Ashley Hall Honored as FPRA’s “PR Professional of the Year;” Danny Kushmer, Rachel Bulman and Publix Supermarkets Earn Chapter Awards

Posted on 23. Sep, 2011 by Ashley Hall in News

(from left to right): Danny Kushmer, Rachel Bulman, Jennifer Bush and Ashley Hall

LAKELAND, FL (September 23, 2011) – Public Relations professionals shine in Polk County, and the contributions of some have earned them county-wide recognition for their tremendous efforts.  The Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) recognized Ashley Hall of the Alliance for Independence (AFI) with their top honor, naming her Polk County’s public relations professional of the year.  The other PR professionals honored were Rachel Bulman of SPCA, Inc. and Danny Kushmer of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.  In addition, Publix Super Markets, Inc. was honored for their outstanding commitment to public service.

The “Colonel John Dillin, APR, CPRC, Professional of the Year” award was presented to Ashley Hall, the media and community relations manager for AFI, recognizing her outstanding service to the public relations profession and FPRA.  The award is named in honor of FPRA’s founder, the late Col. John Dillin of Polk County, and recognizes outstanding contributions to the public relations profession.     

“Ashley is responsible for bringing our chapter into the social media age and opening options for marketing chapter events and newsworthy information,” said Kushmer, DP/PC FPRA Chapter president during the award presentation. “As a member of Emerge Lakeland and the North Lakeland Kiwanis, Ashley faithfully serves our community.  Through her work with AFI, she passionately offers her talents to assist adults who suffer from developmental disabilities.”

Rachel Bulman, who serves as the creative director for SPCA, Inc., earned the “Bob Gernert, APR, CPRC Chapter Member of the Year” award for her many accomplishments on behalf of the local chapter, including serving as the membership chair and stepping up to help anytime she was needed. At SPCA, Inc., Bulman is responsible for organizing and implementing fundraising events.  She is widely known among local media as a positive contact, eager to meet the demands of a fast-paced media market.

“Rachel always demonstrates a winning attitude and gladly takes on new challenges without complaint.  She is also known to seek out innovative, new ways to improve processes and procedures,” said Kushmer.

Publix Super Markets, Inc. received the “Public Service Award” for their unwavering commitment to our community through their philanthropic initiatives which support schools, children’s homes, churches, and organizations that help the needy and less fortunate, such as United Way, March of Dimes, Special Olympics and more.

“I can think of no other organization in our community more deserving of this award than Publix,” said Kushmer. “In fact, there is probably no community where this company operates that has not benefited from their generosity, and that of its associates.”

Manager of Special Projects Jennifer Bush accepted the award on behalf of Publix Super Markets, Inc.

At the end of the ceremony, there was one other prestigious award, which came as a complete surprise to chapter president and meeting emcee Danny Kushmer.  When FPRA state president Melanie Mowry Etters, APR, CPRC, CPM, took the podium, she recognized Kushmer with the chapter’s “Rising Leader Award” for his dedication to the public relations profession and his inspiring leadership.  Kushmer serves as the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s community affairs manager and is responsible for representing the district’s interests in local and state legislation, working specifically with elected officials in Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties.

Each of these special recognitions were presented during the chapter’s 2011 annual meeting at the Lakeland Yacht & Country Club. The meeting also included the induction of new officers and directors. 

         The 61-member Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter and its affiliated Florida Southern College and Southeastern University units are among 15 professional and 12 student chapters of FPRA, the professional organization for public relations practitioners in Florida. Based in Sarasota, FPRA boasts nearly 1,000 professional members statewide.

         The Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter of FPRA meets at 11:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at the Lakeland Yacht & Country Club. All meetings are open to the public. For more information, visit us at www.fprapolk.org, follow us on twitter @FPRAPolk, or like us on Facebook, facebook.com/DickPopePolkCountyFPRA.