Today, we celebrated IT Business and Operations Analyst Dave McPeek’s 10-year anniversary at State and Federal Communications! We started with a surprise visit from Keyed Up a Capella Quartet, then had a terrific lunch at Bricco Akron, and topped off with yummy cake back at the office.

Congratulations, Dave and thank you for all of your hard work.

State and Federal Communications is marking 23 extraordinary years of serving our clients! We have so much to celebrate this year!

One of the benefits of working for State and Federal Communications is the availability of Charitable Service Hours. These hours are provided by the company so employees can volunteer in the community and help out on various service projects.

This year I used my hours to work on a project for Mitzvah Day. Mitzvah Day Akron is a day devoted to helping various groups in the area. Started by Temple Israel in 2002, it has become a community service day involving many faith-based and secular organizations. In 2016, 14 organizations participated in this day of caring and service.

The project I worked on is Project Linus, which makes no-sew fleece blankets for patients at Akron Children’s Hospital. This was my fourth year working on this project. This year I spent three days assisting the project leader, Ruth Huber, (full disclosure, we are related) in preparing for the work to be done on Mitzvah Day and in finishing the blankets and delivering them to Akron Children’s Hospital.

The first day of prep work was mostly spent buying the materials. While it may sound fun, it actually requires a large amount of time. Shopping took a good part of the day because we needed to go to multiple stores to find enough material in a variety of colors and patterns. We ended the day with enough material for more than 40 blankets.

Finalizing the volunteer lists, sending volunteers reminders, and handling administrative duties rounded out the day. Given my writing and computer skills, I was drafted to handle the emailing.

The second prep day was spent preparing the material for the volunteers. While we bought it cut to size, we still had to remove the selvage. On each piece of fleece there are two edges where you can see machine marks from when it was woven. That area along the edge has to be trimmed off before the blanket can be made. Also, any uneven edges have to be trimmed so each blanket starts with four straight edges. Trimming took almost all day, as there were over 80 edges to trim and only three of us working.

On Mitzvah Day, Project Linus had 10 volunteers who produced 39 blankets.

The final day of work took place after Mitzvah Day. We finished four blankets, sent thank-you notes to the volunteers, and delivered the blankets to Akron Children’s Hospital so they could be distributed to the children.

And then we did a final good deed. All of the selvages we were left with didn’t get thrown away. Instead, we cut the long pieces into shorter lengths and tied them together: instant kitten toys. These we delivered to Kitten Krazy, a nonprofit rescue shelter in Medina.

All told, the volunteers of Project Linus were able to make dozens of kids and kittens happy.

Rebecca South, Federal Compliance Associate at State and Federal Communications, has been selected by Women in Government Relations (WGR) as its ‘2016 Distinguished Member of the Year.’

Ms. South attended the recent award ceremony held at the Willard Hotel in Washington D.C., along with her family members, and President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, Ms. Elizabeth Z. Bartz. The ceremony was the annual WGR Spring Reception, the organization’s premier event of the year that brings together members of Congress, congressional staffers and the government relations community to honor women leaders who embody the vision of WGR.

In addition to Ms. South, other honorees included Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA), Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA), and Ms. Catherine Knowles, Office of Representative John Culberson, 2016 Congressional Staffer. Ms. Bass and Ms. Comstock were recognized as outstanding women in Congress who have shown true leadership by exhibiting resilience in the face of adversity and who have worked to make America stronger.

According to WGR President Ms. Meredith Shue, this event has brought together the women of Washington to celebrate 41 years of advancing and empowering women. “This year we celebrated our legacy of leadership and the wisdom of our nearly 1,200 members,” she said. “Our honorees are paving the way for generations of future female leaders through their important work, proving that the glass ceiling can be broken.”

