Posts Tagged ‘Knoxville’

The Virtue of “Listening Points”

Friday, February 19th, 2010

By Mary Beth West, APR

Several members of our team attended the February PRSA Volunteer Chapter meeting, where Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA – this year’s national PRSA chair / CEO and Knoxville-based Scripps communications exec – shared insights on the 2010 outlook shaping the public relations profession.

Among his recommendations on navigating social media relationship management, Gary urged the audience to consider developing “listening points,” not just talking points, in order to manage dialogue with diverse audiences who undoubtedly are calling the shots like never before.

To us, the idea of listening points draws upon an oldie but a goodie – the issues management playbook – whereby the PR team identifies and constantly monitors outside issues impacting, or potentially impacting, an organization’s world and that of its stakeholders. 

The process involves taking those issues and helping an organization stay one or more steps ahead, not just via messages, but via policies, procedures and behaviors that stakeholder groups view as the only legitimate evidence of where an organization really stands. 

Hence, the role of listening . . . after all, you can’t effectively advocate for an organization’s position if you’re deaf to the voices and points of view around you.  In equal measure, you can’t help guide an organization’s decision-making toward the best business decisions if management can’t (or won’t) hear, comprehend and hold some level of empathy for how stakeholder groups absorb the impact of those decisions.

Great case in point: the apparent lack of effective listening going on in much of the financial sector regarding executive compensation. 

Chapter President Susanne Dupes, APR, closed the meeting by announcing a $1,000 gift given to the UT College of Communication & Information’s public relations program in Gary’s honor, a gift in which our firm was proud to take part.  A terrific leader like Gary, who is keeping our profession’s best practices front-and-center, couldn’t be more deserving.

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Balancing Work and Personal Fulfillment . . . Monday and Every Day

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

By Tyra Haag

“Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays.” 

This is one of my favorite quotes from a brilliant comedy—the 1999 film “Office Space.” 

One way I avoid a “case of the Mondays” and achieve a greater work-life balance is to spend time volunteering in and around the Knoxville community.  Volunteering with great organizations like the Friends of the Smokies, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Oak Ridge Playhouse  (just to name a few) not only fulfill me more than those I’m actually serving , but they also have allowed me to communicate with different groups in different types of settings. 

Spending time as a volunteer and being a good leader outside your company allows you to carry over those same qualities into your professional environment.  With the right mind-set and support system (thankfully, mine includes a wonderfully helpful, supportive and understanding husband), achieving a better work-life balance is possible. 

Of course, extracurricular activities outside the office should never be a substitute for professional development opportunities.  Employees always should have a thirst for knowledge and growth within their respective profession.

Simply put, happy employees are productive employees.  It’s certainly refreshing to work for an agency that encourages harmony between work and play, so that I can perform at my best.

For me, a better work-life balance produces greater productivity in the office, increased well-being at home and the opportunity to express myself through several creative outlets, so that when my alarm clock goes off on Monday mornings, this working mom doesn’t have a “case of the Mondays.”

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Traditional Home Names Knoxville’s Todd Richesin Among “20 Young Designers to Watch”

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Community Can Vote for Richesin as “Favorite Young Traditional Designer” in Duralee-Sponsored Online Contest and Enter for Chance to Win Custom Room Design

Knoxville, Tenn. – “Southern charm and lots of it” — that’s how the editors at Traditional Home describe Knoxville’s Todd Richesin in the March 2010 issue now on newsstands, which features Richesin as one of the “20 Young Designers to Watch.”

“This is a huge honor in the interior design world,” said Richesin, owner of Knoxville-based Todd Richesin Interiors.

Associated with Traditional Home’s accolade is an online contest for “Favorite Young Traditional Designer,” where voters have the chance to win a custom room design makeover and $5,000 worth of Duralee fabric. 

Richesin is among 20 designers nationwide vying for the prestigious title.

“This contest has been an eye opener for me,” Richesin said. “The support I have gotten has been truly humbling.”  Richesin is currently in the lead but just by a few votes and hopes the generous people of East Tennessee will throw their support behind him.

