I thought I had filled out my last timesheet. I thought the days of three client events happening simultaneously were in my past. I saw greener pastures with dancing bears, giggling children and double rainbows.

Let me explain. I began my career in an agency setting. Even before I graduated from Indiana University, I was working full time in the world of client acquisition and service. And don’t get me wrong—I loved it.

But after awhile, I felt the need to explore other avenues.

So when my wife and I moved to Cincinnati for her job, I decided that was the time to make a change. I met an amazingly talented and energetic woman who would eventually become my boss and introduce me to the truly fascinating world of museums.

After a wonderful stint at Cincinnati Museum Center, we moved back to Indiana where I signed on for a temporary gig at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Both organizations are remarkable and I highly recommend a visit to either, regardless of your age.

It was during my time with The Children’s Museum that I met a team of public relations professionals from Borshoff. Borshoff has worked with the museum for several years and we brought them in to help generate national media coverage for an upcoming benefit performance by Sir Elton John.

(No, I did not actually meet Sir Elton. We were in the same room a couple of times and had one gloriously awkward moment where I thought about forcing a handshake but regrettably decided against it. I did, however, see most of his performance that night from the wings of the stage—an experience I will never forget.)

Borshoff was great throughout the entire project. They had creative ideas, responded quickly when needed and helped us get awesome coverage for the event.

As I pondered my next career move, I thought long and hard about potential positions, but my mind kept coming back to Borshoff.

And then it hit me. I never stopped loving the fast-paced world of agency life. I love meeting the tight deadlines and having eight events in the same week. I especially love learning new things every day about my clients and their industries. That’s who I am.

So with a renewed realization of my passion for this highly energized industry, I am now so proud to be part of the Borshoff family. The experience and brainpower surrounding me is mindboggling, and I’m having a blast beginning my new journey.

So I guess in the end my greener pastures have arrived. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a double rainbow to film…

Every time August rolls around, I’m flooded with emotions – summer ends, school begins and the seasons change once again. It also marks an annual community event – one that I’m extremely involved in and very passionate about.

“Kristi’s Games” is a family festival and fund raiser held in memory and honor of my sister, Kristi Schultz Broughton. Kristi was tragically killed by a drunk driver on September 8, 2001. During her short life, she was very involved with her community and worked to raise funds for a cause near and dear to her heart – Lutheran High School of Indianapolis.

Prior to her untimely death, Kristi had put the wheels in motion for the first-ever “Lutheran Fam-Jam” as she coined it. As cheerleading coach at Lutheran High, a volunteer coach for several sports and a former high school athlete herself, Kristi was eager to bring her vision to life as a way to help students and provide additional funds for the private school’s athletic programs.

Recognizing the mark she left on our community, our family and leaders from the high school decided to honor her contributions by going forward with her plans and keep her memory alive. Renamed Kristi’s Games, the event is now in its 9^th year and has raised thousands of dollars for Lutheran High School’s athletic department, as well as several local Lutheran grade schools. The growing success we’ve seen is thanks to the work and dedication of many volunteers and sponsors.

Personally, I’ve always believed in the philosophy that it is better to give than to receive. At Borshoff, where community service is a core value, I’m able to do this for a cause that I care deeply about on many levels. Finding opportunities to give back to the communities in which we live and work and supporting organizations and initiatives because of a personal connection is where the true act of giving comes to life.

What I’ve found through my community service with Kristi’s Games is just that – a way to give back, show my love for my sister and see the fruits of the seeds she planted.

Please join us for the next Kristi’s Games – Saturday, August 28, 2010, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Lutheran H.S. Visit www.lhsi.org/activities/kristisgames for more information.

Borshoff employees are known for their competitive nature and will to succeed; but do they actually take it as far as to draw blood? Well, this morning 26 Borshoff employees did just that at our first ever blood drive. With outstretched arms and a foam squeezie in hand, we lined up and took one for the team.

The initial motivation to host a blood drive at Borshoff’s office came from our participation in this year’s Indiana Sports Corp’s Corporate Challenge. Corporate teams have the opportunity to earn points by donating blood. While the idea to host a blood drive may have started as a way to improve our score for the Corporate Challenge, we ended up learning a lot about how we were helping our community and are energized to encourage others to do the same.

Did you know?

• Every three seconds someone needs blood.
• 4.5 million Americans would die each year without lifesaving blood transfusions.
• Approximately 32,000 pints of blood are used each day in the United States.
• Just one pint of donated blood can help save as many as three people’s lives.
• Cancer patients may need transfusions daily.

Donated blood has a shelf life of 42 days, so the blood supply needs constant replenishment by volunteer donors. And while 60 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, only 5 percent do on a regular basis.

So whether you’re donating blood out of pure compassion, or to earn a few extra points for your Corporate Challenge team, you can feel good in knowing that you are helping save lives in your community.

