Dr. Lynn, owner of Dr. Bizer’s VisionWorld and a University of Louisville trustee is donating his $800,000 share of the bid to the University of Louisville, Eastern Area Community Ministries and VIPS (Visually Impaired Preschool Services).

Dr. Lynn is no stranger to raising money for a good cause. The 8th Annual Dr Mark Lynn & Associates Stampede for VIPS, a 5K run/walk, will be held this Saturday at Churchill Downs. In the short history of the Stampede, the event has raised nearly $250,000 for VIPS.

To learn more about Dr. Lynn and Dr. Bizer’s VisionWorld visit www.facebook.com/drmarklynnky ; for the 8^th Annual Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates VIPS Stampede visit www.vips.org.

By Matthew Henderson

Did I participate again this year?  Absolutely!

Pelotonia is an Ohio-based cycling experience that raises money for cancer research performed at the Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Commonly referred to as the James, the institute is a national leader in creating and testing new therapies based on scientific research, many of which are offered nowhere else in the world.  Pelotonia is on a mission to help the James end cancer and directs 100% of every dollar raised to research – not administration costs.

I learned about Pelotonia from my mom in January 2009 as my dad’s condition with cancer advanced.  I decided to participate because I wanted to do something. I felt helpless against cancer as I watched it work firsthand.  My dad received nearly eight years of treatment at the James.  Last year my mom and I together raised over $5,000 from friends and family. However, my mom was unable to ride last year.

This year was different.

My mom and I were joined by two friends as we rode together:  47, 102 and 180-miles.  I completed the 180-miles from Columbus to Athens and back again on Sunday.  Thousands of volunteers, cancer-survivors, and James patients lined the course to cheer riders like me up the steep Hocking Hills and down the slick road-ways.  To sum up my entire Pelotonia10 experience there can only be one word:  Humbling.

If you would like to support me in our cause, please donate here.

Pelotonia’s first year was in 2009 and raised $4.5 million for the James.  This year, participation doubled with more than 4,000 riders and $8 million raised for the James.

We’ve moved! After nearly three years in the 201 Fourth Avenue North building (otherwise known as the old Suntrust building or that building that The City Club is in), Peritus has found a new home in Nashville. As of today, we are now official members of the Cummins Station community. Cummins Station prides itself on being creative, efficient and professional – some of the same qualities that we bring to our work on clients such as the City of Gatlinburg, the African American Lectionary, FedEx and Eye Care Centers of America.

It’s a great, historic building that offers just about everything, including a hibachi grill and sushi bar, a yoga studio, a massage studio, a salon, a bar/restaurant with live music, a printing company, a gym and more. And if we ever need to leave our building, we’re right across the street from the Frist Center and a short walk from the great restaurants in the Gulch or downtown. I see a lot of lunches at Whiskey Kitchen in my future!

As excited as we are about our new home, it is a bit sad to leave our old space. I’ve come to refer to it as our “starter” offices in Nashville and we have a lot of fond memories there. I am sure Katie will never forget the time she showed up at the wrong Suntrust building for her job interview instead of our building. We’ll all remember ringing the bell for some particularly exciting new business wins and mid-afternoon trips to the Painted Cupcake in the Arcade. And I know Steve and Kevin will always look fondly upon that day the power went out and we had to walk down ten flights of stairs in the pitch black because even the back-up lights were down. Most importantly, we’ve gotten some great results for our clients in that office. That is one thing that certainly won’t change.

Give us a call or drop by and visit. We love visitors! Our new address is:

Peritus
209 10th Avenue S.
Suite 341
Nashville, TN 37203

Louise Crow
Peritus, Birmingham
Account Coordinator

Every person has different advice on the best way to prepare for your career. Get this internship, join this club, make this grade; but I prefer the “Betsy way.”

While speaking to an Alabama alumni organization about literacy advocacy, I learned that The First Lady of Public Relations Betsy Plank (a University of Alabama graduate) had recently passed and donated her entire estate to the University’s public relations leadership board, The Plank Center. In conjunction with this news, I also had the great fortune of hearing more about Ms. Plank on a more personal level. I discovered she was a collector of memories. Although Betsy was very wealthy, her home proudly featured small tokens from her life experiences with others; Mardi Gras beads dangled from the same jewelry hooks as Chanel necklaces.

Among her many achievements, Betsy was an advocate for the development of the public relations curriculum, the same education which structured the foundation for my career. As a college freshman, I remember hearing her speak and knew that I was witnessing something truly significant. That particular speech represents the last time Ms. Plank ever gave a public speech to her alma mater. I left that room knowing that I would only be guaranteed a successful career in public relations if I approached my profession the “Betsy way,” with passion.

