Bayou City Public Relations

Houston Financial Marketing Firm Receives Golden Mirror Award

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, TX (August 15, 2008) – A Houston-based financial services marketing firm can add another award-winning campaign to its growing list of achievements. Ann Lee & Associates recently rebranded and renamed The Lee Group, received a 2008 Golden Mirror Award (GMA) from the Credit Union Executives Society (CUES) for its work with Education First Credit Union. The GMAs are held annually to recognize excellence in credit union marketing. This year, 180 winners were chosen out of 855 entries received in 25 unique categories. The firm placed second in the Image Enhancement category for credit unions with $150 million to $350 million in assets. We’re proud of our work with Education First Credit Union and honored to win this GMA award, said Ann Lee, president and CEO of The Lee Group. We won it under our former name, Ann Lee & Associates, and we will continue in our tradition of excellence as The Lee Group. The Lee Group creates branding, advertising and marketing campaigns for...

It's Back Houston Massage Envy Franchisees and Susan G. Komen for the Cure Announce 2nd Annual Massage for the Cure Day'

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, August 15, 2008 –Massage Envy and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are joining forces for the second year in a row to bring Massage for the Cure Day to Houston. The event raises money for the Komen Houston affiliate. The event takes place September 15. There are 24 Houston-area Massage Envy clinics. SUMMARY - Here’s what’s happening: On Monday, September 15, all of the 24 Greater Houston-area Massage Envy clinics will provide a free 1-hour therapeutic massage session to any man or women in support of the Komen for the Cure Houston Affiliate. For a donation of any amount, any Houstonian who calls for an appointment will receive a free, one-hour therapeutic massage from any our 24 Houston-area Massage Envy clinics, said Lance O’Pry, regional developer of Massage Envy clinics in the Houston area. O’Pry said every Massage Envy clinic will be fully staffed with licensed massage therapists and every penny collected will be donated to the Houston Komen affiliate. The money will...

Houston Financial Services Marketing Firm Rebrands, Renames, Launches New Web Site

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

The Lee Group’s niche: Positioning community banks to compete aggressively with regional and national banks HOUSTON, TX (August 3, 2008) – A Houston-based firm that provides strategic marketing and advertising services to hundreds of community banks and credit unions nationwide has a new face and a new name. Today, the company formerly known as Ann Lee & Associates has rebranded as The Lee Group. The new company website is www.theleegroup.us.com. In the beginning, it was just me, said Ann Lee, president and CEO. Our new name, The Lee Group, better reflects the strong team we have become. Lee started her business nearly 30 years ago out of her Beaumont home. The company relocated to Houston seven years ago and still maintains a Beaumont office. The Lee Group creates branding, advertising, and marketing campaigns for more than 900 community banks and credit unions in 49 states, including Broadway Bank in San Antonio, Community Bank...

Eye Surprise: School Screenings Miss 95% of Kids' Vision Problems, Say Experts

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Back-to-School Tips for Good Moms Who Trust the ‘E-Chart’ . . . a little too much HOUSTON, August 1, 2008 -- September is that time of year when kids get back to the business of books, buses, blackboards and . . . E-Charts. E-Charts? You remember the E-chart, that familiar, school-administered eye test that mothers have trusted for generations to help spot their kids vision problems. Take heed, Mom. Todays eye doctors say the E-chart isnt enough. Experts say parents who rely only on the schools screening assessment areputting their faith in a diagnostic tool that reveals only part of the story.The American Foundation for Vision Awareness says the test misses 95% of the vision problems children experience. The E-Chart is a good place to start, but no parents should stop there,says David Lopez the therapeutic optometrist and glaucoma specialist who serves as chairman of the board of Texas State Optical (TSO), a network of more than 100 doctor-owned eye care...