As the Indiana Blood Center says, “you’ll have someone’s undying gratitude.”

By Bryana Schreiber, account associate

Borshoff client Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) will serve 500 free lunches in front of the Emmis Communications building on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis starting at 11 a.m. Thursday, August 19.

IPL recently launched the Home Energy Inspector, an online energy audit tool that allows visitors to answer simple questions about their home and receive customized tips on how to save on utility bills.

Thursday’s festivities will include live demonstrations of the online tool, and IPL representatives will be on site to answer questions. In addition to lunch, IPL will provide information about the Home Energy Inspector and other Live Energy Smart programs along with mints, magnets, foam outlet covers and key chains. How’s that for freebies?

The weather’s finally cooled down a bit, and this Thursday looks like it’ll be a great day to be outdoors. So, if you’re considering venturing out for lunch – stop by. Enjoy lunch while learning more about how you can save energy and money!

Can’t make it to IPL’s Lunch on the Circle event?  Check out the Home Energy Inspector for yourself at www.IPLpower.com.  If you’re an IPL customer you’ll receive a FREE Home Energy Efficiency Kit which contains CFL light bulbs, faucet aerators, a refrigerator thermometer and much more just for answering a few questions!

Three years ago this month, my name came off the door. We said farewell to “Borshoff Johnson Matthews” and our co-branded creative branch “2Fold.” We melded together and became known as simply “Borshoff.”

It was a good move. We believe in collaboration and coordinated communications. One name for one team in one company – working together for our clients.

Yes, I had been very proud to have my name on the door. But I’m even prouder today, as our focused vision has moved our agency forward with purpose and clarity. In spite of the recent economic challenges, and in part because of the name change and all it represents, we are stronger than ever.

Three years ago when I told my mother we were sunsetting the name Borshoff Johnson Matthews, she paused and said, “Well, it does sound like a fuddy-duddy law firm.”

Mom was right. But because she’s a mom, she still drinks her coffee from a Borshoff Johnson Matthews mug.

Borshoff’s public relations professionals generally don’t have accents in their names. And they don’t live in Paris, France either.

But Angélique and Stéphanie do. And while they are not Borshoff employees, they are definitely part of our team – our IPREX team that is.  Angelique and Stephanie run The Desk, the newest public relations firm to join this international association of independent communications agencies.

IPREX brings together 68 independent agencies from 30 countries, totaling 90 offices worldwide. So far this year we’ve welcomed new partners in Madrid, Copenhagen, and New Zealand.

Borshoff has been a partner in IPREX since the 80s. It gives us – and our clients – access to high-quality, localized communications services across the globe.

Note: Susan is chair of the worldwide IPREX Quality Committee.

Congratulations Indianapolis for scoring – once again – a huge sporting event that is sure to draw thousands of visitors and millions of dollars to our hometown. Just yesterday, the newly expanded Big Ten Conference leadership called an audible and handed off the hosting rights for its inaugural Big Ten football championship to Indianapolis in 2011.

No doubt, the passionate and talented leadership of the Indiana Sports Corporation and the ever-professional staff of the much-acclaimed Lucas Oil Stadium will run with the proverbial football in the same cadence that has proven success with other recent high-profile events, such as the Big Ten and NCAA basketball tournaments here.

How did this happen? And just as critical – why is this important?  All answers point to the word, “reputation.”

As parents, my wife and I try to instill in our children an appreciation for having a good “rep.” What others say and what assumptions are made about you (good and bad) are based on a person’s reputation. So it goes with our remarkable city.

• History has already demonstrated our community’s ability to successfully welcome and host thousands of visitors. Reputation!
• Sports leaders from around the country count on the hundreds of quality volunteers and outstanding staff necessary to properly stage world-class events. Reputation!
• Media near and far have fallen in love with having events in Indy due to our compact and convenient downtown and impressive facilities. Reputation!
• And now, with yet another major event in our pipeline, more opportunities lie around the corner for sure. Reputation!

This year, Borshoff has been extremely honored to have played a role in promoting such events as the NCAA Men’s Final Four ancillary events and next week’s Drum Corps International World Championship. Indy’s award-winning reputation has rubbed off on all of our public relations and advertising professionals here at Borshoff – so we, individually and collectively, share in the celebration of yesterday’s Big Ten announcement and what it means for our city. It means the story continues and the outcomes reinforce and validate the investments made in making Indianapolis the “#1 go-to guy” in hosting major events.

So let’s take the ball and run with it – again – because this is what we do here in Indy. Reputation!

Here’s why you should…

Today marks the sixth annual Ronald McDonald House of Indiana Pop Tab Drop. Staff and volunteers from the House are convening until 2 p.m. at Monument Circle to collect pop tabs.

