Entries by Pat McCormick

I cannot help myself

If you know me, you know that my nine grandchildren are my greatest source of fun and pride. My license plate frame reads: “Happiness is Grandchildren.” I try not to brag (ok, one look at my Facebook page and you’ll know that’s a lie), but my grandchildren make it tough to restrain. When I saw The Ford Family Foundation featured my granddaughter, Kaylee’s, national award acceptance, on its website and I had to share it on ours.

Canny Tax Policy Works

Oregon has maintained its stake in the competitive manufacturing sector over the past two decades by a canny approach to tax policy. The circumstances through the years have been the same – state leaders needed effective ideas Oregon could afford to attract or retain major employers. Clever tax policy did the trick.

Missing a mentor today – Peter Morrissey remembered

A good friend and mentor died August 3. His passing reminds me again of how we’re formed by the people we admire. I first met Peter Morrissey when our firm joined an international network of independent public relations agencies, Pinnacle Worldwide. Peter owned a firm in Boston that specialized in corporate reputation management and crisis communications.

Rethinking how we sell our PR services

We think bundling PR services and pricing them clearly will make it easier for clients to understand what they’re buying. It also recognizes how different the practice of public relations has become in the 24/7, constantly connected world we live in today.

My 12 expectations for 2012

As I look forward to 2012, here’s a short list of my PR, social media and technology expectations for the year. 1. Counsel will be king. PR firms wrestle with their responsibilities as new tools and technologies reshape how people communicate. PRSA, the largest association of PR professionals, recently launched a “Public Relations Defined” conversation […]

5 things Occupy Portland needs to do to make a difference

I find the Occupy (insert your city name here) movement intriguing. And I’ve pondered what I’d do if the group were a client. I thought more about it after getting an email last week from an Occupy Portland participant sent to several other Portland PR firms, including AM:PM PR. “Occupy Portland has recently formed a […]