You don’t take the “easy” PR teachers to achieve the 4.0 GPA; you approach your education with a genuine desire to learn more about the profession. You don’t hunt for a big-shot corporate internship to make more summer money; you accept an unpaid internship with a determination to gain as much real-world experience as possible. You don’t join PRSA simply to add to your resume; you join it to foster a sense of community with people who challenge you to become the best version of yourself.  At the end of the day, if you don’t believe in your cause, then your profession will provide you nothing more than a paycheck.

When reflecting upon Betsy’s achievements and the number of lives she impacted through her career, my life’s work thus far seems relatively insignificant. However, this lack of experience is accompanied by a deep sense of inspiration and by the voracity to begin my career in public relations guided by the values, hard work and passion that Betsy Plank embodied throughout her sixty-year career.

Louisville, Ky. (August 10, 2010)—State Representative Mike Murphy (R, Indianapolis) has been named Senior Vice President of Peritus, a full-service communications firm based in Louisville, Ky. with offices in five states. Murphy will lead Peritus’ Indianapolis office, which was established in 2009.
“Mike Murphy is a veteran television broadcaster, writer, corporate communicator, and public policy expert who will bring all his talents to bear on challenges facing our diverse clients,” said Tim Mulloy, CEO of Peritus. “Mike knows Indiana, from South Bend to Evansville, and he has helped shape this state for thirty years.”
Murphy’s company, Murphy Partners, LLC, will merge with Peritus. As Senior Vice President of Peritus, Murphy will be responsible for directing the work of a talented staff of Hoosiers, and for building Peritus into the premier full-service communications firm in the state.
“I have been impressed by the vision Tim Mulloy has for Peritus,” said Murphy. “Peritus is one of the most influential public relations companies in the Midsouth. You will see Peritus extend its reach and influence to several more state capitals in the near future.”
Murphy is completing his 16th and final year in the Indiana House of Representatives, where he became known as a principled fighter for free markets and fiscal discipline. He authored the 2006 Murphy-Hershman telecommunications deregulation law that is still a national model for freeing competitive forces for the benefit of consumers. As chairman of the Technology Committee in 2005-2006, Murphy led efforts to streamline the technology operations of Indiana state government and to lessen the tax and regulatory burdens on technology-based companies. A Spanish speaker, Murphy was nominated for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his advocacy for the constitutional and humane treatment of immigrants.
Prior serving in state government, Murphy was an award-winning television journalist in six midwestern states. His coverage of the political world earned the respect of major political figures and drew him back to Indiana to work for then Lt. Governor John Mutz in 1987.
Murphy went on to help lead corporate communications efforts at two Fortune 500 companies in Indianapolis (The Associated Group, now Wellpoint, and Melvin Simon and Associates, now Simon Property Group).
Murphy is also Chairman of the Board of Monarch Beverage, the nation’s 10th largest beer and wine distributor, based in Indianapolis. He has served as vice-chair of the 2004 World Swimming Championships, Chairman of the Republican Party for Indianapolis, and as a board member for the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Home, Friends of Hidalgo, and the Council of State Governments, based in Lexington, Kentucky.
Murphy earned his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, and his M.A. in American History from Indiana University at Indianapolis. He has two sons.
About Peritus
Established in the 1990s, Peritus has grown from a political consulting firm into one of the fastest growing full-service communication firms in the nation (61st, O’Dwyer, 2009). Peritus is headquartered in Louisville, Ky., with offices in Lexington, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Columbus, Ohio; and Birmingham, Ala.

To learn more about Peritus, visit our website at www.perituspr.com
Media Contacts:
Mike Murphy
317-414-0964

Mary Cecil
502-510-4790
mcecil@perituspr.com

To learn more about Louise, please visit the Our Team page.

In 2006, Peritus launched a summer internship program to help students prepare for the future by providing them with the most challenging, dynamic work environment possible. Since its inception, the program has provided college students with the hands-on, professional work experience needed to help give them a head start on their competition. Whether students are interested in media relations, communications, politics, marketing or graphic design, Peritus’ goal is to place interns on the right team to learn from some of the most talented communications professionals in the industry.

Each year, the eight-week paid internship program culminates with an internship competition.  The Peritus interns are split onto two teams, given a small budget and asked to create a public relations campaign for a client or find a solution to a challenge faced by the public relations or public affairs industry.  For the first year, under the supervision of Peritus directors, the 2010 competition challenged each team of interns to research and support a public relations campaign for a local nonprofit organization.

