Member PRofile: Gabriel Soltren

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is your title and company name?
Technology Trainer
Orange County Library System

Give a brief explanation of your job.
Orange County residents and non-residents can learn new skills quickly by taking their choice of many technology courses available at the library. I am an instructor and trainer with experience teaching several of the subjects. Beginners and experts alike can benefit from the training. From Microsoft Office programs, to the accounting software QuickBooks, to video production classes, I’ve taught it. The courses can help anyone improve their skills and their ability to get ahead.

How long have you been a part of FPRA? Why did you join?
As a former community outreach coordinator, I joined the Florida Public Relations Association Orlando Area Chapter last year to learn from other professionals and to improve my skills. The workshops provided me with a wealth of information. Presenters gave us examples of best practices in public relations. So far, FPRA membership has exceeded my expectations. For example, during the “ER for PR” professional development workshop, we learned from Alissa Gutierrez, director of marketing and communications at the Florida Chapter of the ALS Association, about the viral “Ice Bucket Challenge” video campaign. The campaign was probably the biggest viral fundraising story of 2014. Gutierrez shared some of the lessons that she learned and helped her organization locally during the national campaign.

What was your favorite FPRA event?
FPRA Orlando’s breakfast meetings were great. For example, IKEA Orlando marketing specialist, Kendra Ferguson, shared at a meeting that on Tuesdays children eat for free at their store. Ferguson explained that the company’s reason for providing free food was to help people that cannot always afford groceries.

Tell us about an exciting achievement (personal or professional).
I was recently selected to participate in a behind the scenes look at City government. As part of the 2015 City of Orlando Mayor’s City Academy, my goal is to become a better informed and a more involved citizen while learning more about local government.

What was your first job?
My first full-time job was working as a casual employee at the U.S. Post Office in Winter Park at Christmas time. Every now and then, we would get a letter addressed to the “North Pole” for Santa Claus. Temporary jobs sometimes lead to more opportunities. I was asked to stay longer and the extra income helped me to pay for my first new car.

Tell us something people may not know about you.
Last year, I worked on a reality television show. The production is back for another season and is currently filming in Orlando. Click here to learn more about the program.

Contact info:
gabriel@soltren.net
www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielsoltren

Chapter Rewind: September 2014 Breakfast

 

By: Gabriel Soltren 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kendra Ferguson, Local Marketing Specialist with IKEA Orlando was the guest speaker at our September chapter breakfast. Previously with A Gift for Teaching, Kendra is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Florida.

To begin the presentation, Kendra shared that IKEA was founded in Sweden by Ingvar Kamprad when he was 19. “IKEA is an acronym for our founder’s name and the farm and village he was from,” she said. The company’s philosophy is to make a small profit margin and to sell a lot of volume.

Just last month for the first time, Kendra witnessed IKEA shoppers line up and some customers camp out for two days before the grand opening of their store in Merriam, Kansas City. At the Orlando store, customers travel from as far as Jacksonville. They target key demographic groups including the 27 percent Hispanic market in Orlando. Instructions for assembling furniture  are “all pictures because we work with so many languages,” Ferguson said. To promote IKEA, she pitches stories to bloggers and media outlets including CNN Latino.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only does IKEA sell furniture, but they also support communities around the world. According to IKEA’s IWitness Global Citizens Blog, they donated more than $100 million in 2013 to assist some of the world’s poorest communities. For example, “the Brighter Lives for Refugees program provided $1 for every LED light bulb sold by IKEA,” Kendra said. The IKEA Foundation then donated the funds to provide lights for refugee camps.

Mom bloggers volunteered to live in darkness at home for one day and write about their experience. One mom wrote about hearing a sound coming from her closet while in the dark and wanting to turn on the light. Another mom wrote, “imagine changing a diaper in the dark,” she said. The bloggers then wrote that having just one light made them feel safer.

Kendra also quoted a 2012 Feeding America study, that found evidence to support that one in five households in Central Florida could not always afford groceries when they needed them. In light of that, IKEA partnered with Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief agency, and sponsored a food program in their stores. While “IKEA donations are usually furniture, on Tuesdays, children eat for free at our store.”

2014 Board Installation & Award Recognition

 

 

By: Gabriel Soltren
Orange County Library System

 

 

 

 

 

Immediate Past President Cynthia Lambert, APR addressed members of the Orlando Area Chapter of FPRA at the 2014 Board Installation & Award Recognition event held at Artisan’s Table Restaurant in Downtown Orlando.

 

Cynthia congratulated members for their wonderful job and for becoming the second largest FPRA chapter in membership.She thanked the officers, board of directors and family members for their many hours of dedication. “The unsung heroes are the families. Take time to thank them for their support.”

 

 

Cynthia congratulated Dan Ward, APR, CPRC, for earning the Certified Public Relations Counselor (CPRC) credential and congratulated him for his 20 years at Curley & Pynn.

 

 

The CPRC credential recognizes professional growth and achievement of senior members who have earned the APR designation and have a minimum of 10 years of professional practice in public relations.

 

She also recognized award winners including Nicole Huie, the 2014 Bob Davis Award winner. “She is a faithful supporter. Her work is done while no one is around.”

 

 

The award is presented annually to an individual for his or her “behind the scenes” volunteer efforts that go largely unnoticed by chapter members and are not recognized by other awards programs. The award is named in honor of Bob Davis, Ph.D., ABC, APR, CPRC, a former professor and mentor from the University of Central Florida who gave tirelessly to FPRA and the profession for three decades.

 

Alayna Curry was named as the 2014 FPRA-Orlando Member of the Year. “She plays a vital role in getting communications out to our members,” Cynthia said. “She spoke to our student chapter and found a solution to save us money.”

 

The Member of the Year Award recognizes one member of the Orlando Area Chapter who has made a significant contribution to the Association through outstanding leadership, demonstrated enthusiasm, extraordinary involvement and loyal support.

Special guest Laura Byrnes, APR, Florida Public Relations Association Executive Committee Member, spoke about leadership and encouraged members to learn about the history of the Orlando Area Chapter dating back to the founders of the Orange Blossom Chapter in 1956. Laura inducted the 22 incoming Board of Directors and encouraged them to anticipate, and not wait to be asked to participate. She herself benefited early in her career from holding FPRA leadership positions. “An introvert by nature,” she said, she was forced into being an extrovert by her profession.

 

Laura presided over the induction ceremony for new president Kerry Martin, APR. After thanking her colleagues, Martin shared a few thoughts and encouraged members to participate in events during the upcoming year. “We will strive to meet and exceed your expectations.”

 

For a list of current board members, click here.