This reception saw more than 500 attendees from all corners of the government relations profession. As was the intent of the founder many years ago, all proceeds raised at the event will now be used to advance, empower and educate young female professionals who seek leadership roles in the government relations industry. WGR is the sole non-profit organization dedicated to this cause, and its members include women and men at all professional levels representing corporations, trade associations and professional societies, law firms, lobbying firms, non-profit groups and federal, state and local governments.

Ms. Elizabeth Z. Bartz is proud of the work that Rebecca South has done for WGR and its committees, especially in helping to plan out the future of the organization for leadership opportunities, mentoring, partnerships, networking and educational programming. “We believe strongly in the mission of Women in Government Relations and the entire State and Federal Communications organization has been solidly behind Rebecca in receiving this prestigious honor,” she states.

Sophia Avouris is a sophomore at Kent State University majoring in political science with a minor in public relations. She expects to graduate in the spring of 2019.  She enjoys playing quidditch.

Sophia has always been interested in political campaigns. Her first serious campaign was for Lou Gentile in 2010; he was running for a seat in the Ohio state House of Representatives. When he won, her passion for campaigning grew. It inspired her to go into political science and work in Washington, D.C. towards a career that would allow her to expand her political horizons and travel.

Sophia considers herself a quick learner, intelligent, and a good listener, which are all good traits to have in the political world. She believes humor and trustworthiness are important in any relationship, professional or personal. Because her family moves a lot, she thinks it is important to find stability in other social structures.

This summer, Sophia and her family are going camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. She plans on visiting a friend in Minnesota, and also eagerly anticipates seeing another friend who makes the best pizza in the world.

Out of all the technology and appliances that she uses, Sophia believes her laptop is the most essential. Her personal motto is: don’t forget to take a little time to laugh a little.

Tony Didion is a senior at Kent State University majoring in public relations and minoring in marketing. He will graduate in August of this year after his internship at State and Federal Communications. His hobbies include golf, canoeing, hiking, and anything outdoors.

When Tony went to Florence, Italy, to study abroad, he realized that the people there are full of joy and enjoy the little things in life. He found that enjoying life should come first and values positivity and living in the moment.

After he graduates, he wants to work in a public relations agency and eventually move to Florence. This fall he’s going to Maui, Hawaii, for a few weeks to visit with a friend. Later, he will be going to San Francisco for a week to attend his cousin’s wedding.

He likes to drink his coffee black and firmly believes that everything happens for a reason.

Clémence Besnard is a French exchange student who has been attending the University of Akron since January 2015. She is working on her master of science in international marketing at the ESC Rennes School of Business. Some of her hobbies include painting, other artistic pursuits, and swimming.

When she arrived in the United States, it was a difficult adjustment because it was the first time she had left her family for a long period of time and gone somewhere unfamiliar. She had to adapt to the American culture and to balance work and school. This opportunity to study abroad has proven itself to be a positive experience and it has made her more independent and confident in her ability to adjust. In her opinion, positivity, motivation, determination, open-mindedness, and trustworthiness are paramount to having a beneficial professional experience abroad.

In addition to her education, she would like go on a humanitarian mission to raise funds and provide education for all people, particularly those who are discriminated against. After she receives her master’s degree, she wants to find a job that would allow her to travel abroad.

Before she leaves America, Clémence wants to travel to various cities such as Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, DC, and to explore the West Coast.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” -Mahatma Gandhi

State and Federal Communications is excited to be a sponsor of the 2016 National Grassroots Conference next week.

We  believe in the great value of this gathering! Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of the company, will be bringing a team to Alexandria, VA to participate in the program. We never miss it.

You can follow the conversations from the conference on Twitter @PACouncil #2016GRC.

Brittany Anderson is a public relations major with a minor in marketing at Kent State University. She plans on graduating in December 2016.

Brittany has been through many obstacles that have defined her life and epitomize the person she is today. In 2011, when her mother passed away unexpectedly from surgery complications, finding motivation to finish high school was very difficult. She pushed through despite her lack of motivation and maintained the drive to continue and stay grounded for her family.

