By Marsha Hall, Senior Counselor

The do’s and don’ts to successfully work at home. 

The river valley that stretches beyond my office window extends nearly 15 miles. I gaze across emerald hillsides dotted with picturesque and even historic farmsteads. Contented cattle and grazing horses replace the more traditional views of brick buildings and busy highways. When I open my window, I hear the growl of a tractor or the bray of mule. 

As a public relations professional working from home, do my pastoral surroundings inspire? Certainly! Do they distract? Only if I let them. 

I have had the privilege of working from home during much of my 34-year career. Over the years, I have compiled several do’s and don’ts that can help ensure a productive environment. 

• Do set aside designated space. My office is located in the bonus room above our garage. When I enter this space, I am officially on the clock. Even my four canine coworkers understand that they are not allowed to disturb me when I sit at my desk.

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By Liz Sidor, Account Associate

New Dayton and Cleveland PR summer internships are available.

Are you a public relations student living in Cleveland or Dayton this summer? Consider spending your summer with Fahlgren Mortine. We are looking for two outstanding PR students — one to support our team in Dayton and one to assist the Edward Howard group in Cleveland.

If you are a rising public relations student and are at least a sophomore in college looking to learn more about life at an agency, send your resume and cover letter to careers@fahlgren.com. The deadline for submitting your information is Friday, April 30. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to work with you this summer.

Interested in getting a sneak peek at what it’s like to be an intern at Fahlgren Mortine? Join the Fahlgren Mortine PR Interns Alumni group on Facebook.

By Mark Berry, Associate Vice President

In a crisis, actions speak louder than words.

We live in a nation of second-guessers and back-seat drivers. He should have punted. Bad song choice. What was he thinking? Whatever the decision, we knew the right one all along.

Take Tiger Woods for example. When it comes to Tiger, everyone is a public relations expert. We’ve had some lively debates on the subject in our office. I’ve disagreed with Tiger’s team virtually every step of the way, but some colleagues I respect feel differently. Reasonable people can disagree.

You will not find that same difference of opinion when it comes to this recent list of the worst PR disasters in corporate history. Disaster is a strong word but perfectly appropriate for this group, which may have been responsible for $14 billion in losses and more than 28,000 deaths. Toyota, thanks to its extended struggle to control the sudden acceleration story, is the newest member of this exclusive — and infamous — club. Membership dues, we learned this week, start at $16.4 million.

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By Jenny Fuerst, Director, Corporate Communications

Acquisition Doubles the Firm’s Digital Capacity

Today, Fahlgren announces that we’re acquiring GRIP Technology, a leading Web design and technology development firm located in Columbus. Its services include Web application development, Web site design and development, e-commerce, e-mail marketing, intranets, extranets, search engine optimization and marketing, and strategic Web consulting. GRIP is co-owned by Scott Sanders, Dustin Leggans and Bill Kiefaber.

“It’s no secret that the online world is growing, and our clients are asking for more and more digital work from us every day. It’s an integrated part of virtually every campaign we create,” said Neil Mortine, Fahlgren, Inc. president and CEO. “We are thrilled to be able to double our capacity in this area. GRIP is a natural fit as they complement our team, and we already have a great working relationship. We’ve been sharing clients and projects with them for more than two years. We’re impressed with their offering and client service and delighted to welcome them to the Fahlgren family.”

“Our business model is very client-centric,” said Scott Sanders, founder and president of GRIP and the new leader of Fahlgren Digital. “When I founded GRIP in 2002, I set out to develop a digital agency that was committed to helping its clients reach their business objectives, not just build great Web sites. Technology is only a tool, one part of the equation. It’s our goal to offer more than just great online creative and coding; we provide solutions to meet business objectives. Joining forces with Fahlgren, which shares the same client-centric business model, we can now offer our clients the full support of a leading, independent full-service agency.”

 For more details, check out the news release.

By Ann Marcum, Senior Account Specialist

Companies look to repeat hires to grow business.

