Big Expo, Big Connections

Hayslett Group’s Dori Mendel and Jessica Hayslett tackled the networking scene at this year’s 2011 Gwinnett Big Expo Event at the Gwinnett Center. The August 18^th expo, which showcased a large number of Gwinnett and Metro Atlanta based companies and organizations, was bustling with energy and excitement. Set to “Refresh, Refocus and Reenergize” the masses, Mendel and Hayslett spent the day sharing client stories and keeping attendees cool with HG water bottles. Overall, Hayslett Group marked another successful year of making connections and learning about the dynamic businesses of Gwinnett. Leads from the expo event serve as a reminder of the power of branding and marketing, and that it’s always good to engage in professional community events.

New Client: Carlock Copeland & Stair (CCS)

Carlock Copeland & Stair (CCS), a law firm of nearly 80 attorneys, works with private companies and insurers throughout the Southeast on civil litigation issues. The firm specializes in commercial, health care, trucking and transportation, and construction litigation as well as general liability. Hayslett Group will be working with CCS to redesign the firm's publication and collateral materials.

For more information, visit www.carlockcopeland.com

New Client: Georgia Association of REALTORS

Over the years, the Georgia Association of REALTORS (GAR) has worked with Hayslett Group on a number of projects including a public affairs campaign featuring eminent domain rights and annual media training sessions for GAR leadership. This year, GAR turned to Hayslett Group again for help in developing and producing a membership benefits video.

For more information on the Georgia Association of REALTORS, visit www.garealtor.com.

A Decade of Devotion

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hayslett Group associate Ann Collins. Ann’s combination of corporate and community experience, from BellSouth to real estate and after school arts programming, helped land Ann at Hayslett Group in a tale of “being in the right place at the right time.”

Ten years ago, Ann stood on her employer’s loading dock sorting through furniture that the newly bankrupt company was selling. It was at that moment that Ann came across Kackie Gilbert, who inquired about the furniture and situation. After sharing the story of the company and leading Kackie to the office to view the remaining furniture, the two got to talking. It turned out Kackie was the vice president of a local public relations firm, Hayslett Sorrell, and they were looking for a receptionist. That introduction led to an interview with Charlie and Judy Hayslett and onto a career at Hayslett Group. A true story of fate.

Over the past decade, Ann has been an instrumental member of Hayslett Group and has assisted with a number of outreach projects, proving time and time again to be an indispensible part of our firm family. As we look to the next decade of success at Hayslett Group, we look forward to the continued involvement and dedication of our employees, like Ann, of whom we’re thankful to have in the right place at the right time.

Introducing Katie Weiser, MPH, as a Partner Up! for Public Health Intern

On behalf of Hayslett Group and the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign, we would like to take a moment to recognize Katie Weiser, MPH, as a summer intern for the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign.

Partner Up! for Public Health, funded by Healthcare Georgia Foundation, is a statewide advocacy campaign designed to advance public health in Georgia.

We met Katie at the Georgia Public Health Association's 82nd Annual Meeting & Conference in April. She is a recent Masters of Public Health (MPH) graduate from the University of Georgia and we are thrilled to have her on board to help us advance public health in Georgia.

In addition to day-to-day responsibilities related to the campaign, Katie has specifically been tasked with locating and engaging academic and student communities in Georgia.

Most recently, Katie launched a Partner Up! Student Internship Program that is housed as a Student Portal on our campaign website. This initiative is designed to connect knowledgeable public health students with meaningful internships. Organizations are encouraged to post available internship opportunities and/or capstone project opportunities directly on the site.

A Video Contest is another way Katie is looking to engage student and academic communities. The Video Contest, scheduled to launch in the fall, will mirror the "This is Public Health" national campaign and will hopefully engage students at all nine public health schools across the state.

She is also working directly on several items with Michelle Putnam, MPH, executive director for HealthSTAT and Amanda Ptashkin, J.D., outreach and advocacy director for Georgians for a Healthy Future.