Todd’s supporters can cast their vote every day between now and March 23. “Of course, voting more often significantly increases your chance to win the contest and the free room design,” Richesin adds. “We can do it and a southern boy can win, but we need to keep the votes coming.”

The winner will be revealed in the October 2010 “Designers on a Design” issue of Traditional Home. 

Also in recent months, Richesin was selected as one of House Beautiful’s “Next Wave of Top 20 Designers” in the December / January 2010 issue.

According to Richesin, along with such national recognition comes the stigma of being inaccessible and too expensive.

“That’s the biggest myth out there about me,” Richesin said. “Whether I’m renovating an entire home or simply rearranging furniture for a client, I’m always available for a consultation and flexible with how much or little to spend on a project.”                                                              

Yet Richesin has made such a good impression on Traditional Home, they are featuring his stunning Key West conch design home in their June 2010 issue. His experience spans a 20-year period, and he has built a sizeable portfolio of upscale client projects throughout East Tennessee and the United States.

“My goal when meeting with a client is to design a space that allows its owners’ personalities to shine,” Richesin said. “That’s why I’m proud to say I don’t have just ‘one look’ because I truly drill down to the heart of a home. Each project is distinct and unique to the owner.”

Frequent client Jennifer Talbott has worked with Richesin for more than 15 years, on everything from an intensive renovation of an older home to improvements on a new vacation home.

“Todd possesses a rare ability to adapt to unexpected issues that almost always arise when working on complicated projects on an older home, without compromising the integrity of the result,” Talbott said.  “My home looks like my home and is not duplicated on any other projects.”

Spreading design knowledge and providing the best service possible is Richesin’s top priority. 

“By learning how my clients live in their homes, I’m able to interpret their design dreams and make them a reality,” he said.

Originally from Sweetwater, Richesin manages a fully appointed studio located in West Knoxville at his French manor house, which for the past ten years has played host to a complete interior design service. It is here where clients will find one of the South’s most exclusive fabric and furniture resource libraries.

“It would be such an honor to bring home the title of ‘Favorite Young Traditional Designer’ to a community that I treasure dearly and invest much time in – both personally and professionally,” Richesin said.   

Click here to vote for Richesin.

About Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC, is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics to express each client’s individual style.  The firm’s services include floor plan design; pre-construction analysis of floor plans and furniture layouts; flooring, plumbing, tile and lighting selection; selection of all interior finishes; cabinetry consultation and design; custom furniture, draperies, rugs and accessories; artwork selection and antiques. 

Richesin is also a business partner with Bobby Brown in Bobby Todd Antiques.  Founded in 1999 and located in the heart of downtown Sweetwater, Tenn. (near Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga), Bobby Todd Antiques features unique furniture pieces, garden accessories and gifts as well as intangibles such as scent and sound to enhance the design of every home.

Recently, Richesin integrated social media tools to give back to community members interested in gaining interior design knowledge, along with offering helpful decorating tips and answering design-related questions.  Todd’s blog, “On the Fringe,” hosts a variety of colorful blog posts. Todd’s fan page on Facebook is also growing daily.

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The Power of Visual Media Done Well

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

By Mary Beth West, APR

Having lunch last week with DoubleJay Creative’s Larsen Jay, I was reminded of what a world-class visual media firm Knoxville has in its own backyard . . . and yet another example where collaboration with an outside company can bring best-of-breed strengths to a client project.

DoubleJay Creative is one of a handful of specialty firms with which Mary Beth West Consulting has built collaborative relationships to strengthen the suite of services our larger team can bring to any client campaign or project. 

DoubleJay Creative is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated television and video production company with a passion for storytelling.  Through their work, they help companies connect with audiences intellectually and emotionally in ways that words alone cannot always achieve.

Larsen’s enthusiasm and passion for his company’s work has a contagious quality, particularly as he talked about one of DoubleJay Creative’s larger projects in the making, a feature film starring legendary actor Hal Holbrook in “That Evening Sun”. 

After successful runs in New York City, Los Angeles and Palm Springs, “That Evening Sun” launches a multi-city release on January 22, opening in Knoxville at the Regal Cinema’s Downtown West 8.