Not many people leave an employer and have (or even want) the chance to return in a few years with an expanded perspective and more specialized skills, but I’m one of a handful of so-called ‘boomerang’ employees at Fahlgren Mortine. 

It may sound like an odd path, but rehiring former employees is quickly becoming a trend. A recent survey revealed that 40 percent of employers plan to rehire ‘boomerang’ employees. The reason is three-fold: 

1. Former associates know the business, so training time and costs are reduced. 

2. Ideally, these associates have proven that they mesh well with the office culture, eliminating the question of “fit.” 

3. Having worked in a new environment and/or industry, they bring new skills and a fresh perspective to the game. 

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By Dennis Brown, Vice President

A guide for execs on how to stay relevant in this social media-filled world.

With Betty White set to host Saturday Night Live (thanks in large part to Facebook), I recently saw an article that was only half-joking when it suggested that “80 is the New 30.”  

I had a different perspective when, in the summer of 2009, we started what would become The Middle-Aged Executive’s Guide to Social Media: How to Stay Relevant and Prosper in an Increasingly Social World.  

When it came to social media, 50 felt like the new 80. 

Suddenly, social media was everywhere, and I was feeling old beyond my years. I found myself fighting the urge to rise from my figurative rocking chair, toddle out to the front porch and, shaking my fist in the air, scream, “You kids had better keep your tweeting and friending off my Internet!” 

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By Lara Kretler, Associate Vice President

Put down your Blackberry and step away from the keyboard. Seriously.

Social media monitoring is important for countless reasons, many of which we’ve elucidated on this blog. But sometimes, a very real benefit of social media monitoring is to find cool opportunities to make genuine human connections with other people — the kind that can only happen face to face.

We had a great moment in random social media connections last week. As part of regular daily monitoring for both the Advertising and PR sides of our agency, we caught this Tweet by Jeremiah Owyang, a nationally renowned social media VIP, columnist for Forbes, and web strategy genius:

@fahlgren. I see you. http://twitpic.com/13s6d1

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By Paul Vetter, Vice President

Apple is linking hot new hardware to the media subscription model.

On Wednesday, Steve Jobs will take the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts in the heart of San Francisco. It’s the same place he goes whenever he’s ready to unveil the latest game-changing technology. This week, he’s expected to unveil the long-anticipated tablet computer, which some have dubbed the “iPad.”

It’s expected to do for information – especially the written word – what the iPod did for music. As in revolutionize how we get news, read books, connect with our friends via Twitter and Facebook, and keep up with the essential updates on YouTube.

As The Independent of London asked over the weekend, “Can Apple Save the Written Word?”

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By Jenny Fuerst, Director, Corporate Communications

Neil Mortine and Kathy Cupper Obert

Fahlgren, Edward Howard to Join Public Relations Businesses

Alignment Forms Independent Powerhouse:

Largest Firm in Ohio and Top 30 Nationally 

The acquisition, which joins the capabilities of Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations and Edward Howard, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2010 although integration and coordinated new business and marketing efforts will begin immediately.

Check out more details of today’s exciting announcement in the news release.

By Krista Sanford, Account Associate

The unexpected lives of public relations pros

When you were a kid, did you dream of becoming a scientist or imagine that you were a doctor? Did you pretend to ride a motorcycle or play dress-up once or twice? If you did, you probably ended that phase as a teenager. We didn’t. 

Fahlgren Mortine is an interesting place to say the least. Like many public relations and advertising agencies, we are constantly brainstorming for a bizarre or just plain crazy event idea, switching roles from B2B to consumer clients, and becoming “experts” in fields we never could have imagined back in high school.

If you were to walk around the office, you’d hear discussions about a global data center in one corner and then see blue prints for a world record attempt hanging nearby. This is the busy and eccentric world we live in, and yes, we get to act like a scientist for a day or imagine that we are motorcycle enthusiasts and doctors - some of us have even played dress-up. 

Because I’m fairly new to the agency, I wanted to know what my co-workers have experienced and learned throughout their careers that they never expected. Here are a few of their answers to help you understand our zany lives. 

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