Houston PR Firm Bayou City Public Relations Conducts Back-To-School Publicity Campaign for Texas State Optical's (TSO) Private Practice Optometrists

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, TX-July 28, 2008 – Houston PR Firm Bayou City Public Relations is conducting a back-to-school PR campaign for the more than 100 private-practice optometrists who own Texas State Optical (TSO) eye care clinics. TSO clinics are located in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas and are the single largest provider of vision insurance plans in Texas and the Southwest. The goal of the campaign, said Bayou City PR president Sharon Dotson, is to remind moms and dads that September -- which is also Childrens Eye Health and Safety Month -- is a logical time to get kids’ eyes checked. A key message of our campaign is to educate parents about the realities of the E-Chart, said Dotson, referring to the diagnostic tool schools have used for decades to test children’s eyes. It’s called the Snellen chart, said Dotson. In this PR campaign, said Dotson, TSO’s message is: ‘Don’t stop here. The E-Chart is a great place to start, but it identifies only the most obvious things that could...

Animal Rescue News: PearlParadise.com to Donate $1,000,000 in Pearls to Non-Profits That Stage Silent/Live Auction Fundraisers

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, CA, July 24, 2008 – Animal rescue nonprofit organizations have a friend in Jeremy Shepherd. The owner of the world’s largest online pearl company admires the work of animal rescue organizations so much that he has pledged to give away more than $1 million in pearls for exclusive use in nonprofit silent and live auction fundraisers. Shepherd says he is standing by, ready and waiting, to hear from qualified animal rescue organizations everywhere. We call it our Giving-Back program and it is a serious philanthropic effort, he says. Every strand of pearls donated to animal rescue charity auctions is full of stunning freshwater or akoya pearl beauties. An animal lover who shares his own home with two dogs and three rabbits, Shepherd says he derives tremendous personal satisfaction from knowing that his pearls are contributing to the fight against animal overpopulation and cruelty. When I learned that 4 to 6 million homeless and unwanted animals are euthanized every year, I...

Wholesale Food Accounting Software Company Says Scary Recession Stories Spike Interest in Financing Software

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Houston, TX, July 23, 2008 – A wholesale food accounting software expert says scary recession stories are spiking new interest in financing among food distributors who operate their companies with one-size-fits all accounting software. Many wholesale distributors of produce, meat, seafood and grocery products have told us that they know that they are sacrificing profits by continuing to use generic, off-the-shelf accounting software packages that do not provide them with information as to which items and customers are or are not profitable, said Henri Morris, CPA, president and CEO of Edible Software, the Houston-based company that designs and sells accounting and inventory software coded expressly for the food distribution industry. Food distributors say that they are spooked by all the negative news about a downturn in the U.S. economy and are therefore afraid to spend the money needed to upgrade, even though they will recoup their investment many times over! Morris talks...

Chocolate Pearls: PearlParadise.com Introduces New Collection; Smacks Down Price on Hip Gems With Yummy, Lustrous Color

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, CA, July 9, 2008 – Chocolate pearls have turned from trend to uber-trend, says Jeremy Shepherd, the Los Angeles pearl expert who is introducing a newly acquired collection that will level the playing field in pricing these exotic bronze beauties. Chocolate pearls have been riding the popularity wave for the past year but that status only worked for people who could afford the big price tag. says Shepherd, who owns PearlParadise.com, Inc., the world’s largest online pearl company. (www.pearlparadise.com) We’ve changed that. With this new collection he says he has evened the stakes on AAA-rated Tahitian and freshwater chocolate pearls and is selling them for less than half of what the Tiffany crowd is getting. The former Northwest Airlines flight attendant who twelve years ago turned a $25 string of pearls bought in a Beijing market between flights into a mega Internet pearl company my competitors love to hate, says owning his own pearl farm and cutting out the...

Used Rolex Watches Expert Says New Study Reveals Poor Economy Doesn't Affect Rich People's Passion Investments

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMT

San Francisco, CA, July 8, 2008 – A San Francisco used Rolex watches expert says his work confirms what a new study says about habits of the very rich: even in a bad economy, high net worth individuals still lust for passion investments. Nearly 14 percent of high net worth individuals selected the collectible jewelry/watch/gem category as their passion investment of choice in 2007, according to Capgemini/Merrill Lynch’s 2008 World Wealth report released this week. Luxury spending on collectibles such as used Rolex watches is not even phased by the looming economy, says Avi Dayan, owner for 18 years of San Francisco-based A&E Watches, a pre-owned luxury wristwatch business that specializes in used Rolex watches and other collectible timepieces. This high net worth segment is typically unaffected in these market ups and downs, he says. Demand for these limited collectible Rolexes continues increasing as the number of millionaires around the world continues to increase. ...

