Farewell, Chicago

I leave my two-week adventure at Insidedge with mixed feelings.
On one hand, it will be good to be home to my partner and "kids" (translation: pets) after being away for two weeks.
On the other hand, I wish I had more time to spend with these smart, dedicated people here at the firm.
I envy them being in the practice and it makes me think where I might be now if my career had taken some slightly different twists and turns.
But, all in all, I know I'm doing what I love best, teaching, mentoring and learning for a living. It's a good gig, as my colleague Dr. Dennis Kinsey, would say.
So, as another colleague, Dr. Carla Lloyd, always says at the start of a new semester, "It's time to go teach college!"
A special shout-out to Keith Burton, President of Insidedge, whose care in planning and preparing for my visit made it a big success, and to Helen Loosevelt, his right hand and all-around organizer and miracle worker.
I'll post more pictures of all the team members you've yet to meet in my last post.
Thanks, gang. I'll never forget you and hope this is just the beginning of a friendship and partnership that will go on for years to come!

Millenium Park

I haven't had a chance to mention a treasure tucked into the city of Chicago, Millenium Park.
The Park boasts wonderful artwork, like "The Bean" which I discovered my first full day here when Keith Burton and Dave Duschene took me to the new restaurant in the modern wing of the Art Institute. It's a luxurious stop for a meal!
The Bean reflects the city and adds some whimsical fun to the Park. I ate lunch one day in the park, relaxing on a bench and people-watching.
Flower beds are beautiful and the energy of the city balances nicely with a spot to rest and refresh.

Gourmands!

Last night was very special.
The Insidedge Team, of which I am now a proud honorary member, celebrated my visit with a special dinner at Red Light here in Chicago.
I've visited several restaurants since arriving here and this one, undoubtedly, was the best of all. The company of new friends made it even more special.
We sampled many exotic Asian dishes and appetizers.
The most spectacular (and delicious) of them all was the catfish.
The desserts included a "Chocolate Bag". Very clever and tasty!
My final posts from this trip will include a picture of the team with me at dinner, as well as some farewell thoughts.
Thanks, team. I'm proud to know you all!

Meet Linda Kingman

Linda Kingman, Executive Vice President at Insidedge, Chicago, took me out for lunch today and we had a wide-ranging discussion about corporate and agency PR, what students find interesting these days, and how her background has prepared her for her role at Insidedge.
Linda has an extensive background, including work for Kemper Insurance and Hill & Knowlton. Of particular interest was her experience working at Kemper during the 9/11 tragedy. Fortunately, no Kemper employees were lost in the terrorist attacks, but the challenges of helping employees work through the aftermath and recovery from this tragedy were significant.
Linda loves her work with clients, especially the opportunity to train both communicators and front-line managers as the clients she counsels work to establish better employee engagement.
Linda also has responsibility for the firm's blog. Check it out at http://intake.insidedge.net/

Using Research to Solve Client Problems

Earlier this week, I met Hertha Meyer, Senior Vice President, Research, at GolinHarris. We had a fascinating conversation about how she uses research to solve client problems and also look for opportunities for clients.
Much of her work involves analysis of secondary data. So often, we think we must rush out and do more primary research, but secondary data can be rich in information that clients and their strategists at GolinHarris find helpful.
Hertha has had a very interesting career and lived around the world while working for several different companies.
Her work here allows her to also track issues for clients. Issues management is becoming increasingly important in public relations.
Societal trends and issues are of great interest to clients, too.
The secondary data available through a number of different vendors can be analyzed to create client reports and track media coverage, too.

An Attorney Working in PR? Yup!

There are so many colleges and universities today offering majors or minors in public relations that you'd assume everybody working in PR has a degree in PR. Not always so.
Just as some of us originally came from journalism and eventually went into PR/got PR degrees, others come from fields such as the law.
One such person is Caroline Hoenk, Esq., who is a Vice President at Insidedge here in Chicago.
Caroline and I met and talked about her work with the Society of Actuaries (SOA). She had previously worked in investor relations at Financial Dynamics and had supervised Carly Jarosz there (see earlier post). Another validation of that "small world" thing!
One thing the SOA is working on is recruitment on college campuses. Many students in business school are unaware of the actuarial field and the career opportunities there. Caroline sometimes travels along with SOA to visit campuses and spread the word.
Having Caroline's legal training and expertise on staff at Insidedge is smart, as is Caroline!

Managing Communications At McDonalds

Last night I reunited with a graduate of MSU's masters in public relations program.
Vanessa Payoux is now Manager of U.S. Communications for McDonalds. The headquarters is located in suburban Chicago.
Vanessa has always been a very energetic and curious person and it's no surprise that she's done so well since graduating.
We talked about how small and connected the PR community can be. Networking and contacts have helped her be successful, along with extensive experience in the food industry.
As I told Vanessa last night, one of my greatest joys is to keep in touch with former students and hear about their successes.
Chicago has lots of successful alums, from both MSU and SU.
It was so nice to reconnect with another one who makes me very proud!