Archive for the ‘public relations’ Category
Runaas Resources Wins Business of the Year Award
Houston Area PR Agency Honored by the Spring-Klein Chamber of Commerce
July 25, 2009 – SPRING, TX – Runaas Resources LLC announced today that the independent public relations agency received the Spring-Klein Chamber of Commerce’s (SKCC) Toni Award for 2009 Business of the Year.
Candace Runaas (c) accepts the SKCC Toni Award for Business of the Year 2009 from Toni Richard and Assad Shorrosh.
“I am so surprised and honored to receive this…,” said Candace Runaas, president of Runaas Resources, whose company focuses primarily on representing women-owned businesses. She has earned a reputation for her active support of the local business community and her altruistic involvement with non-profit organizations and anti-abuse causes.
The SKCC Toni Award recognizes area businesses that contribute to the economic growth of the Spring-Klein area through active support of the Chamber and its member businesses.
Namesake of the award, Toni Richard, chamber president and co-founder, and Assad Shorrosh, executive board member, presented the award to a tearful Runaas, during the chamber’s 2nd Annual Christmas in July Gala on Friday, July 24, 2009.
The annual fundraiser also serves as a celebration of the one year anniversary of the young chamber. The first Christmas in July Gala was held only two months after the chamber’s inaugural luncheon in May 2008. This year’s event featured Commissioner Jerry Eversole as the guest of honor.
“No one could have deserved this award more,” stated Jennifer Grassman, a Runaas Resources client. “I enjoy working with Runaas Resources because they are a creative, strategic and effective PR agency. Candace has such a big heart. She is a fierce advocate for small business owners and community causes. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does and I am honored to say that I work with her.”
About Runaas Resources LLC
Established in 2005, Runaas Resources LLC is a virtual public relations agency located in Spring, Texas. Candace Runaas, company president, receives much recognition for her innovative PR methods and her involvement in the community. For more information, please contact Candace Runaas at info@www.runaasresources.com or visit www.runaasresources.com.
The SKCC 2nd Annual Christmas in July Gala Receives Strong Support from Area Representatives and Local Businesses
Commissioner Eversole encourages businesses during the 2009 SKCC Christmas in July Gala. (Credit: Ava Ray)
Commissioner Jerry Eversole Speaks to Banquet Guests; Local PR agency wins SKCC Toni Award for Business of the Year
July 26, 2009 – SPRING, TX – The Spring-Klein Chamber of Commerce (SKCC) celebrated their 2nd Annual Christmas in July Gala on Friday, July 24, 2009. Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Eversole spoke as the special guest during the banquet.
“The unique challenge for this chamber is that the area you represent cannot easily be mapped out,” said Commissioner Eversole at the event. He was referring to the fact that Spring and Klein are unincorporated and extra-territorial jurisdictions of Houston. “But the businesses of this area need to support this chamber in order for it to continue to grow.”
His comments were spoken with the Commissioner’s candid and outspoken sense of humor to an audience that included a table hosted by Senator Dan Patrick. Court Koenning, chief of staff for Senator Patrick, and his wife, Dawn, were also at the event.
Event auctioneer, Mark Moore TAL #15019, purchased and donated a Texas Flag donated by Representative Debbie Riddle to be flown over the state capital and a VIP Capitol Tour for the live auction in honor of the day of their choosing.
“We are so appreciative of all the support that we have received from our representatives and the community,” said Toni Richard, president and co-founder of the SKCC. “The membership continues to grow at a steady pace and our mission to connect the community to create a thriving economy in Spring is really making an impact.”
“We thank all of the businesses that supported us through donations to our auction,” added Elle Carnes, chair of the Christmas in July Committee. “We also give special thanks to the generous sponsors who made this event possible.” Sponsors of the event included Shorco Inc., Century 21 – Robert Harris, Houston WAHMS (Work-at-Home Moms) and the Tomball-Spring Times.
The event also featured the first annual SKCC Toni Awards ceremony. Candace Runaas, president of Runaas Resources, tearfully accepted the honor for her company as the 2009 Business of the Year. The award recognizes businesses that make outstanding service contributions to the chamber and its member businesses.
“I was chamber president of the Humble Chamber of Commerce for 18 years,” shared Eversole, “and I enjoyed ever minute of it. This chamber can be a very successful one as long as the area businesses and members are willing to support the work that they are doing.”
Commissioner Eversole is currently serving his fifth four-year term as commissioner of Precinct 4, the largest Harris County precinct, encompassing 587.1 square miles with over 904,000 residents. Spring Texas is located in Harris County Precinct 4.