Tin Cup' Pearl Necklace News: 2008 Presidential Race Pumps New Life into Pelosi Pearl Craze, Says Los Angeles Jewelry Expert

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:15:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 24, 2008 – A Tin Cup pearl necklace inspired by the 1996 Kevin Costner film of the same name is trendier than ever thanks to the 2008 Presidential race and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s much-photographed string of pearls, says the gem expert who owns the world’s largest online pearl store. Pelosi’s dazzling pearls inspired the Los Angeles pearl expert to custom-design a Tin Cup pearl necklace in the famous politician’s honor. We simply call it the Pelosi-style Tin Cup pearl necklace, says Jeremy Shepherd, founder and president of online jewelry store, www.pearlparadise.com. All things political are taking front and center stage and that includes The Honorable Nancy Pelosi’s pearl necklace, he says. When she’s in the news – almost every time – you’ll see her wearing that knock-out string of pearls. Shepherd says his company’s Pelosi-style Tin Cup pearls are really the best of both worlds. You get the look of Mrs. Pelosi’s multicolor strand of Tahitian,...

Wholesale Food Accounting Software Company Expands Operations; Establishes New World Headquarters in Houston's Westchase District

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, TX, June 20, 2008 -- Wholesale food accounting software company Edible Software is expanding operations. The new Edible Software World Headquarters will open for business June 25, in the Westchase District, a west Houston commerce hub for technology and oil and gas companies. With the growing need for wholesale food distributors to more precisely track the origin and destination of food products, and to manage inventory more economically, our company has grown tremendously over the last five years, said Henri Morris, president and CEO of Edible Software (www.ediblesoftware.com), a division of Solid Software Solutions, LLC. Acquiring our own building, our own state-of-the-art corporate home, was the natural, next-step for us to take. Morris said the building has undergone a complete wall-to-wall interior redesign and renovation with expanded space for the company’s support staff and software engineers. The new facility includes a software-training center. Edible Software...

Houston Media Expert Cynthia Gabriel to Share MASH-Style Communication Strategies as Keynote Speaker for PRSA Meeting May 7, 2008

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:30:00 GMT

HOUSTON, TX – April 28, 2008 – Houston media expert Cynthia Gabriel will share lessons-learned as the director of communications for Mayor Bill White’s Hurricane Katrina relief program when she makes the keynote address at a meeting of the Public Relations Society of America May 7.

“Failure was not an option,” recalls Gabriel, who as spokesperson for the Houston Katrina Task Force, helped facilitate one of the largest people migration movements in U.S. history. The catastrophic storm and the subsequent relocation to Houston of more than 100,000 displaced Louisiana residents attracted worldwide media coverage. “Our team worked MASH-style under the ‘24-hour rule,’” she says.

Today, Gabriel is founder and president of Sabine Bridge Communications, a public relations firm specializing in business, government and politics. Gabriel has a long-time media presence in Houston. She is the former executive director of the Houston Psychiatric Society. Gabriel was a reporter for Channel 11 and KTRH-AM as well as producer of the Emmy awarding-winning Dr. Red Duke health reports, a popular TV feature syndicated on stations in more than 160 cities.

Specifics - Cynthia Gabriel’s Keynote Speech
Public Relations Society of America, Houston Chapter Luncheon Meeting

Presentation: “Failure Was Not an Option”
May 7, 2008 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM CT
The Briar Club
2603 Timmons Lane
Houston, TX 77027
Register at www.prsahouston.org or call (281) 870-1717
Pricing for registration by Monday, May 5, 2007:
Members - $30
Non-Members - $40

Focus: Houston media expert, Houston politics, Mayor Bill White

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Houston PR Firm's Publicity Campaign for Komen and Massage Envy Charity Event Wins Top Prize at Communicators Banquet

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON - April 25, 2008 – A Houston PR firm has won the Bronze Quill Award of Excellence, the highest honor the Houston chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators bestows on members of the public relations profession.