Nonprofit Challenges…

In the nonprofit world, organization leaders are typically strapped for resources and juggle many responsibilities; especially during the summer months when needs go up while volunteer help goes down.  The Peritus competition challenged the interns to support a nonprofit program that would alleviate the some of the challenges faced by the staff and raise funds or awareness for the organization.  

The two nonprofit organizations chosen to benefit from the Peritus interns’ efforts were the local chapters of The American Diabetes Association and The Salvation Army. The Peritus interns paired with the American Diabetes Association were challenged to help the ADA collect pledges and raise funds for the small changes>Lifelong Results campaign. The second team of interns partnered with The Salvation Army was challenged to raise awareness for the Salvation Army’s Christmas in July promotion.

Win, Win, Win…

While the internship team representing the ADA claimed victory in the 2010 Peritus internship program competition, the program was a win-win-win for all involved. For Peritus, it was an avenue to help support Louisville-area nonprofits. For the nonprofits, the friendly internship competition was an opportunity to receive much needed support during the busy summer months. For the Peritus interns, it was a chance to get hands-on experience in their field of study and learn new skills while making an impact in the community.  Both nonprofit organizations expressed their sincere thanks to Peritus and the team of interns for their efforts.  See below for thank you letters from The American Diabetes Association and The Salvation Army.

The American Diabetes Association:

July 30, 2010

Dear Peritus Intern Team!

Thank you for your tremendous support of the American Diabetes Association’s, Fruit 20 Challenge!  Your marketing plan has proven to be a huge success for the Southern Ohio and Kentucky office of the American Diabetes Association.  As a result of your efforts, the local ADA office will receive a $5,000 contribution to support diabetes research, advocacy and education efforts, reaching over 1.5 million residents in Kentucky alone. 

Specific areas of funding include, but are not limited to:

• 9 ADA-funded researchers at Kentucky institutions (2 at University of Louisville & 7 at University of Kentucky)
• 5,000 kids with diabetes and their family members through our Summer Camps and Family Resource Network
• 6,400 people who called 1-800-DIABETES for information on supplies and other diabetes resources
• Nearly 10,000 students and educators through school-based educational programs encouraging healthy life choices
• 40,000 African-Americans through targeted church-based programs and community events
• More than 53,000 adults through workplace and community health fairs and National Diabetes Day activities
• 300,000 Kentucky residents with diabetes and their families through advocacy efforts aimed against discrimination and in favor of improved insurance coverage
• Thousands more through our award-winning website: www.diabetes.org

Again, I sincerely thank you for your support and for allowing us to continue our mission: to prevent and cure diabetes and improve the lives of all those affected by diabetes.  We are honored to have been selected to receive your proficiency in marketing!

Sincerely,
Beth Wilson
Executive Director

The Salvation Army:

August 2, 2010

Thanks so much for all you have done for The Salvation Army and the people we serve during the month of July.  The awareness level has definitely increased. Your team did a wonderful job and we are truly grateful.  I am so happy that you were able to go on the tour with us at the beginning of your project.  I believe that it was certainly eye opening for you.  And it showed in your passion for the project.  

Marilyn Markwell
The Salvation Army
Community Relations Director

By Brooke Perellis
Intern  

The Peritus intern team held an event in downtown Louisville Thursday, July 22^nd to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The team managed a booth outside of Qdoba Mexican Grill on Market Street and offered free bottles of Fruit2O to the work crowd in exchange for making a healthy lifestyle pledge to benefit the ADA. Despite the afternoon heat, several downtown professionals stopped by the booth to support the cause.  After making the pledge to live a healthier lifestyle, donors were eligible to enter a drawing to win prizes such as a health food basket from Amazing Grace Whole Foods, gift cards to Shiraz Mediterranean Grill, and a gift card to Captain’s Quarters. 

ADA Supporter Makes a Healthy Lifestyle Pledge!

The ADA joined forces with Fruit2O to promote their small changes > Lifelong Results campaign to help fight diabetes. Peritus volunteered to help the campaign by recruiting ADA supporters to make a healthy life style pledge by visiting the Fruit2O Facebook page or in person at the event. For every pledge made on behalf of the Cincinnati/Kentucky ADA chapter, Fruit2O will donate $1. As an extra incentive, Fruit2O agreed to donate an additional $15,000 if at least 5,000 people make a pledge and designate Cincinnati/Kentucky ADA as their chapter.

In addition to donating space for the event, Qdoba offered contributors free samples of their healthy mango salsa, t-shirts, and coupons.  For individuals looking for more information about diabetes or the ADA’s annual Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes, a local representative of the ADA was present with informational brochures and registration sheets. The ADA also held a drawing where people could enter to win a healthy cookbook.

