In 2010, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection penalized Worcester-based Saint-Gobain for allegedly failing to comply with air pollution control regulations. In addressing the violation, Saint-Gobain saw an opportunity to assist the Worcester community in reducing its environmental impact in a more meaningful way than simply paying the $28,000 fine. The company proposed a settlement that would entail the purchase and installation of a $21,000 three kilowatt solar panel roofing system at the Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, with the remaining $7,000 of the penalty paid to the Commonwealth. 

In honoring its responsibility to not only make right, but also to enhance the Worcester community where Saint-Gobain employs 1,400 and has a 125-year history, Saint-Gobain also financed the $52,000 construction of a pavilion to hold the solar panels and be used as classroom space to teach Worcester-area youth about connecting with nature and the importance of conservation. 

Three major outlets in Worcester ran stories – check out the coverage secured by BG PR!

Worcester Telegram & Gazette: Saint-Gobain makes most of bad situation

Worcester Business Journal: Saint-Gobain Gets Creative With Environmental Fine

Worcester Mag: New Pavilion offers education for Worcester’s youth

SEE HARCUM GROW

Thursday, April 19, 2012

When Jon Jay DeTemple came to Bryn Mawr to assume the presidency of Harcum College in 2007, he saw a lot of “under-the-hood problems.”

Only around 800 students were enrolled at the two-year private college when DeTemple arrived. The financial aid system needed fixing.

“They knew they had some problems here,” DeTemple said. “There was a question about whether [Harcum] was going to be able to make it or not.”

DeTemple did an internal overhaul of staff and management, and this past spring, Harcum experienced its largest enrollment yet with 1,500 students. By Harcum’s 100th birthday in 2015, DeTemple said he wants enrollment to reach 2,015. Meanwhile, campus improvements such as a $1.2-million library project are underway.

Continue reading here: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/neighbors/147581105.html

I can feel this room moving and shaking as I speak.

Though the Philadelphia Ad Club has graciously chosen to honor me with the Movers & Shakers Award, you could have easily given this award to the people in this room.

That’s because the profession we’ve chosen, advertising, is committed to moving and shaking world economies.

We entertain and motivate with comedy, and drama, and logic, as we emotionally demonstrate and speak as the voice of our clients.

We move products off shelves.  We create trends.

The people in this room change people’s minds about pre-existing assumptions.

We’re a fortunate group, we ad people.

We get paid for our creativity, while having fun.

The public rarely had insurance top-of-mind. Then movers & shakers just like you, creatively connected a duck to a company name, and vaulted that insurance company into the public’s life and awareness.

That was followed by a gecko, that not only charmed us, but also put that company into the forefront of the insurance business.

The entire ultra-conservative insurance industry is changed forever.

They’ve happily discovered a growing top-of-mind awareness, a newfound public acceptance, and respect for their newly enhanced brands, and, of course, an increase in business.

Advertising professionals just like you, successfully made household names out of young start-ups like Apple and Nike. Target, Microsoft and IKEA. And aren’t we all applauding the new JCPenny campaign, and wishing them success?

60 years ago, when a young group of ad geeks just like you moved and shook the ad world for a new style of automobile by convincing us to “Think small.”

And, how that same group turned a car rental business around by getting the public to believe in them, by admitting that because “they were number two, they would try harder.”

60 years ago it was called “The Creative Revolution”, and the advertising profession has never looked back.

Those of us in this room, and in ad agencies all across the world, are keeping the spirit of this magnificent revolution alive with great work.

I was fortunate to be in the right place and time as this new way of thinking and creating advertising was reaching young Ad Guys like me. 

I believed and adopted this fresh new way of creating advertising, and I too never looked back.

It’s quite a compliment when a child follows in his father’s footsteps. In my family, both sons chose our field. Growing up, they heard ad-talk around the dinner table, and the creative process was something they easily related to. I am proud to say that today they are both Movers & Shakers.

Michael Brownstein began his career on Madison Avenue and was eventually recruited into the magazine world, where today he is Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer at Meredith Corporation.

And Marc Brownstein, who many of you know, decided to come back to Philadelphia from New York, after creating global campaigns at Ogilvy & Mather. Today Marc is our CEO, and has built the Brownstein Group into regional prominence.

A dozen years ago, Marc’s foresight identified the need to build a digital expertise at a time few had ever heard of digital marketing.

That kind of innovation continues to drive our success.

I started Brownstein Group 48 years ago, and we’re having fun every day by differentiating brands and making businesses succeed.

All of us are fortunate to be part of a profession where our talents receive continuous fulfillment, while encouraged to be Movers & Shakers.

As a life-long, dedicated Mover & Shaker myself, quite frankly, I can’t think of anything more fun than that.

I especially want to thank my dear family, my friends, my dedicated clients and business associates, for wanting to be here with me today. And to my co-workers, whose creativity, on every level, continues to inspire me.

And finally, to every one of you Movers & Shakers, never, ever, stop.