The effort raises money to benefit families with seriously ill or injured children who are staying at Riley Hospital. This is the second year Borshoff has participated in the Pop Tab Drop.

Pop tabs seem small, but they make a huge impact. The dollars raised by recycling the tabs total between $50,000 and $70,000 annually. That covers the cost of three rooms at Ronald McDonald House of Indiana for an entire year and helps countless families of sick kids.

Tabs can be donated year round, not just at the annual Pop Tab Drop, and anyone can donate. The House also accepts donations of food, toiletries, paper goods and many other items that are needed by the nearly 1,500 families it helps each year. Plus, volunteers are needed to serve meals and perform other functions at the House.

Jennifer Young Dzwonar, one of Borshoff’s principals, is a long-time board member and former chair at Ronald McDonald House of Indiana, and Andrea Farmer, an account manager at Borshoff, regularly volunteers at the House.

To learn more about Ronald McDonald House of Indiana and ways you can help, visit www.rmh-indiana.org.

Today I had the pleasure of attending the 2010 “Making Herstory” Touchstone Awards, the annual Girls Inc. luncheon.

Congratulations are due to the four outstanding women who are this year’s Touchstone Honorees: Juana O. Watson, Ed.D., founder of Friends of Hidalgo and Badges Without Borders; Fay H. Williams J.D., attorney, private practice; the honorable Becky Skillman, Lt. Governor, State of Indiana – and our own Myra Borshoff Cook, founding principal of Borshoff.

Before the ceremony, Myra took a few minutes to chat with one of the terrific young girls who participate in Girls Inc. programming. Hear what Myra learned from Makala, who wants to be a clinical psychologist when she grows up.

Last Saturday I attended the United Way Diversity Volunteer Recognition breakfast at the invitation of one of my fellow Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership (SKL) Series classmates, Sonia Chen. I was excited to go because I’d recently taken over our firm’s diversity initiative, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to connect with others and see what was going on in the community.

My experience turned out to be so much more. Sonia introduced me to a lot of great people, particularly some of her fellow board members from the Asian American Alliance. But what I realized later was just how much my SKL experience had prepared me a year earlier for my new-found interest in diversity in the workplace and marketplace.

I’ve had the privilege of working in some diverse environments, but SKL helped me bond with some of our community’s up-and-coming leaders who have exposed me to different points of view and new ways of thinking. My classmates have also connected me to new experiences and new resources, a perfect example of which was Sonia’s invitation to breakfast.

So while Saturday’s breakfast was a celebration of diversity and of volunteerism in Indianapolis, for me, it was also a celebration of true community and connection, because it brought me in touch with people and ideas that I hadn’t considered before. Thanks, Sonia, for opening a door for me to see something new, and for reminding me why SKL is truly an experience that lasts for a lifetime.

I used to hate writing. (I know what you’re thinking: That’s a funny thing for someone in the communications profession to admit.)

If you’d give me an equation, I’d find the solution. Give me directions, and I could find the destination. But give me a blank piece of paper and pencil, and I’d get a knot in my stomach.

I felt similarly about running. Beginning in junior high, students were required to run a mile as part of an annual fitness test. Four laps around the track sounded torturous. I was sure I’d need to stop for a rest.

But here I am today, one half marathon and six 5Ks under my belt and two months into a great job with Borshoff, a distinguished communications agency. How did I get here? I credit my high school gym teacher who advised, “Can’t never did nothing.” Improper grammar aside, Coach Armontrout had a point. I’d been telling myself for so long that I couldn’t do it that I stopped trying.

Though it didn’t happen all at once, I eventually began to welcome the challenges of both writing and running – and my aversions waned. I joined my high school tennis team, which involved a great deal of running in pre-season conditioning. As an undergraduate at Notre Dame, my coursework prompted interesting writing assignments.

Plus, I started to realize that there is structure—an equation of sorts—to both activities. Writing involves a hook, thesis, supporting statements and a conclusion. With running, regulate your breathing and motion correctly, and you’ll increase endurance.

My professional experience has made me appreciate the strategy behind communications. I enjoy the challenge of motivating others with my words, whether it’s to understand the importance of a service, the benefits of a product or the complexities of a community issue. And I get excited when we effectively convey a message to a targeted audience.

Today, I’m continuing to learn alongside some of the best communicators in the region — a proud accomplishment for this former self-doubter.

Words to live by: “Can’t never did nothing anything.”

Happy trails!

They say your 20s are the years of many crossroads. I’ve found this to be true, and exciting!

This is a BIG summer for me. I just started a new job here at Borshoff, moved to Greenfield and soon I’ll be married! 16 days and counting…I can’t wait!

