Go McCoy!

I just wanted to say that my shopping trip to Watertown/ Syracuse this past weekend was a blast! McCoy really did take care of everything. Our escort Janey, and bus drivers Ed and Grant were amazing. They were so friendly, helpful, funny and full of energy. Anything you asked, they knew, and if they didn't know, they found out.

It was a lot of fun to go down with a bunch of riled up women too, lol. Some of these ladies were experienced shoppers to say the least. Many of them had been coming with McCoy for Black Friday for several years.

Shout out to Irene, a new shopping buddy. :)

I definately recommend to all the ladies who love to shop, to take this trip. McCoy has a variety of other trips as well. Check them out!

PR Students Giving Up Social Media?

That's right. Loyalist College Public Relations students are challenging themselves and others to give up social media for 24 hours. The Challenge begins at 9 a.m. Dec. 1, 2010 and ends 9 a.m. Dec. 2, 2010. All forms of social media are included, from Twitter, Facebook and blogging to email & cell phones.  

The challange encourages face to face or more personal interaction. Students participating may even have to use .....gasp!...a land line to make calls. :)

The challenge hopes to serve a dual purpose. Through the effort, it is hoped that awareness will be raised about a great cause called Warchild. Warchild is concerned with aiding child victims of war.  They offer programs in education, protection, and rehabilitation programs.

Think you can do it? The public relations students challenge you! Challenge your friends!

Instead of texting them, meet them for a coffee. Instead of calling someone from your cell phone, on the bus, in the hallway, running errands or visiting with someone else, wait unitl you get home. Sit on the couch and take 5 or ten minutes to give that person your full attention.

.............. Just think; it wasn't all that long ago that rotary phones were still mounted on walls. You didn't know who was calling before you answered. The phone had that long dangly cord that was a huge knot and ripped your hair out when you talked on it. Well, so I heard anyway. Omg, I am getting old, lol. :)

Black Friday Shopping!

Friday November 26, 2010 is Black Friday........which means........
Shopping!

My Best friend and I are headed to Watertown & Syracuse with a McCoy Bus Tour Thursday night. The shopping starts at midnight, complete with cookies and hot chocolate at the hotel before we leave to brave the masses.
Mmmmmmm, hot chocolate and cookies.......lol. :)

We're hitting the Waterloo Outlets first. The place has over 150 designer/ brand name outlets. Check it out at http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=9. I think we even get VIP coupons. :)

We also get to make stops at the carousel mall and the salmon run mall. It should be fun, as long as we don't get trampled in the crowd.   :(   We've even got our walkie talkies ready to go.

A full weekend of shopping and then we return home Saturday night, probably exhausted. Hopefully, I can get all my shopping done at once this year. (Ok, yes... and maybe find a thing or two for myself )

Two more days to go! So excited..........

Corporate Profile

It's a flurry of blogs! Lol, there are a few things I have been meaning to post but just haven't been able to find the time. It's all the work the slavedriver PR teachers put on us....lol,   :) Just kidding Kerry, Rhonda and Aaron!

Well, when we were asked to do a corporate profile, I knew I wanted to do Scott's Haulage. My best friend is Jody Scott, who's Pop (Grandfather) Dave Scott founded the company.
I have had the pleasure, and sometimes the pain, of being her best friend for close to 20 years, LOL. Her family is like my own and I love them all! Scott's Haulage has been around for over 50 years now. Cheers to another 50!

Corporate Profile
Scott’s Haulage & Excavating Ltd.

Dave Scott’s Haulage & Excavating Ltd. was established in 1959 by Dave Scott and his wife Joy. It began as a small operation with just two employees and one dump truck. In fact it was in that dump truck that Dave picked up his wife and new baby from the hospital. He had to sell the family car to buy the dump truck and start his business.

Since then Scott’s Haulage has become a solid, family-run, well-respected business that offers quality services and gives back to the community. It has also supported three generations of the Scott family. Besides Dave and his wife Joy, all three of their children and all eight of their grandchildren have grown up around the business. All have been employed there over the years, and several still are. It is truly family owned and operated. Not only did Dave’s family grow over the years, but so did his reputation and his business.

Scott’s currently employs 18 people and owns about 40 pieces of heavy machinery/ equipment. Some of the quality products & services offered by Scott’s Haulage include:

·         Fill, aggregate, screened topsoil, red sand fills, crushed gravel and stone, asphalt, mortars, triple mix, compost, decorative stones

·         Ponds, tile beds, environmental cleanup and demolition services

·         Truck and machine rentals; snowplows, tri-axels, tandems, back hoes, excavators, graders and dozers

For over 50 years Scott’s Haulage and the Scott family have been involved in, and supported the community in many ways. Organizations that they support on an ongoing basis, both financially and through their involvement include Quinte West Minor Hockey, the Quinte West Soccer Club, football & baseball teams and donations to various local charities. The Scott family has many friends in the community and is committed to giving back locally. They have strong relationships with their customers, as well as other companies & businesses, built over the years on trust.