While social media is a trend itself, a newer, growing trend within the social media realm is social media sites just for men. The article suggests that men want a place to talk about more “manly” subjects, without a woman’s intervention. A few entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the recent statistics and created new social sites directed solely toward males.   

In my opinion, the idea of social networking strictly for men is a bit farfetched. Before corporations and organizations used social media to build awareness of their companies to consumers, social media was a tool used to remain in contact with schoolmates, and as it expanded, with friends. The concept has since grown beyond that to personal relationships. Facebook, for instance, provides “interests” allowing a user to choose which sex they prefer, and even offers dating applications.  Social media today is a virtual place that people become a part of to expand their friendships and more.

Although this may be an assumption, I believe one of the reasons men may join a social site is to meet people, though I don’t believe this is the only reason. There are men that may use the sites to blog, vent, and converse about what they prioritize in life. Evidentially though, these new social sites for men are booming and growing quickly.

Social media sites do not appear to be feminine; they are what you make of them. Nevertheless, men may just want their own space in the virtual world just as they do in the real world.

From the moment we knocked down the walls on the Creative floor and became an open studio, one grim prospect loomed in my mind. Winter. With my beloved snow of white come more unwelcome visitors of green. And they’ve been taking down this weak open studio one by one. Now, I don’t know if it’s my daily wii zumba or my diet of red meat, but thus far I’ve stood strong. In fact, I’m the last man standing as this bug is making its second round of infections. That is, until last night.

You see, that’s when the headache began. At first I was able to convince myself that it was strictly a result of dehydration caused by my box of wine. (It’s the fancy box, don’t you judge me.) But this morning, there it was again and along with it, the distinct tickle that comes with mucus gently caressing the back of one’s throat.

By writing this, I am acknowledging its existence. But in my acknowledgment of its existence, I am able to harken those words Jennifer Connelly spoke eloquently to David Bowie:

Office bug, YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME.

 *If you need me, I will be bobbing for mucinex in a vat of emergenC

Her first installment debunks the myth that you need your PR agency to be located in NYC: http://www.prweekus.com/debunking-the-location-myth-new-york-or-bust/article/221259/ Be sure to stay tuned this week for more from Erin!

“The latest additions to our agency family grow our internal teams in multiple departments – which is essential, given our recent client wins,” said Marc Brownstein, President and CEO. “But more importantly, these hires bring fresh thinking and valuable experience that will complement the marketing programs of our newest clients. As our client base expands, we are well positioned to leverage this new talent and continue providing the high-quality brand-centric counsel and campaigns that set Brownstein Group apart.”

Client Services:

Shannon Reynolds joined BG as Senior Account Director, drawing on her experience working with a number of brands at firms in Philadelphia, Princeton, N.J., and Springfield, Mo. Her client portfolio includes TD Bank, American Public University, PNC Bank, The College Board and Tyson Foods, Inc., among several others. Reynolds is a graduate of Missouri State University.

Jessica Epstein has also joined the Account Management team, assuming the role of Account Executive. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Epstein has worked as an account executive in digital marketing, executing campaigns targeting e-commerce consumers, and as a senior project and marketing manager for more than 30 clients.

Public Relations:

Sean Carney joined BG’s Public Relations team as Senior Account Executive. Carney comes to BG from New York, where he served on the corporate communications team for Bank of America Home Loans, in addition to working with clients in the technology, financial services, consumer and interactive fields. He is a graduate of Temple University (BA) and University of Westminster in London (MA),

Nicole Osuch assumed the role of Account Executive on BG’s growing Public Relations team, after serving as a PR intern at BG in 2009. A graduate of Cabrini College, Osuch served as Communication and Events Coordinator at New Jersey Utilities Association for two years before returning to BG.

Kelsey Ruane joined the Public Relations team as PR & Social Media Coordinator. Also a former BG Public Relations intern, Ruane graduated with a BA in English from Villanova University in 2011, where she served as Editor in Chief of the student newspaper The Villanovan.

Creative:

Nicole Goss joined the Creative team as a Copywriter, after working at Tierney for clients including TD Bank, PECO and Cooper Hospital. A graduate of the University of Georgia and The Creative Circus in Atlanta, Goss has won a number of awards for her work, including Gold and Silver Philadelphia Addys.

Digital:

Aubrey Ayala joined BG’s Project Management team as Digital Project Management lead. She comes with experience in a number of project management roles, having worked in design, digital solutions and web brand communication for more than a decade. Her client portfolio covers a broad spectrum of industries, while her most recent client work focused on the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

Oren Panitch is BG’s new web developer. He brings with him a wealth of programming knowledge and design experience, having undertaken several ventures on his own, including a unique suite of online games for his senior project at Drexel University, the website for a Drexel organization he founded in 2008 and Anatomi Designs, a web design company he formed with a friend.

Operations:

Jeanne Oberti joined the Finance and Operations team as BG’s receptionist. Oberti comes to BG from Scripture Union, where she worked for 20 years providing support to the VP. She is also an experienced music instructor and fluent in Spanish, having taught English in Ecuador for four years.

Welcome to our newest BG employees!