Do you know this idiot?

I was reading Chuck's blog, Lakeland Local, this morning and saw a link to Alan Snel's blog, where he recently wrote about being harrassed by a Polk County driver while riding his bike in Tampa. And no, my headline is not referring to either of these two guys. Read on.

I'm also linking to Alan's blog post because I want to spread the word. Please take a moment to click on this link and if you know the idiot driver of the vehicle being described, I hope you will tell him/her to be more careful and considerate around cyclists. Bicycles have as much right to be on the roadways as motorized vehicles. Then, if you're really up to the task, smack them in the head for me.

In no way do I consider myself a "cyclist." But as someone who owns and rides a bike and enjoys riding it along Lakeland's city streets, I have a deep appreciation for others who take their biking more seriously. I have a deeper appreciation for the need to educate drivers on the importance of watching out for cyclists.

The Farmer's Market and General Store Ramblings

My husband Mike and I ventured downtown again on Saturday, fulfilling what seems to have become a weekly duty. It was a bit chilly- well, chilly by Florida standards- but we still rode our bikes.

We went to The General Store on Kentucky Avenue, “Downtown’s newest old store” that “has everything from Band-Aids to Fix-A-Flat to Marlboros …to ice cold Grape Crush…” and so the promotion goes. We were there to get the reproduction bottles of Coke that came out for the holiday season.

Anyway, I digress. We wandered down to the weekly Farmer’s Curbside Market and finally- praise God- someone had Collard greens. Mike Morgan from Ruskin, a farmer who might be known for his beautiful, blood-red strawberries, called Morganberries, had the leafy green southern delights. They weren’t organic, but they were too beautiful for me to care.

I wanted the strawberries too, but I don’t have time to do anything with them right now, so I’m saving them for another weekend.

Then we headed around the corner to Jim The Breadman, who’s there faithfully every Saturday with breads and rolls. I picked out the big bag of cheese rolls- 10 for $1.50- and suddenly knew what I was making for supper. BBQ pork sandwiches on those soft, fresh rolls. Collard greens on the side. If there was any doubt that I’m southern…

Mike also picked up a HUGE bag of pecan sandies $3.50. We'll have to freeze half of them.

There was a new vendor there on this day, a lady who made cool leather stuff- hair ties, bracelets, purses, belts. Chelsea Geiger was there with her homemade candles and soaps. I bought a tiny simmer pot and a baggie of McIntosh and Granny Smith apple-scented wax buttons for $8.50.

Richard Bond was there with his canvas work. He wasn’t chiseling on a sculpture today. Bummer.

The Barefoot Gardeners, a group of earthy native plant lovers, was there.

The Plumlees, who grow hydroponic lettuces and sell lemon-infused and other olive oils were there.

Lakeland Plant Works, a faithful vendor since the Curbside market began three years ago, was there with his beautiful plants, many of which are Florida natives.

I found myself looking around and for the first time, really taking in this event. It happens every Saturday, and I hate how many people never take advantage of it. We spent less than $20 on Saturday. You can’t beat that!

The whole morning outing made me sappily nostalgic. I am willing that General Store to be successful, but I know in my heart it will take much more than that. People will have to get out of the Wal-Mart mentality and pay the extra 70 cents for the cough drops at The General Store than they would elsewhere.

My whole argument reminds me of the Jimmy Buffet song, “Fruitcakes,” where he screams about not wanting a 12-pound Nestle Crunch for $25 at the movie theater.

Sometimes it’s not about price. It’s not about getting the large economy size because it’s the best value. Sometimes it ought to be about patronizing a locally-owned business just because you want it to succeed. And today I learned that you don't always have to pay more to patronize local businesses. I got great deals today.

I feel like if those small businesses are successful, those of us who shop there can take pride in having helped make that happen.

The same goes for the Farmer’s Market. Now how Mike Morgan can drive over from Ruskin on a Saturday, sell beautiful Collard greens for $3 a bunch and have it be worth his while is beyond me, but it must be working for him. It’s not for us to question, it should be for us to support him.
It just makes me feel better, knowing I’ve purchased my Collard greens from a guy who cut them the day before; not from a store that had them shipped from California or Ecuador or wherever the hell they get super-cheap produce from this week.

