout its integrated communications and media offering.  He will report to , president of Campbell Mithun’s unit.

Carmichael Lynch has recently hired as group director of consumer engagement. In her new role, Dobratz will help lead the efforts to mine consumer insights and develop strategic solutions on behalf of the agency’s clients. Dobratz will report to Joe Germscheid, Carmichael Lynch partner and director of consumer engagement.

Dobratz brings more than 10 years of agency marketing, business development and consumer group client experience to her role at Carmichael Lynch. Most recently, she served as group media director at Fallon Worldwide in Minneapolis. Her focus was developing and executing creative communications strategies and driving business development for the agency. Some of her client responsibilities included msnbc, Oxygen, USA Network, H&R Block and Travelers Insurance. Dobratz worked on multiple award-winning campaigns, receiving recognition from trusted media authorities such as MediaPost, MediaWeek and the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

“We are so happy to officially welcome Niki into this vital role of group director of consumer engagement,” says Germscheid. “Niki brings an impressive combination of relevant experience, shared commitment to igniting business momentum for clients and developing effective, meaningful media strategy.”

The (PRSA) honored its Orange County and Minnesota Chapters with the PRSA 2011 Chapter Diversity Award at the PRSA Diversity Mixer on Saturday, Oct. 15. The Nashville Chapter received an Honorable Mention.

• Initiated and maintained a successful diversity program within the last year.
• Recruited or mentored members with interests and expertise in diversity.
• Demonstrated a significant contribution toward diversity.
• Showcased diversity as one of the top three strategic goals for the Chapter.

Paul Maccaabee and Travel Channel TV host Don Wildman

Minnesota crime historian and PR executive Paul Maccabee, author of the book “John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks’ Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul,” will join Travel Channel TV host Don Wildman on November 15 for an “Off Limits” broadcast taking viewers behind-the-scenes at historic sites to uncover secrets of the 1930s Public Enemies era of John Dillinger, Ma Barker, Babyface Nelson and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis.

Filmed last July inside St. Paul’s Landmark Center’s gangland courtrooms and in the basement of the St. Paul Police Department’s headquarters, the “Off Limits” show airs on the Travel Channel in the Twin Cities on Tuesday, November 15 at 9:00 p.m. (Central Time). Travel Channel programming airs on Comcast in Minneapolis on Channel 48 and in St. Paul on Channel 59 (check Twin Cities TV listings to confirm).

Among the rare gangster artifacts unearthed for “Off Limits” TV cameras - the bullet-riddled and blood-flecked straw hat last worn by Dillinger Gang machine gunner Homer Van Meter. The hat -- taken off Van Meter’s head after he was shot to death by St. Paul Police in August 1934 two blocks from the State Capital near University Avenue -- had vanished and was missing for more than three decades, before being rediscovered in time for display during the November 15“Off Limits” show.

Travel Channel’s “Off Limits” show is hosted by explorer and history buff Don Wildman, whose take-no-prisoners approach gets him and Travel Channel’s cameras access to off-limits locations in dogged pursuit of mystery and revelation. The goal? Delve into the forbidden, hidden and unseen spaces across America. Past “Off Limits” shows have taken Travel Channel TV viewers behind-the-scenes in San Quentin’s dungeons, Boston’s ancient reservoirs and into an underground Arizona missle silo to learn how to launch a Titan II nuclear missle that could start World War III.

Prior to joining Wildman for the “Off Limits” broadcast, historian Paul Maccabee had been featured in three A & E Cable TV documentaries about 1930s gangsters and on the History Channel’s TV documentary, “Crime Wave.” His Minnesota Historical Society book, “John Dillinger Slept Here,” was called “a small masterpiece of social history” by Playboy magazine.

For more information on the “Off Limits” TV broadcast, visit http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Off_Limits

Join Minnesota PRSA for our next Meet & Mingle event on Thursday, Oct. 20. Co-hosted by Maccabee Group and Twin Cities Media Alliance, this networking opportunity will bring together a diverse group of public relations, communications and media professionals.

MWMC Twitter Chat is a bi-monthly discussion held on between MWMC members, non-members, guest speakers, thought leaders and industry experts. Participants use the hashtag #MWMCtalk to join the conversation.

MWMC is hosting a Twitter chat to discuss the topic of professional networking. Join us to share your thoughts, gain valuable information, and discover helpful resources.

Not familiar with Twitter chats? Check out these helpful tips.

is an independent Minneapolis marketing firm structured around the principles of content, connections and integration is celebrating 20 years this week.