Sadly, in 2003 Dave Scott passed away, leaving his company legacy in the hands of the family he had built it for. His son Kelly Scott is the current president. Kelly has worked on every side of the business, from running the company to driving the equipment. Despite the changes with laws and regulations that have been instituted that make running a small business a struggle at times, Scott’s Haulage continues to adapt and surpass industry standards.

When asked if he always knew that he would work in the family business Kelly said “No. I wanted to be a lawyer until I was about 14.” Probed as to what had changed his mind, he responded “I knew I would be giving up a golden opportunity.” Kelly also dedicates much of his time to the community and is the current president of the Quinte West Soccer Club.

Scott’s Haulage stands for “Honesty, integrity and hard work. We don’t like doing contracts. We still believe that your handshake and your word are your bond,” Kelly said. It’s this attitude on which this company has been built. It’s this attitude which has been the secret to its continued success.

For more information on Scott’s Haulage or the services they offer, visit their website at www.scottshaulage.ca

Executive Profile

Before coming to Loyalist PR, I worked at the Municipality of Centre Hastings. It was here that I met Sarah Bowles, the Parks, Rec & Culture Coordinator. She and I became great friends, and she encouraged me to take the PR course. I had the opportunity to see a lot of what she did, and felt this was the industry I needed to be in. It was a big decision, but one I am grateful I had the courage to make. When it came time to profile someone in the industry, I knew it had to be Sarah!

Here is my Executive Profile on Sarah Bowles.

Sarah BowlesParks, Recreation & Culture Coordinator
Municipality of Centre Hastings
______________________________________________________________________________

Sarah Bowles is the Parks, Recreation & Culture Coordinator for the Municipality of Centre Hastings, a rural community north of Belleville which encompasses Madoc and Huntingdon Township, and has a population of about 4,000.

Prior to joining the Municipality of Centre Hastings in 2008, Bowles worked as a Kitchen Supervisor and a Legal Administrative Assistant. She graduated from Loyalist College’s Law & Security Paralegal program, and then obtained her Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Relations, also from Loyalist College.

Since her start with the Municipality of Centre Hastings, Bowles has been involved in many projects and initiatives, although she is most proud of her involvement with the Centre Hastings Family Recreation Facility which features a splash pad, skate park, playground, tourist information centre, snack bar and sustainable Arts Centre. Each year a Skate Park Festival is held here and draws over 500 visitors to the park. The Arts Centre hosts exhibitions year round, both art & theatre, as well as other events for the community.

Bowles manages Tourism & Volunteer Operations, coordinates interviews & prepares operation packages. She plans for projects/ initiatives, applies for funding, and completes project follow through. Bowles also promotes & maintains facility bookings, manages facility contracts & coordinates and attends meetings as necessary. In addition, Bowles sits on the Parks & Recreation Committee and other committees from time to time, as required. Bowles is regularly involved in fundraising, grant writing, writing feature articles and press releases, and event & volunteer management. Working with the volunteers and seeing the impact they have on the community is what she finds most inspiring and rewarding.

Bowles stays up to date with the public relations industry by attending as many conferences/ seminars as possible, talking to people in the industry, and reading related materials and articles. She stresses Social Media as the best tool or resource that a public relations professional has at their disposal and that one should always

“Try new things and work on as many different projects with as many different people and personalities as you can,” Bowles said.

For more information on the Municipality of Centre Hastings visit the website at www.centrehastings.com

Thanks again Sarah for taking the time to answer all my questions.
Who luvs ya Baby?

Mission Statement

Hello again!
I have decided to post my Mission Statement. This is a reflection of what I strive to be everyday, and how I choose to live my life, although it is sometimes a struggle, lol. This is who I WANT to be everday.

Mission Statement
I will do my best to always ...
Be authentic, to learn and grow, to live with passion, to try new things and accept and learn from my mistakes, to think creatively and not be afraid to stand alone, to love with my whole heart, to appreciate the small things in life, to find beauty in unexpected places, to indulge in culture, music, history, nature, the arts, food, dreams and love, to develop relationships with depth, to root for the underdog, to help and give all that I am capable of to those in need, to remain open minded and appreciate differences in people, to be positive, have faith and live life looking forward.

Thanks for reading!
 

Quinte West BOOFEST......

I LOVE Hallowe'en! It's only a few days away now. Oooooooh! If you or anyone you know are looking for a safe place to take kids trick or treating, bring them to Quinte West BOOFEST at the Duncan MacDonald Community Gardens Arena in Trenton. There will be tons of candy, a pumpkin carving contest, games and a giant inflatable slide. There is even a free public skate from 7:00 until 8:00 p.m.
You may even see me.... I'm helping with one of the games. I won't tell you which one though.....mwahahahahah.
Hope to "scare" you there.........
BOO!


Happy Hallowe'en