Bayou City Public Relations, a seven-year-old Houston PR firm headed by Sharon Dotson, won the Bronze Quill Award of Excellence April 24, at a banquet at the Junior League of Houston. The award recognized the PR firm’s media relations campaign conducted to promote Massage for the Cure Day, a charitable event sponsored by 23 Massage Envy Houston clinics to benefit the Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

This was the first year Massage for the Cure was held in Houston. Held on September 10, the event raised $61,500 for the breast cancer charity when hundreds of licensed therapists performed 1,974 free one-hour massages for donations of any amount to Komen.

Other winners in the media relations category were Shell U.S., Pierpont Communications and University of Houston.

For more information about Houston public relations firm Bayou CIty Public Relations, call 281-859-9800 and visit the company website at www.bayoucitypr.com.

Ileostomy Surgery Expert Relocates International Ileostomy Surgery Practice to Olympia Medical Center

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:45:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, CA - April 23, 2008 – Ileostomy surgery expert Don J. Schiller, MD, has established a new center of operations for his surgical practice focused on the needs of men and women who have problems wearing a bag or external appliance or who have experienced a poor outcome from an alternate medical procedure such as ileoanal J pouch and Kock pouch. The new Continent Ostomy Center is located within the Olympia Medical Center in west Los Angeles. Olympia Medical Center is a private, acute care, 204-bed hospital accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. The medical center has been serving the community for 50 years. Only a handful of U.S. physicians perform this highly specialized type of ileostomy surgery, said Dr. John Calderone, CEO of Olympia Medical Center. And Dr. Schiller has been performing it continuously, longer than anyone. Calderone said Schiller’s ileostomy...

Houston PR Firm Bayou City Public Relations Accredited by Better Business Bureau

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Houston PR firm Bayou City Public Relations has been named a member of the Greater Houston and South Texas Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has met the organization’s accreditation standards.

“If a business has been accredited by the BBB, it means the BBB has determined that the business meets accreditation standards which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints,” said Dan Parsons, president of the nonprofit organization that encourages and supports business best practices.

“Trust is key to everything we do at Bayou City Public Relations,” said Sharon Dotson, president of the 7-year-old firm that specializes in conducting public relations campaigns for small to mid-sized companies. When a company hires a PR firm, they are entrusting their good name in that firm. We are proud to be accredited by the BBB.

For more information about Houston-based Bayou City Public Relations, contact Sharon Dotson at (281) 859-9800. The company website is www.bayoucitypr.com.

Focus: Houston PR firm, Houston public relations firm, Houston public relations campaign

Produce Accounting Software Firm to Join Industry Leaders July 23-27 at PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo in Monterey, CA

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Produce accounting software firm Edible Software, will be among thousands of industry leaders attending the Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Foodservice Conference and Expo July 24-27 in Monterey, CA.

PMA is a global trade association that serves buyers and sellers of the produce and floral supply chains. PMA’s wholesale produce tradeshow targets foodservice professionals including chefs, menu developers, restaurant owners and operators and foodservice distributors and wholesalers.

“This conference is the ideal venue to share the latest news in the produce industry and to demonstrate accounting and inventory-control products,” said Henri Morris, president and CEO of Edible Software, a division of Solid Software Solutions, LLC, a Houston-based company, a company that designs and markets Windows-based inventory control, costing, sales and accounting software coded specifically for the wholesale food distribution industry.

“With the threat of recession upon us, the wholesale produce distribution industry needs fast and effective accounting software to control costs. Soaring food and fuel prices are creating this urgency,” said Morris, a CPA. “The PMA Monterey produce show connects us with the suppliers who need our specialty accounting software product.”

For more information about Vista-certified Edible Software and other Windows-compatible Edible Software accounting programs, contact Morris, or Charles Butler, the company’s vice president of marketing, at 832-200-8000. The Edible Software website is www.ediblesoftware.com.