Founded in 1991 by Tom Hayes on the strength of his success as a creative copywriter and business strategist, Riley Hayes takes a simple approach: extraordinary strategy, service and creative. Our commitment to these three fundamentals ensures our work is successful and our clients achieve their goals.

Riley Hayes clients include: Carlson Hospitality, 3M, Deluxe Corp., Delta Air Lines, Allen Edmonds, Fairview Southdale, U.S. Bank, McKesson, Ceridian among others. 

LaBreche announced the addition of to its team as a junior graphic designer.  

LaBreche announced the addition of to its unified marketing solutions team as director of digital strategy. In this role, Bahr will lead the development of strategy and technical brand solutions for LaBreche clients in online environments.

Broadhead has been awarded two multi-year contracts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Broadhead will partner with the agency on the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Public Awareness Campaign. The program’s efforts work toward halting the spread of the devastating pest, and preventing it from becoming established.

In addition, Broadhead was one of eight firms to secure an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract from USDA APHIS for a period of up to five years.

“We’re honored to be working with USDA APHIS on raising awareness of invasive species in this country,” says Dean Broadhead, president/CEO. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with the agency for many years.”

Broadhead recently concluded a one-year campaign with USDA APHIS aimed at preventing the spread of the gypsy moth. Since it became a federal government contractor in late 2008, Broadhead has worked with the General Services Administration, USDA APHIS, USDA Rural Development, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Please visit this link to watch Richard Stengel the managing editor for TIME Magazine reveal on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Davis's TIME Magazine cover:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/ns/msnbc_tv-morning_joe/#44715010

The Minnesota chapter of the Business Marketing Association (BMA-Minnesota) will host a panel discussion on how business-to-business (B2B) marketers can use social media to boost their performance metrics and support a customer-centric business model. The session will be held on October 18, 2011 at the Metropolitan Ballroom & Clubroom in St. Louis Park, Minn. from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

• Jane Payfer, chief marketing officer of Ergotron
• Kara Thornton, international interactive market development manager of 3M
• Kathy Jalivay, chief business development officer of aimClear

• Jane Payfer. Jane Rodmyre Payfer joined Ergotron in November, 2004. Now, with over 20 years experience in commercial and consumer marketing for small, medium and global organizations, she continues to learn new ways to refine her craft. The Ergotron marketing team is among the first B2B marketing organizations in Minnesota to understand and embrace social media practice, and has successfully built a global community through blogs, Facebook and Twitter initiatives. Payfer is currently on the boards of several organizations: WomenVenture, the Business Marketing Association of MN, and is also on the board of directors of St Paul based non-for-profit WomenVenture . Get to know Jane at: and
• Kara Thornton. As the international interactive market development manager for 3M, Kara is responsible for developing successful B2B interactive go to market strategies that have measurable ROI for 3M’s international subsidiaries.  She focuses on leveraging best practices and developing SEO, email, social media, mobile ecommerce and interactive marketing best practices with 3M’s international eMarketing teams. She recently rolled out 3M’s International Collaboration Community site that allows marketers from all of the 3M global regions the ability to instantly collaborate. Get to know Kara at: and
•  Kathy Jalivay. As a member of aimClear, Kathy is responsible for external relationships, internal account leadership and the smooth execution of strategic online campaigns for clients. aimClear’s services include blended search and social demographic research; search engine optimization (SEO) technical and semantic audits, analytics monitoring, and consulting; pay-per-click (PPC) audits, setup, testing, and ongoing management; online reputation management (ORM) dashboard configuration and ongoing monitoring; social media marketing consulting and data-driven community management; public relations; and copywriting. Get to know Kathy at: and
• Jeff Sauer. As partner at Three Deep Marketing, Jeff created his first web site in 8^th grade and hasn’t looked back. Through initiative, opportunity, curiosity and good old-fashioned elbow grease, he is now a master of web analytics, web site optimization and testing, social media, online reputation management, e-commerce, competitive analysis, online surveys, email marketing, lead generation, and more. He advises some of the world’s largest companies on interactive marketing strategy and monitors web analytics profiles for hundreds of companies and web sites.

Register online now.

Prior Lake-based Bellmont Partners Public Relations has added senior account executive Bridget Nelson Monroe to its growing team. Monroe brings additional digital strategy, journalism and media relations experience to the full-service agency. Before joining Bellmont Partners, Monroe was a digital strategist at Beehive PR in St. Paul where she brought her journalist’s perspective to media relations, helping identify clients’ newsworthy stories and which audiences and platforms they would resonate with in this 24/7 news environment. Monroe also consulted on everything from website redesigns to social media and SEO for regional and national clients.