We live in Polk County, people. We’re still rural. We are the heart of citrus; we live next door to the strawberry capital of the world; down the road from the Zellwood corn mecca; a short drive from the tomato capital; a hop, skip and a jump from the land of peanuts. We have ample opportunities to buy our produce locally.

I hope you all will make an effort to do that. Let’s keep these quaint little events like the weekly Farmer’s Curbside Market, The General Store and all the locally owned downtown shops in business by supporting them.

Sometimes it Takes a Stranglehold to Make You Feel Like We do

I was headed to Ocala to visit my cousin and some high school friends last weekend when I passed this driver in North Lakeland:

I hope this lady never rear-ends someone because she's not going to have to worry about what damage the airbag will do to her face. She'll have to worry about the aftermath of having your head bounced in bumpers-in-a-pinball-machine fashion between your too-tall headrest and the top of the windshield. And forgive me for being insensitive, but if you have to sit that high and that close to the steering wheel, you shouldn't be driving a Mustang GT convertible.

So after I got over this site, I popped in Frampton Comes Alive because nothing gets you through this...

...like 14 minutes and 15 seconds of Do You Feel Like We Do. Unless it's Nugent's Stranglehold.

Lakeland Florida PR/Journalism Internships

Over the next several days, I hope to post information on a variety of Polk County and Tampa Bay area internship opportunities for college journalism and public relations students. Please check back frequently, but here are the first few:


State Farm Insurance

Internships are available at agency field offices and Claims and Marketing departments in Winter Haven, Lakeland, Orlando and Tampa. All majors are accepted, but preferred majors include Business, Communications, IT and Criminology.

Length of Internship:
May 19th, 2008 – August 1, 2008

Compensation:
$15.00 per hour

Requirements:
3.2 GPA or above
extracurricular involvement

Please fax resumes to (863) 318-3131 or email Deanna.Hughey.PYD5@statefarm.com

*Successful interns will receive an offer for full-time employment upon graduation.



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Cypress Gardens Adventure Park

Opportunity to gain Public Relations experience in the high energy tourism and theme park industry. Activities to include various media relations, community relations and special event and concert promotion.

Basic computer skills are required. A personal laptop is a plus, but is not necessary. The internship is paid and is available for the summer and fall of 2008.

Alyson Gernert, Public Relations Director
863-324-2111 ext. 1101
863-595-2315 Fax
alyson.gernert@cypressgardens.com
6000 Cypress Gardens Blvd.
Winter Haven, FL 33884
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Lakeland Magazine (A product of The Ledger)

We are seeking a junior or senior magazine journalism student for a 10- to 12-week summer internship. The successful candidate should have completed related coursework and have magazine clips.

The intern primarily would be reporting and writing stories for Lakeland Magazine and East Polk Lifestyles, quarterly magazines published by The Ledger newspaper in Lakeland. He/she also would take part in brainstorming sessions, set up photos and assist with photo shoots, as well as help with proofreading and caption- and headline-writing.

A stipend is available to help offset living expenses.

Please send a resume, cover letter and relevant clips to Sandra Dimsdale, magazine editor, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland, FL 33802.
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Paradise Advertising and Marketing, Inc.

Located in downtown St. Petersburg, Paradise Advertising & Marketing is seeking enthusiastic, self-motivated and detail-oriented interns to assist the fast-paced public relations department with internal and client activities. The interns would gain real-world experience by assisting the PR department, along with various assignments from the other departments (creative, account service, traffic & media). The position is both administrative and hands-on with national and local accounts.

Requirements:Must be an upper-level undergraduate or graduate student working toward a degree in mass communications, public relations, journalism or related field. Candidates must have excellent writing, speaking and organizational skills. Must be proficient in MS Office applications including Excel, PowerPoint and Word, and should be able to demonstrate working knowledge of AP style.