When she graduates, Brittany wants to work as an executive director of media relations who specializes in crisis communications. If she takes a different route in the public relations field, she would love to work as a commercialization manager in the food industry where she would develop project plans, design, and product performance. Brittany also wants to further her professional network and eventually move out of the state with her sister. She considers herself creative, driven, and motivated. She values positivity, loyalty, and patience. She strives to be fearless without being reckless.

This summer, she is taking classes at Kent State University and interning here at State and Federal Communications.

She enjoys a fast-paced environment that allows her to exhibit her skills under pressure and enjoys to blog about eyebrows in her spare time.

“Know your worth.” -Brittany Anderson

We had a great time at the 2^nd annual #artypartyakron hosted by the Summit County CASA/GAL Volunteer Board. This juried art show at Akrona Galleries featured 100 works of art from local young artists ranging from pre-school to college. The art was auctioned off at a fun and exciting event with all proceeds going to the CASA/GAL Program of Summit County. The mission of the CASA program is: To provide every child who enters the court system as a result of allegations of abuse, neglect, or dependency with a trained community volunteer to advocate what is in the child’s best interest.

As vice-chair of the CASA Board, I am grateful for State and Federal’s event sponsorship and support of this important work in Summit County.

We are welcoming eight interns for our summer internship program here at State and Federal Communications! The program is designed to help college students learn more about government relations compliance and leadership and to help hone and showcase some of the skills they are learning within their respective college programs. It is also a paid internship, where they will be able to make money while they widen their horizons.

This summer, we have Tony Didion, who is graduating after this internship from Kent State University with a degree in public relations and a minor in marketing; Brittany Anderson, who is graduating this December from Kent State University with a degree in public relations and a minor in marketing; Clémence Besnard, an exchange student from France studying at the University of Akron is working on her master of science in international marketing at the ESC Rennes School of Business; Chris Jackson is a part-time student at the University of Akron working on his communication systems degree; Olivia Snyder a part-time student at the University of Akron pursuing civil engineering; Elysabethe Anderson, who is studying art history and visual communications and design at Kent State University; Sophia Avouris, a sophomore at Kent State University studying political science with a minor in public relations; and Zack Koozer who is attending part-time at Kent State University.

In addition to the projects they will be working on here at the office, our interns will be attending professional development programs, luncheons, and events, such as those held by Akron PSRA, Akron Roundtable, Intern Edge, the United Way of Summit County, and more. Stay tuned for more updates about this summer, and most importantly, let’s welcome these eight interns into the State and Federal Communications family!

At any given time, more than 1,000 legislative bills, which can affect how you do business as a government affairs professional, are being discussed in federal, state, and local jurisdictions. These bills are summarized in State and Federal Communications’ digital encyclopedias for lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying and can be found in the client portion of our website.

Summaries of major bills are also included in monthly email updates sent to all clients. The chart below shows the number of bills we are tracking in regard to lobbying laws, political contributions, and procurement lobbying.

The number of municipalities and regional governments our research associates track continues to grow. We now cover almost 300 municipalities and local governments. This is part of a continuous effort to better serve the needs of our clients.

In that effort, we have added abridged jurisdictions to our website. These entries, condensed due to the limited number of relevant local laws, provide the core information our clients need for their government relations work.

The new jurisdiction is: Kauai County, Hawaii

Here is our June/July calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please say hello!

June 6-9   2016 BIO International Convention, San Francisco, CA

June 13-15   US Chamber’s America’s Small Business Summit, Washington, DC

June 20-22   Public Affairs Council National Grassroots Conference, Alexandria, VA

June 23   Public Affairs Council Digital Media and Advocacy Summit, Alexandria, VA

June 24-27   U.S. Conference of Mayors 84th Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN

June 28   Walmart Manufacturing Summit,  Bentonville, Arkansas

July 14-17 National Governors Association Summer Meeting, Des Moines, IA