June 2009 — It was a thrill to interview Sir Richard Branson for the National Press Club on May 19 when the English industrialist was in DC to lobby against the proposed British Airways/ American Airlines merger.

“We have survived the recessions in 1991, 2001, and 9/11, but if this alliance is permitted to occur, it will be like competing with our hands tied behind our back,” he told the audience.

Although most entrepreneurs don’t face the dramatic challenges that Branson does, they do bump up against competitors trying to elbow in on their market share. As public relations specialists, it’s our mission to help clients grab more of the thought space by doing just what the savvy Branson did — get in front of the very people who are going to appreciate your product or service, then do everything you can to convince them your approach is the most advantageous.

Of course, it wasn’t too hard on the eyes to watch Branson in action. Perhaps the best part of his hour-long speech was the question-and-answer session in which he talked about his plans to take his spacecraft Eve (named for his mother) into orbit later this year. “These are exciting days for flight,” he shared. “Once we perfect our approach, I think we might give the moon a miss and go straight to Mars.”

Here’s to shooting for the stars. Talk to you soon. —Hope

Hope Katz Gibbs, president & founder Inkandescent Public Relations

hope@inkandescentpr.com www.inkandescentpr.com

MEET OUR NEWEST CLIENTS:

Bernard Wolfe & Associates

Well known for the five seasons he played hockey for the Washington Capitals in the 1970s, Bernie Wolfe has made a tremendous reputation for himself in the last three decades as a prominent financial planner who handles the money of DC investors.

When the economic crisis hit last year, the savvy businessman began hosting seminars to teach investors about the best ways to operate in the new landscape of financial planning.

“As Wayne Gretzky used to say, ‘A good hockey player plays where the puck is; a great hockey player plays to where the puck is going to be,’” says Wolfe, who was named the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and Athlete of the Year by his alma mater, Sir George Williams University in Montreal. “That metaphor couldn’t be more appropriate than it is in this current economic crisis. What we try to do in our business is exactly what Gretzky spoke about in hockey. We try to anticipate how best to situate our clients — relying not on what worked over the last 20 to 30 years, but on what will work today and tomorrow.”

Warren St. John and his new book, Outcasts United

If you love soccer and a great story, and believe in supporting kids with big dreams, mark your calendar for Saturday, June 20 from 1–3pm. That’s when New York Times reporter Warren St. John, author of Outcasts United — a book that is reaping ecstatic reviews, and is sure to become an educational and sports classic — hosts a remarkable event at DC’s famous 9:30 Club.

In collaboration with the DC-based book event company, Hooks Book Events, St. John will lead an action-packed afternoon that features great activities for kids — including a juggling clinic with the Los Angeles-based soccer freestyle troupe the Futboleros, a brief introduction by St. John about Outcasts United, and a performance by the wildly popular Afrofunk big band Chopteeth. Tickets are just $10.

Outcasts United tells the story of the Fugees, a kids’ soccer team in Georgia composed of the children of refugee families — and of the remarkable woman coach who took them off the streets and gave them a sense of belonging and purpose. St. John, who has written for The New Yorker, Wired, and Slate.com, will donate the proceeds of the 9:30 Club event to the Fugees team.

St. John says that he decided to set the event in DC because he wanted to celebrate with kids and adults who are some of the biggest soccer fans in the country. “I love DC — and since Chopteeth is based here, it was an obvious selection.”

SAVE THE DATE—When: Saturday, June 20, 1pm-3pm Where: 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington DC) Tickets: $10: purchase here. Questions: Email: events@outcastsunited.com

Tigerlily Foundation

Inkandescent Public Relations believes in giving back, and this month we’ve taken on a new pro bono client, the Tigerlily Foundation. Its goal is to educate, advocate for, empower and provide hands-on support to young women affected by breast cancer. The bulk of the foundation’s funds go directly to women in treatment who are struggling to pay their medical and household bills due to the disruption cancer has caused. Tigerlily also provides meals and buddy support for women undergoing chemotherapy, connects survivors to those recently diagnosed, and offers beauty and pampering services to women in treatment.

“According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in young women ages 15–54,” explains Maimah Karmo, founder and president. “More than 250,000 women age 40 and under in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lives, and more than 11,000 women will be diagnosed next year. Further, younger women often have more aggressive breast cancers and higher mortality rates.”

Be on the lookout for her new website that Inkandescent is creating, and do join the Tigerlily Foundation at the two upcoming fundraisers described below.

