Last month’s shows were packed with interesting guests working on worthy projects centered on community-based marketing efforts.
Melissa Ader is a member of the Field Marketing Team for KIND Healthy Snacks. She is passionate about promoting the company’s social mission of spreading and inspiring acts of kindness, both large and small, throughout South and Central Florida.
 While well-known for their delicious, healthy snacks, KIND is a mission-driven company that thrives on the opportunity to make the world a kinder place, one kind act and snack at a time. For example, KIND donated $10,000 to Lauren Book’s annual walk to benefit Lauren’s Kids, a group that helps victims and aids awareness of child sexual abuse.Â
We brought Melissa on the show to thank her for her work in the community and also to hear what else KIND does nationally. A significant portion of the company’s profits is donated to local charities across the United States as they actively seek out people doing kind acts and provide them with assistance. KIND certainly has a corporate focus and brand name. We need more companies like them.
David Himmel, the Florida Marketing Leader at PwC, who was also a guest on the show, acts as the U.S. firm’s LinkedIn Training Leader. David’s current role at PwC focuses on all aspects of marketing and business development for the state of Florida.
He is responsible for all LinkedIn training for PwC and works closely with LinkedIn’s product specialists to develop materials and teach programs to improve personal branding and business development efficiency.Â
LinkedIn is the social media platform where most business people come to meet. It can generate a significant number of leads. I use it whenever I meet somebody to find out a little bit more about them. It’s a great tool that you should incorporate into your daily business.
 David gave our listeners a number of tips on how to use LinkedIn. Most important – make sure the first couple of lines of your LinkedIn profile are concise and to the point about what you do. A profile can be too complicated, or it can be too simplistic and not represent who you are accurately. Make sure you get your profile on LinkedIn ASAP if you don’t already have one there.
We were also privileged to have Allen S. Furst on the show. Furst has spent over 30 years working in sports and entertainment. Early in his career he was president of ProServ Financial Services, Inc., representing such sports luminaries as Michael Jordan, Arthur Ashe and Patrick Ewing.
Today, Furst blends his sports celebrity representation with event planning and marketing, and is a leading authority on sports business and corporate events. He talked with us about the business of sports marketing, including a poignant discussion of Arthur Ashe and his struggle with revealing his infection with AIDS, being in Michael Jordan’s entourage in the early days and the community involvement that makes Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning special members of the Miami community. Furst’s involvement with the athletes allows them to translate their athletic prowess into charitable gifts and donations to the most needy members of the community. He helps our sports stars shine brightly. ?
