Geben Communication

As awful as they are, tragedies like Hurricane Helene often bring out the best in humanity. As we were trying to figure out how to support our clients and their communities impacted by this disaster, we were heartened to see how quickly people sprung into action to create and distribute this Response & Rebuild Google Doc, full of resources by county. If you're looking for ways to support the recovery effort, this doc includes a section outlining real-time needs and ways to help. https://bit.ly/3NcBgCJ 

Last week, the Geben team came together for #GebTogether—two days filled with intentional conversations, thought-provoking sessions, and authentic connections. We didn’t just talk about growth and leadership; we embodied it. Inspired by Will Guidara's Unreasonable Hospitality, we focused our discussions on the power of going above and beyond—not just in our client work but in how we connect together. Coupling our theme of going above and beyond, we learned about the importance of unlocking organic partnerships with Kari King and Charles Lucterhand. We explored leadership through mindfulness and yoga with Dr. Katie D'Amato DPT, CYT, CAFS, aligning mind and body. Chef Carrie Young delighted us with an amazing dinner that was as unique as our team. Erin Ingram, MBA, shared her insights on "Designing Your Day," emphasizing the importance of structuring time and energy to be our best selves while maintaining well-being. To close out the day, Dr. Sophia Kartsonis led us through erasure poetry using Geben's values, helping us reflect on the deeper meaning of our work. Author Sarah Gormley joined us to share insights from her new book, The Order of Things, about chasing joy, even within an ambitious lifestyle. Her message was clear: joy isn’t just a byproduct; it’s the goal. As we look ahead, we’re excited to apply this renewed mindset to our work, knowing that when we lead with intention and joy, we elevate everything we do. Here’s to pushing boundaries, embracing the “unreasonable,” and continuing to redefine what’s possible. #GebTogether #UnreasonableHospitality #TeamGeben #ElevateOutcomes #ChasingJoy

Thanks to PRSA for including FIVE Gebs in the programming for the Modern Communicators conference. Heather Whaling, Founder and CEO, led a dynamic session on "Navigating Change with Confidence." For as much as comms pros focus on the importance of stakeholder engagement, they don't always focus enough on stakeholder mapping, a critical foundational tool for internal and change communication. Drawing on Geben's experience leading internal communication for a range of clients – from multi-billion dollar brands to high-growth  startups – Heather provided actionable steps pulled from Geben’s Internal Impact Blueprint service. Melanie J. Farkas, Client Success Architect, delivered a compelling, entertaining presentation on "The Marriage Between Internal and External Communications" with her husband and friend of Geben, Dan Farkas. Together, they explored the critical role of unifying these functions to achieve long-term business success. Samantha McNeal, Isa Renteria, and Emily Sotlar brought fresh insights on career advancement during their session, "Charting Your PR Career: Young Pros and Managers on the PR Path." They shared practical advice and personal stories from their time at Geben about navigating the evolving PR industry and building successful careers. Thank you to PRSA Central Ohio for the platform to connect, share, and inspire. We're proud of our team for leading conversations that drive change and empower growth in the PR community!

We’re thrilled to celebrate our director of client experience, Cassie Ferguson, for being selected to join the Leadership Columbus Signature Program! Graduates of Leadership Columbus go on to be catalysts in building strong, vibrant communities. At Geben, in addition to leading much of our nonprofit work, Cassie also works with a lot of brands that want to do good in the community. This experience will be so valuable for Cassie, as well as our clients who will surely benefit from her involvement. Congrats to all the changemakers selected to be part of this Leadership Columbus cohort!

The Geben team is growing! We're looking for an executive assistant to support Heather and the leadership team. Please share with your networks to help us find the next great Geb!

We're buzzing about the debut of the Columbus Fury last night! 🏐 What a moment for our city and for women's sports! Thank you to our partner, Mount Carmel Health System, for inviting us to be part of this historic occasion. It was incredible seeing so many Gebs out there, cheering on our local heroes. This is more than just a game – it's about supporting our community and celebrating the strength of women athletes. Go Fury! 🔥

This week, our team had the incredible opportunity to visit our new partners at The Dawes Arboretum! 🌳 During our visit, we toured their 2,000 acres and heard about their rich historical background and significant environmental impact. While walking (and golf carting!) around the property, we saw first-hand why this hidden gem should be on everyone's must-see list! This on-site tour not only strengthened our partnership but also equipped us with the insights and knowledge to refine our messaging and marketing strategies, perfectly aligning them with their mission. We're thrilled to share the impactful projects and campaigns that will flourish from this immersive visit! If you're ready to GROW 🌱 your mission, let's connect! https://bit.ly/3TkmM5S

We’ve eliminated our PR department. And our digital department. To be clear, we still provide highly impactful PR and digital services to all our clients, but we’re completely reimagining how we deliver these services to help clients maximize their investment in communication. We know PR, social, and digital work better when highly integrated – yet full integration is impossible when the services are siloed in different departments. So, we’re restructuring our team into a client success trifecta. We have three departments – Client Experience, Communication Strategy, and Growth & Innovation. Combined, this will allow us to achieve even stronger outcomes for clients, further accelerating growth and impact. More and more of our clients are coming to us for integrated services; however, we’ll continue to take on PR-only or digital-only work. (We remain flexible in supporting clients how they need us!) But, we routinely hear how much clients appreciate the integrated lens we bring to the partnership, even if it’s something as simple as providing paid social recommendations to strengthen the reach of an earned media placement. This new structure now allows us to provide even more thoughtful integrated recommendations, regardless of the size or scope of our work.

We deeply believe that if you have the ability to help, then you have a responsibility to help. Our team recently built 100 basic needs care kits for people seeking shelter at The Van Buren Center, part of the YMCA of Central Ohio's housing program. Each kit included bottled water deodorant, body wipes, cold cereal, socks, emergency heat blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, tuna snack packs, lip balm, and a comb. The YMCA has been our client for 3+ years, and Heather recently joined the board. Not only is the Y the largest childcare provider in Central Ohio, but as the city's affordable housing crisis continues, the Y remains committed to providing shelter and transitional housing to help people experiencing homelessness. We are grateful to work with and support clients committed to working toward solutions to tackle some of our community's most pressing challenges. If you want to learn more about how your business can get involved in the YMCA, we're happy to help connect you!

At GebTogether, our first day focused on removing barriers. And one of the barriers we need to be mindful of is gender bias. It’s easy to say that because we’re a company owned by a woman with many bright, ambitious, talented women on the team, we would never penalize a woman for being a woman. But, even we aren’t immune to gender bias. No one is. It’s ingrained in us. All of us. The Women's Fund of Central Ohio facilitated a workshop for our team called “Gender By Us,” – helping us better understand how pervasive gender bias is and exploring how it impacts dynamics at work and at home. In small group conversations, we discussed how media shapes our view of gender from a very young age, how we can become aware of our potential biases, and ideas to build guardrails to reduce gender bias. We also very much appreciated that the presentation noted how much more bias faces people of color, differently-abled people, neurodivergent employees, and the impact of socioeconomic status. Gender doesn’t exist in a vacuum. An intersectional lens is critical if we’re genuinely going to make progress! Thank you to Kelley and Maddie from The Women’s Fund for leading these discussions with our team!