Linda Chancey has been telling stories for over 25 years in the local schools and community.  She serves on the Board of the Cracker Storytelling Festival and is a member and Past President of the Florida Storytelling Association.

Linda works for the Polk County Library Cooperative as an Outreach Librarian.  She was the Director of the Bartow Public Library for 23 years and Children’s Librarian for 6 years and also worked at the Ft. Meade Public Library as a school media specialist.

Linda is a proud native of Polk County and grew up in Homeland Florida.  Linda has her B.A. in Education and her MLIS in Library and Information Science.  In addition to reading,  her hobbies include her grandchildren, gardening and art.

Job Description

Develop and maintain proactive, positive relationships with media in key Florida markets; write and produce print and broadcast stories and manage projects as assigned; serve as spokesperson and liaison in community and assigned key markets. Facilitate on-going internal communications for LLF and LEGO Group. Liaise with external PR firm to provide strategy and in-park support.

Requirements/Qualifications

Requires three to five years of progressive experience in public and media relations, preferably in the tourism, entertainment or attractions industry. Requires a track record of success in planning and coordinating special events, media relations, and public and community relations. Requires ability to build and maintain strong public and media contacts. Experience as a spokesperson and as a point of contact is required. Experience serving in a proactive role in creating and implementing media event ideas and strategies is necessary. Strong project management skills are required. Ability to develop and execute detailed plans, programs and schedules required. Requires effective utilization and coordination of internal and external and resources. Requires professional writing skills, demonstrated skill in making speeches and presentations, and outstanding organizational, verbal and interpersonal communication skills. Ability to be a contributing, proactive, positive and supportive member of the LEGOLAND PR team. Computer proficiency with ability to use Microsoft Office Products (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), desktop publishing software, and familiarity with Internet research is required. Requires the ability to build positive relationships and linkages within LEGOLAND and with the community, charitable organizations, government groups, and the media to increase good will and achieve key department objectives for LEGOLAND Florida

Education
A Bachelors Degree in journalism, communication arts, advertising, business, marketing, or closely related field (or equivalent education and experience) is required.

Other Requirements

• Must be willing to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends to support park operations.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, safe driving record and be willing to utilize own vehicle for business purposes.
• Must have or be able to get a valid passport. Requires travel domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Pitch the media on LLF and events happening within the park. Research, create story ideas and write press releases, advisories, VNR copy and captions as assigned. Develop new and exciting angles on the park while maximizing exposure in all departments. Maintain positive and productive relationships will all members of the working news media both in the core and outer markets.
• Represent LEGOLAND at meetings, trade shows, FAM tours, media blitzes and assigned events to generate news coverage and awareness on the park. Maintain active memberships and participation in PR and media related organizations. Interface with all local CVBs to keep informed or park news and generate co-op PR efforts. Act as spokesperson as assigned.
• Project management and marketing information resource. Schedule and conduct project meetings, facilitate assignments, establish activity budgets and report project status. Prepare weekly written project status reports and action taken for Manager.
• Serve as back-up spokesperson for crisis situations as a key point of contact with the media, community and business entities in the event of incidents within the park, or incidents which involve the park or the LEGO group. Maintain crisis action plan and emergency toolbox.
• As assigned, serve as contact for broadcast efforts including radio interviews, TV coverage, VNRs, satellite uplinks, microwave feeds and AV resources in-park. Develop and maintain video and photo library and archive on on-going basis.
• Provide strategic direction to PR firm. Help establish goals, support from in park and provide all relevant communication. Work together on Crisis Management plan and issues.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

Kevin Cook, Director of Communications for the City of Lakeland, will talk about the climate surrounding Lakeland Electric’s expensive fuel contract with the Florida Municipal Power Association.  Kevin will provide public relations lessons learned from this situation which spawned numerous news stories and editorials reflecting negatively on the City of Lakeland.

Kevin is the Director of Communications for the City of Lakeland.  He oversees internal and external communications for the City including: public relations, advertising, marketing, government access television, the City’s websites, intranet, switchboard operations and social media.  He has a Bachelors Degree and a Masters Degree in Mass Communications.  Kevin belongs to several professional organizations including Florida Government Communicators Association, City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA), and the National Information Officers Association.

Kevin is a graduate of Leadership Lakeland Class XIX. He is a Board Member and Treasurer for the Polk County Homeless Coalition and an Advisory Board member for the YMCA of West Central Florida.