There are a lot of changes occurring in my life, and though they each carry a certain level of stress – I couldn’t be happier. I feel like I’ve met my match in more ways than one – I’ve found my soul mate in my soon-to-be hubby and joined the incredible team at Borshoff, an agency that shares many of my personal values.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to work for an advertising agency.  I remember watching Bewitched and hoping I’d have a job like Darrin Stephens someday. As a kid, I’d hear and see commercials and make up my own little jingles or draw my own ads.

In high school, I took marketing classes and served as the editor for the yearbook staff. I took art classes and ripped out ads I saw in magazines to save them for future inspiration. I wanted to write, create and be the mind behind the message. I wanted to motivate people to act.

In college, I discovered I was not only interested in creating.  I enjoyed writing, editing and seeing projects through from start to finish. I realized I had a passion for communications as a whole and became particularly interested in integrated communications as I learned how powerful marketing, advertising and public relations could be together. I majored in journalism at Butler University with a concentration in integrated communications. I packed my college experience with great opportunities – from networking to service opportunities to starting Butler’s first advertising club, Adrenaline.

Now, two years out of school with some excellent educational, work and service experience under my belt, here I am – happily employed at one of the largest communications firms in Indianapolis. My 8-year old self is beaming!

We often cruise through life without giving much thought to how we ended up where we are now. And while it may seem completely random, if you actually stop and think about it, you realize that a course of events led you to this exact place. This may seem a little deep, but just stick with me.

Recently, I joined several colleagues to honor the accomplishments of Myra Borshoff Cook, who was recognized as an Indy PR Legend. Many shared personal and professional stories about the impact Myra has made over the past 30 years, celebrating the special characteristics that set her apart as a leader and as a person.

Witnessing this, I became keenly aware that Myra’s success has directly impacted my own career path. Thirty years ago, women did not hold leadership positions in companies, let alone start their own businesses. Myra’s fearlessness, persistence and willingness to take risks have paved the way for so many women like me who want to have it all – careers, families and a voice in their communities.

When I shared this observation about how far women have come in the business world, Erik Johnson wisely replied “But it’s still really difficult…” to which I  responded… “I agree. But at least now it is POSSIBLE.”

So congratulations, Myra. And thank you for breaking through boundaries and refusing to play by the rules. Your accomplishments have given me and many others the opportunity to pursue our dreams, share our talents and experience our own successes.

Last week I attended Opportunity Indianapolis, presented by the Lacy Leadership Association. Opportunity Indianapolis is a leadership program designed to give participants an exclusive, behind-the-scenes exploration of our city and significant community issues. I learned almost as much about my city in two days as I have in the 20 years I’ve lived here.

One of the community issues that had a lasting impact on me was the focus on education—we need to make it a number one priority in our city and that needs to happen right now. Mass transit is another issue that the city of Indianapolis needs to solve to serve its growing population and be considered a vibrant city of the future.

The overall message of Opportunity Indianapolis is to get involved. We all need to identify issues we are passionate about and let our voices be heard. Last week got me energized about making a difference in my city, and it also made me realize that I have a lot of work to do.

Think nothing has changed with trade shows in the last decade? Guess again. For many marketers, trade shows can be a valuable forum for face-to-face interactions with potential clients and for making direct sales.

Did you know that 77 percent of people attending trade shows have buying power?  Of those, 63 percent have buying plans. So how can your company make the most of their trade show interactions? Below are some tips Lori Reitz, trade show marketing consultant at Skyline, presented to the Indianapolis chapter of the American Marketing Association last week:

• Make appointments with people at the event. Contact current or potential clients before the show to let them know you’ll be exhibiting and then set appointments to meet with them while your there.

• Use social media. Ramp up your booth attendance with social media. Companies can use mobile marketing (text messages), blogs and other social media forums to drive people to their booth with information about special features, events or prizes.

• Add events to the marketing communications mix. Hosting a special event or sponsoring a luncheon can bring more people face-to-face with your company, brand and staff.

• Go green. While it can be more expensive, companies that go green with their products or exhibits can draw more attention from potential clients.

• Fewer giveaways. How many stress balls does one person need? Instead of random giveaways at your booth, create reasons to connect after the show. After all, trade shows are about selling; and offering to contact people or send brochures after the show is the next step in the sales process. Plus, you’ll get more qualified leads by talking with people who are actually interested in your product and not just the freebies. The days of people dropping business cards in fishbowls for a chance to win a “grand prize” are over. Giveaways are not totally gone, but now people can “text-to-win” grand prizes after they visit the booth and talk with your staff.

When you’re participating in trade shows, make sure you set clear and measurable objectives ahead of time. That way you can track your progress and identify areas for opportunity. And make sure to staff your booth with the best, most knowledgeable people who have a great attitude because 85 percent of what people remember after the show is your staff.

Consider these trends when preparing for your next trade show – and set yourself up for success.