June 11, 7-9pm: CONGRESSWOMAN SCHULTZ AT AMERICAN NEWS WOMEN’S CLUB Join us for an evening of cocktails and empowerment as we celebrate young women's health at the American News Women’s Club 1607 22nd Street NW, Washington DC. Keynote speaker will be Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who will discuss the Education Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act she introduced earlier this year. Other speakers include Angela Peabody, publisher of Global Woman Magazine, and Hulya Asku, publisher I AM MODERN magazine.

June 25, 7-11pm: TIGERLILY FOUNDATION TO HOST ANNUAL “DIVA NIGHT OUT” FUNDRAISER Fair Oaks Marriott “To us, a DIVA means Divine, Inspired, Vivacious, and Aware,” explains Tigerlily’s president and founder Maimah Karmo, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 at the age of 32 and has been cancer-free since founding the organization in 2006. The keynote speaker at this vivacious event will be Vernice Armour, America’s first African-American female combat pilot. What better role model than this author and motivational coach, who was also the first African-American woman on the Nashville Police Department’s motorcycle squad, Camp Pendleton’s 2001 Female Athlete of the Year, a two-time titleholder in Camp Pendleton’s annual Strongest Warrior Competition, and a running back for the San Diego Sunfire women’s professional football team. Vernice is currently working on her first book, Zero to Breakthrough™.

Inkandescent Clients in the News

Lincoln Leadership Institute launches new YouTube video A Transformational Journey from Gettysburg is the title of the most recent video release from Steve Wiley’s Lincoln Leadership Institute. Based on the intensive three-day leadership training program that well-known speaker Wiley has been hosting for years, this video features insights and lessons from generals, ambassadors, and the other LLI faculty members who each year teach hundreds of managers and executives from top U.S. firms how to be more effective and efficient. “We use the battle of Gettysburg as a metaphor, but our program is not a just a history lesson,” says Wiley. “We focus on the key things that helped the North secure the win on those critical July days in 1863.” See for yourself here. Steven B. Wiley Quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette In an article that ran in the June 7 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette entitled, "Gatherings help top executives learn how to be better leaders," reporter Len Boselovic wrote: As the recession rages outside, about 20 CEOs of Western Pennsylvania companies are comfortably ensconced in a meeting room at St. Clair Country Club, sipping bottled water or coffee and watching clips from 'The Killer Angels.' When the carnage in the movie about the battle of Gettysburg comes to an end, speaker Steven B. Wiley comes to life, telling the attentive executives that learning from Gettysburg's heroes -- including a willingness to listen -- can make them better leaders."If you think about listening until it hurts, it could change your life," Mr. Wiley exhorts them. Read the entire article here.

HR Experts BARBARA MITCHELL and SHARON ARMSTRONG featured in the DC press In an article featured in the May 15 issue of the Leesburg Times, reporter Kara Clark wrote about HR expert Barbara Mitchell, co-author of The Essential HR Handbook who spoke at the May 14 Sterling Women luncheon about her experience as a business owner. “Human resources expert Barbara Mitchell takes exception to the term “bucket list”. Instead, she refers to her list as things to do while I’m still living,” Clark wrote. “She encouraged the 100-plus women in attendance to make such a list. She said she got the idea for her list after reading a newspaper article and immediately sprang to action. She happily reported that she has been able to accomplish the top two priorities on her list: starting a business and writing a book. Read the entire article here. “I did things I did not know I knew how to do,” she said. “I realized there was a lot more in me.” Mitchell co-founded The Millennium Group International in 1998 with a business partner who had the same vision, but different skills sets, something she said was vital. “If you do the same things well you’re in each other’s face all the time,” Mitchell explained.

SHARON ARMSTRONG featured in Washington Business Journal "It’s one of those favorite half-full observations for a human resources department: A down economy is a great opportunity to pick up top talent that might not otherwise be on the market or in your price range,” writes Washington Business Journal reporter Jennifer Nycz-Conner. “That, of course, is easier said than done. But it’s a key move right now." Nycz-Conner interviewed several local firms, including HR expert Sharon Armstrong, co-author of The Essential HR Handbook and owner of Sharon Armstrong and Associates. Read the entire article here.

CONTACT INFORMATION To become part of our Inkandescent family, call Hope Katz Gibbs at 703-502-3405 or send an email: hope@inkandescentpr.com. Thanks to our newsletter designer Jessica Dean — graphic artist extraordinaire and publisher of Celebrate Gettysburg magazine.