Learn more about the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign by visiting our website and to view our Student Portal that features available internships across the state, click here.

For additional questions or comments, contact us directly partnerup@togetherwecandobetter.com.

Hayslett Group Launches Facebook Page

Check us out on Facebook, and if you're feeling friendly...like us!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hayslett-Group/186572411394030

The No-No Deck

Creative Director Michelle Fry spent last Thursday evening on the No-No Deck at Roswell’s North of NOLA restaurant for a steamy evening of networking with members of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber hosts several networking opportunities for members and non-members each month, and most are hosted by a Chamber member. Michelle had a great time meeting other local business folk, sippin’ a Purple Haze and nibbling on deep fried jalapenos!

New Client: The Georgia Association of Community Service Boards

Since 1994, the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards (GACSB) has lead the development and operation of cost effective, high quality, mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services in Georgia. With 27 member organizations providing community based care across the state, the GACSB is dedicated to its mission of promoting the exchange of information, representing its members on legislative and administrative matters, and campaigning for the highest quality of life for consumers of mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services. Hayslett Group will work with the GACSB and its members on media relations, social media and other communications strategy development in an effort to increase GACSB and CSB brand awareness statewide.

To learn more, please visit http://www.gacsb.org/.

Yes, and…

Hayslett Group’s Katie Little and Michelle Fry attended a Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce luncheon this past Wednesday at Ippolito's on Holcomb Bridge Road. The topic of the luncheon was intriguing, “Improving Your Business with Improv,” and the garlic butter rolls were delicious. As a marketing and PR firm, folks often perceive us as “more creative” than other types of business entities and industries. We certainly exercise our creative muscles daily, but so do most people -- regardless of whether they are software developers, CEOs of hospitals, administrative professionals or any other profession you can imagine out there. Being “creative” means developing and exploring ideas and options in regards to problem-solving. That problem could be how to introduce a new product, how to motivate your employees, how to reduce costs in shipping, etc. You get the idea. Basically, we are all creative, and we all need ways to keep our creative muscles nurtured, healthy and strong.

Improvisation, or “to invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation”, may seem a little artsy for a lot of companies, but I think some of the basic principles of improv can easily be incorporated in our workplace attitudes, even if we don’t go so far as to stand in a circle and shout out ideas. The following are just a few concepts or “commandments of improv” that were shared with us, and I think they are great concepts to keep near our hearts when we are problem-solving at work:

Trust

Trust your co-workers, boss, whomever you are discussing your problem with. Believe that they are interested in solving the problem too, and that they are interested in your ideas.

Agree on Stage: Don’t Argue

When brainstorming, or thinking through problems, saying “No, that won’t work.” immediately kills any creative juices. Negative comments make individuals feel uncomfortable – that their ideas are “not right”, thereby causing them to clam up and not share. There is plenty of time later to sort out the best ideas and approaches. This is where the “Yes, and…” comes into play as a segue to other ideas.

Listen

In improv, if you are not listening to your fellow actors, it just doesn’t work. You can’t build ideas off each other if you are not listening.

Mistakes Are Good

Know that out of 10 ideas, nine might not be so hot. Who cares? Mistakes come from trying to come up with great ideas. If you don’t try -- no ideas.

Make the Other Person Look Good

This ties into listening. Listen to others and their ideas. Recognize something good in their ideas, and compliment them about it. Build off it. This fosters trust, engagement and confidence, not just in your brainstorming session, but in the workplace in general.

While the presentation was brief, we had a refreshing glimpse of how we could rekindle the creative fires (and interpersonal relationships) at the office. I hope you can use some of these ideas yourself. If you want to learn more about improv for business, the speakers, or the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, check out:

Blank Stage Productions, www.blankstageproductions.com

Speaker and Author of “Improv to Improve Your Business,” Vanessa Lowry, LinkedIn, www.connect4leverage.wordpress.com

Speaker and Author of “Improv to Improve Your Business, ”Jim Hogan, LinkedIn

Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, www.gnfcc.com