Responsibilities:-Research-Creating and maintaining media databases-Monitoring media coverage and compiling reports-Administrative duties-Preparing, editing and distributing press releases-Assisting with the coordination of media and promotional events.

This is an unpaid internship position requiring approximately 15 hours per week. While interns are not financially compensated, we make every effort to ensure your experiences at Paradise will equip you with the tools and skills necessary to succeed in a full-time PR position.

To Apply:
Please send your cover letter and resume to Missy Hurley, Missy@paradiseadv.com.
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Quest Corporation of America- Click on Careers. This public relations company offers internships in public information, video production and graphic arts.
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Polk County Board of County Commissioners- Communications Division

Student internships are available in the Communications Office. The position will have a variety of duties and responsibilities, including the following: special projects involving working with the media, writing press releases, preparing presentations, contributing articles for the internal newsletter, copy editing, creating/updating databases, preparing for seminars, trades shows, speeches, award entries and special events. The ideal candidate will have the physical, developmental, and mental ability to perform assigned job tasks; a knowledge of AP News Style writing, grammar, punctuation, spelling and basic mathematics; excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to receive and understand directions and work independently with minimal supervision; computer knowledge in word processing, graphic design and presentation software.

The Communications Division prefers a student majoring in Public Relations, Journalism, Communications or Marketing.

The position is full or part-time, Monday-Friday**, at the Neil Combee Administration Building, located in Bartow, Florida. Most often this internship is unpaid, but depending on vacancies, it may be paid as well.

** Occasional (and optional) weekend work may rarely be requested to help cover special events

Interested students may apply by completing an application on the Polk County BoCC website
@ http://www.polk-county.net/

Students also may call Cindy Rodriguez @ (863) 534-6090 with questions relating to the internship.

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Polk County Supervisor of Elections

Description of internship: Public relations, community relations, marketing and political science combination. This position is a customer service opportunity for a person who would like to learn more about promoting a positive image of the electoral process in the community. The individual should like going out in the community and interacting with the public in teaching them about voting, election laws and election procedures. We register voters, demonstrate voting equipment, instruct voters about the importance of voting, encourage people to become involved in having a say in government and promote goodwill between the Elections Office and the public. We serve citizens of all ages, from 5 years of age to senior citizens. We participate in school programs, summer recreation programs, make speeches at civic organizations, march in parades and register voters at local businesses.

Required Skills: strong people skills, must enjoy working with the public, strong customer service background. All supplies and equipment are provided; however person should be able to type, answer telephone and schedule events.

This position could be a paid position for the right candidate.

This is an ongoing internship.

For more information, contact:

Judy M. Walker
Outreach Services Coordinator
Polk County Elections Office
863-534-5888

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Web Design, Public Relations and Building a Brand

Since I started Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. last year, I have been incredibly flattered by the hundreds of compliments on my Web site and business card design. Receiving all those compliments made me realize that obviously there are a lot of boring business cards and Web sites out there that aren't living up to their potential. I thought I'd share my experiences in creating my brand, as well as my thoughts on branding in general, in hope that it will help other public relations professionals and those starting their own businesses.

I knew going into this business that the first two things I needed were business cards and a Web site. No matter how mighty the Internet becomes, I think business people always will need business cards for those face-to-face opportunities. And these days if you don't have a Web site, people just don't take you seriously. And I'm not sure they should.

I was blessed in knowing where to go for assistance in developing my brand: Barrett Creative in Lakeland, Fla. Michael Barrett gave me some great advice that I think anyone who works in public relations ought to practice and recommend to their clients. He said branding is everything. When someone looks at your business card, your Web site, your letterhead and your promotional brochures, it ought to look like everything was created by the same person. There ought to be continuity in the design, color scheme, look and feel. That's how you create your brand. If a business does this, Barrett is convinced- and I agree- that people will come to know and recognize your brand. And that, my friends, is good for business.


