Intern Edge concluded last week with a graduation ceremony. I was among the interns who were asked to give a short speech about our experience and key take away from the program.

When asked to speak, the facilitator said that she noticed my constant participation from week to week. It was very easy for me to want to participate because I really enjoyed the thought-provoking questions and discussions each week.

As I make strides to become a leader in my community and a force in my career field, my biggest take away is that connections count and leaders are versatile members of the community who have a lot to offer the people around them. It is important to surround yourself with successful people who want to see you do well and I feel that Intern Edge has done that for me.

The past six weeks have been both enlightening and enjoyable. I am very thankful for the opportunity to had participated in Leadership Akron Intern Edge. I would like to thank Elizabeth Bartz for making it possible for me to attend these sessions week to week. This was already a great program, and the fact that she pays her interns to go puts the cherry on top.

Pictured left to right, State and Federal Communications interns Katelynn Chilson and Olivia Williams

State and Federal Communications emphasizes the importance of professional development. There are many programs, webinars, and events the company provides for staff members to participate in. The goal is for employees to continuously learn and grow as professionals.

Lunch and Learn is a program the company uses to educate employees on various work-related topics. Staff members can enjoy lunch with their colleagues while learning something new.

State and Federal Communications recently welcomed crisis communications and media specialist Stephanie York from Hennes Communications. During the Lunch and Learn, York informed employees of the importance of crisis management and how handling a crisis can be easy if you follow the Damage Control Playbook.

She told us five things that we should know amid a crisis:

1. Tell the truth. The truth is going to come out eventually. It is better to state the truth at the beginning rather than wait for it to be exposed.
2. Tell it first. The public is going to find out the truth, inevitably. It is better for the company’s reputation to be the one informing the public. If the audience is already aware of the situation, they won’t be fazed if it shows up in the news.
3. Tell it all. Trying to hide part of the truth will result in backlash. If new information is revealed that you didn’t disclose to your audience, people will think the company had something to hide.
4. Be aware of media filters. Every story about the crisis is going to be told differently. If you give reporters all the information upfront it will usually produce a filter that respects the company.
5. Know the fundamental role of reporting. Reporters want to tell a juicy story. The situation will seem less scandalous coming from the source directly.

Knowing how to take control of the situation and communicate efficiently is beneficial to the company. Employees now know what to do and who to communicate with if the company ever faces a crisis. This information can also be applied when communicating with our clients. If they find themselves in a situation and need our assistance in any way, we are now better equipped to help. The Lunch and Learn was a great way to learn more about important topics in the industry.

State and Federal Communications is headed to the NCSL Legislative Summit in Boston. Stop by and see us at booth 730!

State and Federal Communications employees had the opportunity to get out of the office and enjoy a Rubber Ducks baseball game on June 29. Beautiful weather and a Rubber Ducks win made for a great office outing!

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO, provided staff members with tickets and invited us to take a break for part of the day. Employees had the chance to hang out with each other in a casual setting and visit with coworkers who were in from Washington DC. We bonded over great food, beautiful weather, and our love of baseball.

“It was nice to get out of the office for the day and enjoy the game and the beautiful weather,” public relations intern Olivia Williams said.

The office outing provided a change of scenery and refueled us for the end of the week. Sometimes a little break is all you need to finish the week out strong!

The Rubber Ducks beat the Erie SeaWolves 7 to 6. It was a great day to be a Rubber Ducks fan and an even better day to be a State and Federal Communications employee!

State and Federal Communications does all it can to give back to the community. One of the main ways we contribute is by working with the United Way. Along with the many other United Way programs we participate in, we have a yearly campaign to collect donations for its Stuff the Bus program.

The Stuff the Bus program collects school supplies for children from the Akron Public Schools. This year’s campaign runs from July 9 to September 6. There are three different ways to participate in Stuff the Bus: request a collection bin, volunteer at the Sort-a-Thon, or deliver the backpacks to the students. We are getting collection bins to gather supplies, but each part of this event is important and contributes to making it successful. The United Way will be collecting supplies from July 9 to August 18, the Sort-a-Thon takes place on August 22, and Delivery Day is September 6.

State and Federal Communications loves being a part of a program that encourages education. We want to see Akron Public Schools’ students succeed and grow into educated men and women. State and Federal Communications firmly stands behind this cause, and we really promote the message within our company and campaign to get our whole staff to participate. We are excited to Stuff the Bus this year as we have many times before!

To learn more, visit the United Way’s Stuff the Bus website.

Every summer State and Federal interns participate in Intern Edge, a program offered by Torchbearers and Leadership Akron. This program introduces the interns to established leaders, organizations, and groups that are making an impact in our community.

The company invests time and money to aide interns in their process of becoming community leaders and career professionals. It is important for interns to network and make connections with other young adults who are on similar paths.

During our second session, Katelynn Chilson and I joined other Intern Edge participants and raced through downtown Akron on a scavenger hunt. We were required to take as many pictures as possible in front of downtown’s most well-known spots. In order to receive credits for our finds, we had to post our pictures to our social media accounts.

This session gave us an opportunity to see some of downtown Akron’s thriving businesses and to see what downtown had to offer. It also taught us the importance of plugging in and posting to social media sites to reach larger audiences. The photos of us downtown show us learning about and connecting with the community in which we work. Search the hashtags #LAEdge2017 , #Cavs, and #CamoJama on Twitter or Instagram to see more photos of us enjoying downtown Akron.

Attending any of these events in July? State and Federal Communications will see you there!

July 10 Akron Community Foundation’s 62nd Annual Meeting, Akron, OH

July 11 NABPAC Rap Luncheon, Washington, D.C.

