COME CELEBRATE
THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
OF
CEDAR RAPIDS PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATES!
Mark your calendar
now to
join us on the 2nd Thursday of each month from September through May!
In this issue:
- Register today for the April meeting
featuring Jim Ecker, President, Metro Sports Report
- Review of our March Panel Discussion, “Skill Diversification for Survival”
 
“Creating a New Community Sports News Service”
with Jim Ecker, President and Editor, Metro Sports Report
Within a span of 6 months, Jim Ecker and business partner Mike Koolbeck sparked an idea, gathered a team and launched a 150+ page Web site focused on Cedar Rapids metro high school sports: www.metrosportsreport.com. Leveraging their network of friends and former colleagues, they filled their roster with professional writers, photographers, salespeople and web-savvy folks who hit the ground running to cover and present the area's prep sporting news. Community, school and advertiser response has been overwhelmingly positive to the game previews and re-caps, player profiles, coaching and administrative news, daily columns and more. Plus, this start-up squad was recently credited with breaking a national high school wrestling story. Come learn more about how this new, local business came to life and continues to grow.
Jim Ecker, a native of Yonkers, N.Y., graduated from the University of Michigan in 1974 with a degree in journalism. He spent 27 years as a sportswriter at The Gazette and was recently the information director at Perfect Game USA. He was named Iowa Sportswriter of the Year in 1995.
Please join us!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
The Clarion Hotel and Convention Center (map)
Cost: $15.00
Reservations are
required and
are due by
5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 8.
Submit
your reservation for the April meeting
CRPRA meets the 2nd Thursday of each month, September through May.
Mark your calendars for this season!
by Sher Jasperse
March 2011 -
“Skill Diversification for Survival”
Long-time marketing professional Sondy Daggett and Coe College Career Services Coordinator Michelle McIllece joined CRPRA Steering Committee member and moderator Eric Wylie, owner of Wylie Creative Communications, in leading us through a lively discussion of “Skill Diversification for Survival” at our March meeting.
McIllece offered her own winding career path as an example of the truth that career planning and life planning — or skill development and personal life — are closely tied together. She urged communications professionals who are concerned about surviving a rocky economic environment to unplug from what the media are telling us about the lack of jobs and acceptable careers, be proactive and reframe your work experience to make yourself marketable.
Daggett advised marketing and communications professionals to differentiate themselves and demonstrate the ability to think deeply about strategic issues. Don’t oversell yourself, she counseled, but tap into all your experience and background to build your value for prospective clients or employers. And take full advantage of opportunities to create strategic partnerships with your communications colleagues. Amen to that!
Stay tuned for a future Part 2 of this panel discussion on a topic with broad relevance for communications professionals in a rapidly evolving marketing and communications environment.
THANK YOU to Pratt Audio-Visual & Video Corporation
for the generous donation of video projector rentals for our meetings!
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Donate a door prize - Get free face time! 