ABOUT THE SPRING KLEIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Founded in May 2008, the Spring Klein Chamber of Commerce (SKCC) is the business and community support organization dedicated to being the primary resource for area economic development, business expansion and overall quality of life in Spring-Klein. For more information, visit www.springkleinchamber.org or call 281-257-4431.
###
PRSA Houston February Luncheon Event
THINKING OUTSIDE THE CUBE – PhillyBurbs.com
By HANNAH SELIGSON
CTW Features
Peter Gibbons, the character in “Office Space” played by Ron Livingston, famously quipped “Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements.”
That was in 1999; and with self-employment on the upswing, Gibbons could be considered somewhat prophetic.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of self-employed people reached 12.2 million in 2003, an increase of 6 percent from 2000.
Katie Sturino, the president and founder of KAS public relations, New York, is part of this growing trend. “I wanted a flexible schedule,” she says. “My time is very important to me. I liked the concept of being able to meet for a cappuccino at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. I call it ‘alternative scheduling.’”
But as Sturino and the hoards of other people who have given up the regular routine will tell you, it’s hardly a life of constant premium coffee breaks.
In fact, it’s why Michelle Goodman wrote “The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women who Think Outside the Cube” (Seal Press, 2007). Goodman, a seasoned freelancer who has dabbled in all things non-9-to-5, including temping, telecommuting, part-time work, flex-time work, and self-employment, is giving this new generation of corporate castaways a primer course on how to do it.
Goodman says the most important thing to remember is that becoming a cubicle expat is not an overnight process. “You have to set a plan in motion both about what are the professional and financial steps you need to take to make the leap from a steady paycheck to full-time freelancer.”
It’s leap that more women, particularly, are taking. Sturino says self-employment is a trend among her female friends and colleagues. “I am always hearing about young women leaving the traditional work force and seeing how far they can go on their own.” And statistics certainly corroborate what Sturino is observing in her peer group of late twentysomething women.
In February 2006, the U.S. Census Bureaus reported that the number of women-owned businesses grew at twice the national rate for all private companies from 1997 to 2002.
But how do you know if it’s time to flee the cube and join this growing demographic. Goodman says the telltale sign is when you can’t devote the proper amount of time to your 9-to-5 job. “When your side gig starts taking up 20 hours a week or more, it’s time to re-think your employment situation.”
While self-employment can be rife with benefits – 3 p.m. cappuccinos, working in your sweatpants, no office politics – it also can be riddled with stress.
Sturino says that while the questions she most often fields is if it is hard to resist going shopping all day, sleeping late, or turning on the TV to catch the afternoon soaps, her day-to-day couldn’t be farther from those activities.
“The stress and pressure of knowing you are responsible for your own business, that it all comes down to you, is enormous. I have to worry about things that my friends at big companies don’t have to, such as inconsistent income, self-employment taxes, insurance for employees, and recruiting clients.”
Which is probably why Goodman says one of the most salient takeaways from her book is to undo the perception that once you work outside the cube your life is going to be a constant 75-degree summer day. “But what I did find was that even with all the stress that comes with working for yourself, people said the bad days outside the cube are not as bad as the bad days in a cube.”
So if you are thinking of making a go of it on your own, Goodman gives her advice for how to start that bakery, online marketing firm or nonprofit.
Have fallback skills – Goodman says that this is what keeps most freelancers fed and clothed. You need to have bread-and-butter skills that can keep you afloat, because sometimes passion work doesn’t always pay as well right away. One woman Goodman interviewed launched a dog-walking service and, at first, offered overnight pet-sitting as her bread-and-butter product until she could get the dog-walking business to fully pay her bills.
Work on getting out of the cube while you are in the cube. It’s unrealistic to expect that you can just walk away from office life into a full-fledged, on-your-own career. Goodman advises setting up meetings with potential clients, financial advisers and other freelancers months before you decide to roll out of bed into your office for the first time.
Create a virtual water cooler – Goodman warns that working alone can be isolating, so build coffee dates and other social events into your schedule.
Be a planner – While you might think that those who work from home are huge risk takers, Goodman found that people who successfully work for themselves are very methodical and organized. “They list their goals and write both formal and informal business plans.”
And be flexible – Goodman found that the people who thrive outside the cube are able to roll with the punches and quickly adapt. You can’t have your world crumble down if a client changes a deadline on you.
Hannah Seligson is a writer based in New York and the author of “New Girl on the Job: Advice from the Trenches” (Citadel Press, 2007).
December 18, 2007 8:36 AM