July 13-16 National Governors Association 2017 Annual Meeting, Providence, RI

June 20 Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH

Peter Drucker once said, “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”

I am hardly the person who pats myself on the back about the good things happening at State and Federal Communications—I know it takes a village to make it all happen.

What I do remember is signing a document on July 1, 1993, with my former employer at State and Federal Associates to take on the operation and finances of what is now State and Federal Communications. I do recall I had an upset stomach all day…and will leave it at that because I had never entered into any business agreement prior to that day.

The time has flown…Honestly, when you do something you love to do it really is not work. We have grown and continue to grow. We are anticipating bringing on our 50th employee in the near future and acclimating the staff to FMLA.

What will we continue to do for you?

We will add more and more municipalities to our site because many of you are working with these localities to offer your services. I just returned from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and saw many of you who want to have a great relationship with the mayors.

I never saw the Grateful Dead, but I just read “Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History” by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan. The Grateful Dead did not listen to large music producers…The band listened to its fans. We always listen to our clients. If you have a question or a suggestion, please contact us because we would not be here if we did not have great clients.

Go International. We completed a review of lobbying and political contributions in Ireland and will soon include it on our site for you to peruse. We have heard many of you are traveling to Europe and Asia and we want to be your source for how to handle international compliance issues.

Thank you for your loyalty. We appreciate and are proud of all of our clients who always want to do the next right thing in compliance.

It is summer time and we are going to attend many conferences this summer and look forward to seeing you along the way.

What do the National Conference of State Legislatures, the American Legislative Exchange Council, and the Council of State Governments have in common?

They all have national conferences where you can meet with meet with public officials, sponsor activities, host receptions, and distribute promotional items. But, these opportunities require your due diligence to ensure you remain compliant with all applicable gift and lobbying laws.

Our new tip sheet “Ethics Implications for Expenditures at National Conferences” will help you determine what you can – and cannot – do at these conferences so you can always say, “I comply.”

Get your FREE copy today!

Written by interns Katelynn Chilson and Olivia Williams: State and Federal Communications has a strong commitment to helping our community. We believe we all have a responsibility to help our community, and we try to give back in whatever ways we can.

Every year we join Summit County United Way and participate in their Day of Action. In previous years, we’ve helped landscape the Lake Anna YMCA, sorted clothes and painted at Goodwill, and painted the gymnasium walls at the East Akron YMCA. On June 21, we helped to put on a carnival at the YMCA Family Enrichment Center in Akron, Ohio. It was a wonderful experience to help the kids with arts and crafts, officiate potato sack races, and run other carnival-inspired games.

We had a great day at the YMCA Family Enrichment Center. Seeing the excitement on the children’s faces made for a fun-filled and inspiring Day of Action.  Each year we are reminded why we love volunteering our time to the growth of our community, and each year we love to see the community coming together to make Akron the welcoming city it is.

Check out a few more of our favorite photos from this years Day of Action!

Attending any of these events in June? Make sure you say hi to the State and Federal Communications Team!

June 7 GAIN: DC Decorum, Crafting Communications, Washington, D.C.

June 7 NCSL Symposium for Legislative Leaders Reception, Washington, D.C.

June 11-13 WistiaFest 2017, Boston, MA

June 13 Public Affairs Council Digital Media and Advocacy Summit, Washington, D.C.

June 19 The Advocacy Group Summer Reception, Washington, D.C.

June 19-22 BIO International Conference, San Diego, CA

June 21 Ohio Summer Social, Washington, D.C.

June 23-26 U.S. Conference of Mayors, Miami Beach, FL

Check out some photos from staff anniversaries we celebrated in April and May! And don’t forget to check out our staff tributes to Nola Werren, celebrating 20 years with State and Federal Communications!

It isn’t everyday someone walks in your doors and stays for 20 years. I am not talking about my husband or my pets…Nola Werren entered State and Federal Communications and has found a home, which has been fabulous for the company and our clients.

Twenty years ago, I sent letters to attorneys all over Akron looking for an attorney who did not want to practice. The letter made its way to a University of Akron Law School professor who forwarded it to Nola. She has held a lot of different titles at State and Federal Communications, and all have been handled with the love and care only Nola can provide. She leaves no stone unturned in her work.

Nola was recognized for her tenure with a companywide party on May 26. The video tributes from her colleagues are hilarious. Check them out here to see how much she is adored.

Nola is the company’s first employee to reach this milestone…and there are others closely behind. It fills my heart knowing people have the confidence to work for a small business owner.

I cannot thank her enough for sticking with us through thick and thin and building up the company to what it is today…And, I look forward to her contributions for our future.

Thank you, Nola.

State and Federal Communications, Inc. is upping our green-game with help and guidance from Downtown Akron Partnership and the City of Akron. We recently began a program that will allow us to participate in the city’s single-stream recycling program for not only cans and cardboard, but for bottles, cartons, cups, and many other items generated in our workplace environment!

State and Federal Communications has always taken seriously the proper disposal and recycling of our business-related electronics, batteries, legacy fluorescent bulbs, and mountains of shipping cardboard and paper; proudly reporting over 3 tons of recycled materials to Summit County ReWorks for the 2016 calendar year!

By expanding our own program and coordinating with Akron community partners, we step closer to achieving our company and employee goals of being better stewards. Many employee-generated items within the office can now be processed for collection by the city within their single-stream recycling program.

The Downtown Akron Partnership program, working with the City of Akron and others, provides resources within our downtown district to promote and build a vibrant and valuable downtown. We are proud to be part of this great community!