Kevin is married to his wife, Tiffany, a devoted teacher at Lakeland High School and they have two sons Kai, age 12 and Kaleb, age 10.  He enjoys fishing the flats of Tampa Bay, backpacking, cycling, surfing, working out at the YMCA and spending quality time with his family.

TOMS Shoes, Inc. was founded by Blake Mycoskie on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a
child in need. By the end of 2009, TOMS will have given over 500,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need all around the world, including at
home in the U.S.

Blake has been profiled in People, The Oprah Magazine, Reader’s Digest, TIME, Vogue, US, In Style, Lucky and many other media outlets.
To learn more visit www.tomsshoes.com.

The DP/PC Chapter’s anticipated goal is to provide TOMS shoes to children in the three Polk County shelters listed above and TOMS will provide
an additional pair to children in the U.S. or internationally. Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot and their primary mode of
transportation is walking thus, as is proven, more illnesses and infections are picked up by bare feet!

Blake will be speaking to Florida Southern College students on February 17, 2010 on the One for One business model and will be encouraging
young business entrepreneurs on How to do Good and Make Money at the Same Time. After speaking to FSC students, he will visit our local
shelters as children paint and decorate their new TOMS canvas shoes.

Our February 15 meeting will feature Jim DeGennaro, Senior Marketing Manager for Central Florida Development Council. He will be speaking on the use of hand written notes to creative personal gifts.

Jim will offer PR professional numerous ideas to creatively impress clients. Jim uses his background from his three decades as a leading economic development professional to provide stories on how projects have been won by ensuring clients have been made to feel more comfortable and wanted in Polk County than other communities in their search for land or buildings.

Jim has been married to the former Merita Bridges of Lakeland for 37 years.  He has 3 grown children and 6 grandbabies.   He used to be a skinny, liberal hippie writer for The Tampa Tribune and The Ledger but has since reformed himself on all counts.  When he was younger, Jim rode a bareback bronco in a rodeo, parachuted from a perfectly good airplane and bungee jumped stone cold sober from a 200-foot tall tower crane on Daytona Beach.  Today he is careful to hold the handrail when walking down the stairs.  He has been with Polk County and the Central Florida Development Council for 31 years.

His hobbies include dining at fine restaurants like Peebles Barbecue and eating in the living room while watching Sandra Lee on the Food Network.   He also likes to read when he can stay awake.

Jackie Wallace is the creative force behind the communications efforts for LEGOLAND^® Florida, Central Florida’s newest family theme park. Responsible for the overall publicity for the park, Jackie’s development and execution of the park’s public relations plan has created a dynamic and one-of-kind voice for the park across both traditional and social media platforms.

Drawing on more than a dozen years of theme park experience, Jackie’s brings a unique vision and innovative approach to public relations. Jackie spent nearly a decade with SeaWorld & Busch Gardens, most recently as the consumer promotions Account Manager.  Previously, she was a member of the SeaWorld Orlando media relations team that opened Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark and several headlining shows. This combination of promotions and media relations experience lends a distinctive creativity to Jackie’s approach to creating brand awareness for LEGOLAND Florida and has led to a familiarity with a variety of media channels and messaging approaches.

Jackie sits on the Marketing Committee for Visit Orlando and is a graduate of the University of Central Florida Nicholson School of Communication with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations.

Lorri Shaban is CEO of Thompson Wesley Wolfe, an integrated marketing and public relations firm specializing in strategic planning, brand positioning, media relations, issues management and creative design.  A strong business writer with an innate understanding of consumer behavior and motivation, Shaban brings value to clients in a wide range of industries, from banking and healthcare to hospitality and real estate development.  She is known as a roll-up-your-sleeves, forward-thinking leader able to rapidly understand and connect concepts, and create ways to leverage opportunities and outcomes.

Shaban’s 20-year career includes considerable experience in corporate, agency and not-for-profit organizations.  She has served in senior leadership roles with some of Central Florida’s largest and most prestigious companies.  As vice president of marketing communications for $23 billion CNL Financial Group, Shaban directed all marketing and public relations initiatives for the company’s residential and commercial real estate efforts.  She served as vice president of Curley & Pynn Public Relations and supervised the firm’s most high-profile clients, including Universal Orlando, General Motors, Kmart and Nextel Communications.  Shaban also served as principal spokesperson and communications director for Enterprise Florida, the state’s economic development organization.