As a result of the Peritus intern team’s efforts and the support of Qdoba and other generous sponsors, the successful event collected nearly 150 small changes > Lifelong Results  pledges, raised awareness about diabetes prevention and promoted the ADA’s annual Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes.   

Didn’t make it to the event? You can still help in a fast and easy way! Go to the Fruit2O Facebook Page and make a healthy living pledge or post. For every pledge, Fruit2O will still donate $1 to the American Diabetes Association! All you have to do is write what you pledge to do to live healthier. Be sure to mention “proceeds to Cincinnati/Kentucky” and tell your family and friends!

Peritus Interns at Qdoba Event

See below for an interview with Peritus’ Vice President, Gary Gerdemann on crisis management for startups.
Gerdemann has been involved in several high-profile startups including eToys.com, Homestore.com, Gamefly.com, Boston Market and Einstein Bros. Bagels.

On the tech and startup side of your experience, what was a major Public Relations issue you encountered?

A very interesting example was eToys.com. At the time I was the Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations for E-Toys.com. One major hurdle we faced was a reputational issue that faced the online industry. The previous Holiday season was marred by spectacular market failures. Toys ”R” Us not only failed to deliver toys by Christmas, they failed to alert customers about the delay. The FTC opened an investigation on the industry and fined Toys “R” Us. Angry mom’s and major public skepticism ensued.

What did you do to counter public skepticism?

Our solution: radical openness. Typically, in our business, the logistics and fulfillment system are secret from the public because of inside / proprietary information. But this time we knew that our ‘trust us’ system wasn’t going to be enough for mom. We needed to show people how awesome our delivery process was so that they could formulate their own opinion.

We worked with NBC on a ‘how does it work?’ segment on NBC Nightly News (10 million weekly viewers). We had someone place an order from NBC’s studio office in New York as a camera crew tracked the whole process. From when the order was received in California, to when it was shipped and finally received by the customer in Denver.

Our message was that all of our employees were serious about every order every time. For example, our head of Logistics was a Vietnam War veteran. His job was to make sure the package was packed, shipped and delivered on time. NBC loved this. They even asked for his old war photos to air. During the segment, we interviewed all employees involved and discussed all high-tech machinery used in the process.

What was your success from this?

Well, our overall success was a real time result:
A) No government intervention and no restrictions on business.
B) Put customer concerns to rest.

Any other words of wisdom in handling PR crises?

The lesson is that sometimes in a difficult business position, you have to make a move that is well beyond what you may normally consider prudent. It’s worth doing some mental computation and asking yourself: What if we took an idea and blew it up 100 times larger? What if we did the exact opposite of that which most would consider “safe”? When we originally approached NBC with a standard pitch, they weren’t interested. But, we doubled down and offered unfettered access and they jumped at the chance. It was a hit and the piece the aired was a gem.

Bakken has provided communications support to a diverse group of organizations including the Dallas Cowboys, U.S. Department of Labor, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of America (PhRMA), American Airlines, National HealthCare Corporation, Vanderbilt University and the University of Alabama. Jim’s broad communications campaign experience and dedication to customer service brings instant added value to Peritus and its clients.

“I am pleased to join a tremendous firm and excited to bring the unique combination of talents Peritus offers clients in four other states to Alabama,” Bakken said. “Whether a client needs us to simply revamp their website or to launch a fully integrated communications campaign that organizes community support around a legislative issue or expands their consumer base, Peritus offers winning results that I look forward to delivering across the state.”

The expansion into Alabama signifies Peritus’ ongoing commitment to offer unparalleled service to current and future clients while developing the firm’s presence in the South.“Peritus brings a unique and unmatched quality of service and experience to its clientele that is unsurpassed by its competitors, said CEO of Peritus, Tim Mulloy. “We owe our growth to our client service approach. We fight for our clients and don’t quit until the job is done. I am both proud and humbled by the growth of Peritus and am eager to bring the skills of our talented staff to Alabama.”

Peritus’ staff has more than a century of combined experience leading communications efforts for organizations like Pepsi, Marriott, Gap Inc., Clear Channel Communications, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and The White House. The agency is known for creating and executing programs that influence public opinion promote regulatory and legislative initiatives, position litigation and manage issues.

Established in 1998, Peritus quickly distinguished itself as a leader in alliance development, tourism, marketing, corporate communications, media relations, brand-building and influencing public policy. The agency operates with high-intensity, a fighting spirit and a focus on winning – an approach that has great appeal to clients. In 2009, O’Dwyers ranked Peritus the nation’s 61st largest PR and public affairs firm, with six offices in Louisville, Ky., Nashville, Tenn., Lexington, Ky., Indianapolis, Ind., Columbus, Ohio and now Birmingham, Ala.