“That Evening Sun” was filmed entirely in East Tennessee, specifically in the Knoxville, Rockwood and Lenoir City areas. It is based on the short story “I Hate to See that Evening Sun Go Down” by acclaimed Tennessee author William Gay.  “That Evening Sun” has won top prizes at 11 film festivals. 

So hats off to Larsen and our friends at DoubleJay Creative – a firm that we predict everyone will continue hearing about in 2010 and beyond.

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East Tennessee Native and Knoxville Interior Design Expert Todd Richesin Honored by House Beautiful as One of the “Next Wave of Top 20 Designers”

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Knoxville, Tenn. – With over 20 years’ experience working as an interior designer who has built a sizeable portfolio of upscale client projects throughout East Tennessee and the United States, Todd Richesin‘s passion for design has been officially recognized on a nationwide level. 

Richesin was selected as one of House Beautiful’s “Next Wave of Top 20 Designers” in the just-released December / January 2010 issue, hitting newsstands today, Nov. 24.

“I’m thrilled about the opportunity to share my work with House Beautiful readers and to represent my home state in such a prestigious publication,” said Todd Richesin, owner of Knoxville-based Todd Richesin Interiors.

Richesin grew up in Sweetwater, Tenn., and manages a fully appointed studio located in West Knoxville at his French manor house, which for the past ten years has played host to a complete interior design service. It is here where clients will find one of the South’s most exclusive fabric and furniture resource libraries.  

Todd also travels to furniture and accessory markets worldwide, as well as to many antique shows to keep up-to-date on design trends and new product introductions. 

“I truly focus on expressing each client’s unique individual style in my projects,” Richesin said. “Getting to know a client’s personality helps me to provide them with fresh ideas and one-of-a-kind designs.” 

Since early childhood, Todd has had a knack for interior design.  In fact, his first project happened by accident at the age of 7.  He selected an Oriental rug that is still in his parents’ home library today – even after the room has been redecorated three times.

Todd’s philosophy of design is simple — starting with personal collections or design elements that a client loves and building from there.

“More beautiful, more comfortable, more livable – that’s my motto,” Richesin said. “Design should be fun.  My goal is simply to take a client’s dream and make it a reality.”

No one in East Tennessee knows better about making their design dreams come true than Knoxville resident Melinda Story.  Melinda has worked with Richesin over the past 10 years on four different interior design projects, including a room-by-room design project for her main home in Knoxville; restoration and complete interior design of an 1840’s house in Key West, Fla.; design and furnishing of her mountain home in Highlands, NC; and a remodeling and interior design project for an historic loft in downtown Knoxville.

“We would not consider undertaking a project without the benefit of Todd’s consultation,” Story said.  “His vision, talent and creativity are gifts. You can see it in everything he does and everything he is.”

Doretta Sperduto, decorating director of House Beautiful, says Todd’s work speaks for itself.  “He is obviously talented and deserves to be featured in this article.”

Recently, Todd integrated social media tools to give back to supporters interested in gaining interior design knowledge, along with offering helpful decorating tips and answering design-related questions.  Todd’s blog, “On the Fringe,” hosts a variety of colorful blog posts.  Todd’s fan page on Facebook is also growing daily.

“Spreading design knowledge, along with providing the best customer service possible has always been my top priority,” Richesin said.  “I try my best to go above and beyond what a client wants to make them happy.”

About Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC , is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics to express each client’s individual style.  The firm’s services include floor plan design; pre-construction analysis of floor plans and furniture layouts; flooring, plumbing, tile and lighting selection; selection of all interior finishes; cabinetry consultation and design; custom furniture, draperies, rugs and accessories; artwork selection and antiques. 

Richesin is also a business partner with Bobby Brown in Bobby Todd Antiques.  Founded in 1999 and located in the heart of downtown Sweetwater, Tenn. (near Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga), Bobby Todd Antiques features unique furniture pieces, garden accessories and gifts as well as intangibles such as scent and sound to enhance the design of every home.

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