Wholesale Produce Distribution Accounting Software Expert Says Recession Could Be Make-or-Break-Time for Some of Nation's Fresh Produce Distributors

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, TX – April 1, 2008 – A wholesale produce distribution accounting software expert says the recession that many economists claim is already a reality could prove to be the death knell for fresh produce distributors who use old-fashioned accounting methods. When there are fewer sales coming in the front door, it’s more important than ever to control costs at the back door, says Henri Morris, president and CEO of Edible Software, a company (www.ediblesoftware.com)that designs and markets accounting and inventory software specifically for the wholesale produce industry. There’s a saying in this business, said Morris, a CPA. Sell it or smell it. When the squash goes bad in the warehouse, there goes the profit and many times the business. Distributors who have gotten by with QuickBooks are going to find a different playing field in a soft economy. Without a precise knowledge of costs and revenues associated with each item and customer, therazor-thin profit margins that...

Houston PR Firm Bayou City Public Relations to Lead Publicity Efforts for 2008 Massage for the Cure Day Sept. 15

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, TX – March 18, 2008 – Houston public relations firm Bayou City Public Relations will once again lead publicity efforts for Houston-area Massage Envy clinics sponsor Massage for the Cure Day and give away thousands of free massages during a day-long charity event that benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Houston affiliate.

Massage for the Cure day is slated for September 15 at all 24 Ho uston-area Massage Envy clinics.

“What an honor to lead the PR campaign again this year for Massage for the Cure Day.” said Sharon Dotson, president of Bayou City Public Relations. Last year this was a first-time event where Massage Envy clinics gave away almost 2,000 free massages in exchange for donations that totaled $61,000.”

For more information about Massage for the Cure day, to be held in Houston-area Massage Envy clinics on September 15, call Dotson at Bayou City Public Relations at (281) 859-9800. The Bayou City Public Relations website is www.bayoucitypr.com.

Houston CD/DVD Duplication Company Launches New Small Business Campaign 24-Hour CDs/DVD Turnaround

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, TX, October 16, 2007 — A Houston CD/DVD duplication company is challenging the competition with an ambitious next-day service that turns out a 1,000 picture-perfect CD/DVDs in 24 hours time, says Stephanie Robertson, co-owner and vice president of Disc Inc. The Houston-based CD/DVD duplication company is a pioneer in the industry, says Robertson. We maintain the latest technology, she says, Our research shows that we’re the first company in the Houston-area capable of duplicating CD/DVDs overnight on such a grand scale. We’ve made an enormous investment in additional duplication equipment, says Robertson. Now we have twice the CD/DVD duplicating capabilities. The company owner says it was this sort of growth that spurred the company’s 2006 relocation to larger quarters in a Houston office park near Washington and I-10. We work with a team approach and we focus on quality customer service, she says. People say it all the time, says Robertson, but in our case it’s true –...

The Power of Two: Twins Book Focuses on Extraordinary Survival Story, the Power of Perseverance and Hope, and Recent Medical Advances

noemail@bayoucitypr.com — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:00:00 GMT

The recently released book by Isabel Stenzel Byrnes and Anabel Stenzel -- "The Power of Two: a Twin Triumph over Cystic Fibrosis" (University of Missouri Press, December 2007) -- has earned remarkable praise from patient advocates, the medical and scientific communities, and families facing chronic and life-threatening medical conditions, among others.

The Stenzels tell of the their lifelong struggle to pursue normal lives while grappling with the realization that likely would die young. Their coming-of-age story shares their battles against their bodies, their desire for independent identities, and their fight to overcome end-stage lung disease and receive life-saving lung transplants. Kirkus Reviews called the book a "touching and candid portrayal of a devastating disease." People magazine said "the connectedness of twins shines through" in their "grippingly honest" memoir.

Now 35, the Stenzels provide a stirring look at the health care system, their immigrant parents' challenges to maneuver health care institutions, their Japanese-German biracial heritage, the impact of illness on marriage and family, and the importance of support networks. The twins poignantly share their lives growing up in Los Angeles while enduring multiple hospital stays, their symbiotic relationship and Christian faith, and their journeys to Stanford University and the University of California - Berkeley from which both graduated.

Looking ahead, the Stenzels hope to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis and organ donation, an immediate hope for Cystic Fibrosis patients. Born in 1972, 17 years before scientists discovered the genetic mutation that causes CF, the twins hope for a day when gene therapy, stem cell research or another medical breakthrough will eradicate the disease. In the meantime, they will share the lessons and medical developments that have helped them, and try to offer hope and inspiration for families facing chronic illness.