I think Barrett Creative has effectively demonstrated this formula with one Lakeland-based client in particular- Gate Arty, a Lakeland Realtor. The first thing most people will notice about Gate's promotional materials is the creative little "g" on everything. I notice it every time I visit his Web site or see his ad on a for sale sign or a bus bench. He's building his brand.



BUILDING A BRAND- WHERE TO START
When I met with Barrett to discuss my branding needs, I had an idea in mind. I wanted a retro look, and I wanted a design that would stand out from the rest and over time, be recognizable as belonging to me. I thinks its a good idea to have some idea of what you want. I had some specific requests when it came to the font used in my name, as well as the color scheme. I don't know if this helped Barrett or if I became a colossal pain in the butt during the design process. If I'm thinking like a true customer, I don't care whether it was helpful or not. What I did care about was the finished product, and whether it met my expectations.

In the end, Barrett's design exceeded my expectations. Who could ask for more?

When it came to creating my Web site, Barrett's job was easy. He designed a Web site that mirrored the design of my business card. I wanted the Web site to look professional and I wanted it to project me and my business as entities to be taken seriously. Basically, all I needed was an online brochure at this point. I needed people to be able to find me on the Internet and call or email me if they had questions or wanted additional information.

Barrett, in partnership with Jim Mosier and Lakeland, Fla.-based Mosier Information Services, Inc. recently created Donkasites, a company that designs Web sites to help businesses establish an Internet presence. That's exactly what I needed, and it's exactly what Donkasites has done for me.

A big misconception is that building Web sites is expensive, and doing little things that lend a more professional appearance are out of reach for small businesses. That simply is untrue. For example, a lot of people seem to think it's too expensive to have this as your email: lorrie@lorriewalker.com. IT'S NOT. Read this again. IT'S NOT. You owe it to youself to get with a Web designer and secure a domain name that accurately reflects your business. And there is no reason that if your business name is Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., that your email address can't be lorrie@lorriewalker.com.

If your business card shows an email address that ends in "@yahoo.com" or "@hotmail.com" or "@aol.com," you don't appear to be invested for the long haul. You don't appear professional from a business or public relations standpoint.

My advice to public relations professionals and those who are starting small businesses is to do some research and find those companies such as Barrett Creative and Donkasites to help you create an Internet presence. They have made a huge difference for me. They have leveled the playing field and enabled me to compete on the Internet with public relations/professional writing firms that are much larger and more established than I am.

Lakeland Electric's Power Outages During the 1/2/08 Cold Snap

If you live near Interlachen Park and you lost power between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. last night, don't get your panties in a wad, thinking that you were the victim of a rolling brown out. Some yahoo hit a power pole in the area and knocked out the power.

I spoke to Richard Gilbert, Lakeland Electric's production manager, this morning and he said there were about 14 locations that lost power last night due to the cold weather and overloaded transformers. In all, fewer than 500 customers were effected.

When asked how the electric company performed during the cold weather, Gilbert had this to say: "I think we did very well. We could have had a large number of outages with this wind and weather. We didn’t have that. We've been maintaining the system for the last few years and it shows that it’s in good shape."

SPCA Foster Parenting 2.0

The Lakeland SPCA called me yesterday to see if I could foster two more puppies. They got in a litter of 12 puppies yesterday- yep, that's 12 puppies in one litter- and another foster family brought back two puppies because caring for six puppies was too much to handle. So I agreed to take the two returned puppies. Candy is in the first picture, and Cassie is in the second.

I didn't name them. If I had, I would've given them much cooler names. But anyhow, aren't they the cutest?! They are lab mix, and they both are mostly black with a bit of chocolate coloring mixed in. Cassie really looks the part of a sweet, blockheaded lab, with her wrinkly face and cute expressions.

They are high-energy, and in one day have managed to give my dogs Lucy and Callaghan quite a workout. They also have quickly proven to be masters at trying to escape from their kennel when I open the door to fill up their water bowl. Trying to keep those two inside the kennel is like trying to shove toothpaste back in its tube.

I get to keep them for two weeks, and then they go back to the SPCA, where I'm sure they will be adopted in no time.