A graduate of Florida State University, Shaban is professionally accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.  Since moving to Central Florida in 1992, she has been involved in her community in a number of ways, including her current position on the marketing advisory committee for Heart of Florida United Way.

Please Click Here to read the write up from Kyle Kennedy at The Ledger

The Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association will present Sip Sip Hooray, an FPRA PRowl, on Thursday, February 16 at the Lake Morton Bed and Breakfast. Complimentary cheese, crackers and fruit will be served starting at 6 p.m. The event is free, but please bring a bottle of your favorite wine to share. The Lake Morton Bed and Breakfast is located at 817 South Boulevard in Lakeland. Parking is available across the street in front of Saint Joseph’s Academy.

Please RSVP to Danny Kushmer at danny.kushmer@watermatters.org or Daniel Jimenez at Daniel.Jimenez@uwcf.org

Are you a member of FPRA and never had the opportunity to attend a New Member Orientation?

Are you a seasoned member of FPRA and would like to brush up on what is new and exciting within the organization?

If you fall under any of these categories then we have the perfect event for you!

New Member Orientation (Not just for new members)

Tuesday, February 28th
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Southwest Florida Water Management District Office
170 Century Blvd
Bartow, FL 33830

Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to jlawson@lovemyspca.com no later than Monday, February 27th.

His great public relations and marketing skills are used to motivate his sales team and other employees and to grow his business which has ranked as the Number One Minority Owned Business in the Tampa Bay area for the fourth straight year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, with $100 million in annual sales.

Oscar J. Horton became president of Sun State International in January 2000.  With more than 25 years of experience at International Truck & Engine Corp., Horton has a proven record of managing organizational change and improving business efficiencies.

Sun State International Trucks, LLC is a full service medium and heavy duty truck dealership with 5 locations in West Central Florida. In addition to the dealerships, Sun State owns an aftermarket business providing repair services, fabrication and installation of truck bodies. The business also installs air conditioners and safety equipment such as, wheelchair lifts and security cameras in school buses. Sun State owns a rental and leasing company that offers full service leasing and rentals, contract maintenance programs and fuel service. Sun State’s 2010 revenue exceeded $100 million dollars ranking it the #1 Minority Owned Business in Tampa Bay area for the fourth year, by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

After graduating from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1974, Oscar began his career as a sales representative for International Truck & Engine’s Financial Corporation.  He rose to various positions throughout the International organization. In his final role, Oscar served as Vice President and General Manager of International’s Foundry Business; a multi million dollar business with approximately 1500 employees.  In this role, he was responsible for the business’ overall profitability, as well as all business aspects, including manufacturing, sales and marketing, finance, engineering, human resources, quality and information technology.  After a 25 year career with International, Oscar left to become the President of Sun State International Trucks, LLC.

Since his Presidency at Sun State International, the company has tripled its revenue, as well as, improved its profitability, employee morale and customer satisfaction.  In addition to performance improvements, the company has improved its visibility by working in the community.

Oscar serves on the board of directors for The Bank of Tampa, Academy Prep Center, the University of South Florida Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast and The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – Jacksonville Branch. In addition, Sun State supports the following organizations through donations of cash and gifts in kind.

• Academy Prep Center
• USF Business Center
• American Heart Association
• United Negro College Fund
• Brandon Church of the Nazarene
• Florida Sheriffs Association
• Abe Brown Ministries

The company has received a number of awards and recognitions in the last several years such as:

• Oscar Horton was elected to the 2010 Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame hosted by the Florida Council on Economic Education
• Interview with Geoff Simon of the Suncoast Business Forum on WEDU in October 2009
• 2009 PepsiCo Golden Glove Supplier of the Year Award
• American Truck Dealers, Finalist for Truck Dealer of Year 2008
• Hosted John Snow, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury on a visit to Sun State in February 2004.
• Article in the Minority Business News USA January 2007 issue.
• Article in Smart Business Tampa Bay March 2007 issue.
• Cover story in the October 2006 Florida Trend Magazine.
• Cover story in the May 5^th 2006 Gulf Coast Business Review.
• Ranked in the top 50; of the Top 100 Industrial Companies by Black Enterprise Magazine since 2005.

This meeting is sponsored by