Atlanta (GA) - April 2010 - PR1776 today announced the signing of Asheboro, North Carolina-based Technimark, Inc. to a new contract. The agreement includes general public relations services, public affairs outreach and business development services to one of America’s largest injection molders.

PR1776 is working with Technimark to update its corporate messaging and public relations activities, especially in light of the company’s increased efforts in environmental sustainability. Once accomplished, PR1776 will promote the client’s new Sustainable Products Group, their individual products and all offerings to industry reporters, green community influencers and potential sales targets, including Fortune 100 companies like Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and others.

“Technimark is a great American company that has flown under the radar while providing industry-leading, tailored services to their clients for decades,” said Michael Mills, founder of PR1776. ”They have continued to innovate and are now a leading recycling and manufacturing company, and we are thrilled to be on-board to reshape their brand and tell the story to stakeholders across the globe.”

Technimark brings more than 25 years experience in the injection molding industry to client projects, serving as a partner from ideation to consumer purchase.

Their investment in, and experience with cutting-edge technology is what sets Technimark apart from the competition. They provide the best resources to ensure client products are distinctive, cost-effective and to market on-time. Clients know them for unparalleled customer service and a commitment to being a partner in projects – not just a product manufacturer. 

Technimark also has a track record of supplying clients with products that are as environmentally sustainable as possible. But they’ve gone a step further in recent years, developing a Sustainable Products Group (SPG) and launching a recycling company because it saves clients money, improves the environment and the lives of client customers.  

Learn more about Technimark, Inc at www.technimark.com. And contact Michael (michael@pr1776.com) to find out how PR1776 can tell your brand’s story to greater impact.

Agreement allows non-profits, associations and businesses to benefit from premier social media tools

Atlanta, GA (January 5, 2010) – PR1776 recently completed a reseller agreement with Atlanta-based ThePort Networks to expand awareness of their industry-leading social media technology.
   
Today, organization’s trying to build brand awareness and loyalty are facing increased competition. For instance, more volunteers and donors are taking action online. But non-profits are required to overcome an increasingly crowded and competitive landscape when recruiting volunteers, supporters and donors. This is especially true in an environment where more organizations are using traditional, basic social networking tools. And individuals, corporations and foundations are giving less in a bad economy.

PR1776 chose to work with ThePort because their social media platform delivers a fully-integrated approach to enabling websites by bringing together a wide-array of capabilities necessary to create active and engaging online communities.

“Brands must make themselves distinguishable from the competition in a crowded marketplace if they are to survive, let alone thrive,” said PR1776 President Michael Mills. “We are proud to partner with a leading social media technology provider like ThePort because it provides cost-effective tools for breaking out of the pack, while allowing our clients to increased target audience engagement, revenues, loyalty and interaction.”

ThePort services include:

Constituent Engagement: with ThePort Social, constituents and donors are able to promote causes and the difference they are making. Constituents can also highlight actions and recruit others to join causes

Information Sharing: with tools such as document sharing, blogs and video, your members are able to share presentations, notes, news, case studies and best practices with each other. Creating a massive library of content sets you up as a “thought leader” and the first place constituents will visit to learn about an issue or cause

Online Donations: every dollar counts. Social media provides a tremendous opportunity to engage members around their passions and solicit support and donations. Additionally, social media provides new ways to leverage your constituents and enables them to promote causes and solicit donations on networks such as Facebook and Twitter

Donor Database: integrating your online community and constituent management systems (like those from Convio or Blackbaud) allows staff to gather additional intelligence about donors and market to them more effectively

Please contact PR1776 at michael@pr1776.com to learn more about these services or visit ThePort for more information.

Don’t miss this opportunity to arm your brand with the tools to stand apart from the competition, while ensuring greater audience affinity, activity and donations. 

PR1776 is proud to announce the signing of its latest client, Vieo Solutions and Technimark. The company will provide both organizations with PR, marketing and business development tools used in the “B2B” space.

Vieo Solutions is responsible for all sales and marketing of Technimark’s new green products division. Technimark has been providing solutions in the injection molding industry for customers around the globe since 1983. Their success is based on the ability to support customers with turnkey solutions – from design and production through warehousing and distribution. In this way, the company helps bring client goods to market faster, keeping costs down and streamlining the entire process.

Technimark has also invested heavily in R&D, equipment and processes to develop more sustainable products for clients. In fact, Technimark is the only closed loop, vertically-integrated custom injection and packaging mold company in the U.S. – running a reclamation and recycling facility for plastic products. The company is in the process of launching new sustainable plastic products, including DVD cases, having sold 700,000,000 made from 100 percent recycled polypropylene to companies like Blockbuster Video and others.

“We are excited to be working with two companies that understand the role of green initiatives in a highly petroleum and chemical-based industry,” said Michael Mills, president of pr1776. “The new relationship with Vieo and Technimark leverages our expertise and relationships in the media and environmental community to promote these new sustainable initiatives, while expanding outreach to potential business clients,” he said.

PR1776 activities for this engagement include:

• Strategic planning
• Collateral material development
• Business-to-business strategy
• Media relations
• Influencer outreach

Learn more about Technimark.   

YES!Atlanta has benefitted our community by serving area youth for more than 20 years. PR1776 is working with the organization’s board of directors to promote a new quarterly happy hour intended to raise visibility for the issue and program, while bringing Atlantans together for an evening of cocktails, appetizers and student art (which will be auctioned) in an intimate setting.

The evening will include beer and cocktails provided by Savannah Distributing, food by Outback Steakhouse and numerous silent auction items. And YES!Atlanta leadership and board members will provide insight into YES!’s work, why it matters - and show a video with a few youth stories! Suggested donation of $10.

YES!Atlanta’s mission is to alter the direction of “at-risk” teenagers lives so they become self-sufficient, productive citizens - instead of “just another statistic.” Event details are included below: 

Thursday, April 23, 2009
6:30pm - 8:30pm

Location: Home of Greg Moran
418 4th Street
Atlanta, GA

Please R.S.V.P. to Michael Mills at:
404.680-0176 or michael@pr1776.com. 

“Battling Democracy’s Decline” Provides Tools for Moving the Nation Forward

New book examines America’s civic history and ways to engage citizens beyond voting

ATLANTA (November 21, 2008) - The new book Battling Democracy’s Decline examines the history of American civic participation, explains its current decline and proivides real world (personal) examples of what inspires people to action. First-time author Michael Mills completed a graduate thesis on inspiring youth civic engagement, worked on political campaigns, launched a non-profit to improve civic participation, built grassroots support for various policy issues and most-recently, was a public affairs executive with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc – each experience providing unique insight into why America might be raising its voter turnout but is in dire need of citizen action beyond Election Day. The historic election of Barack Obama, the state of the economy and global conflicts require an active and engaged citizenry, and this book provides the tools to ensure Americans can participate fully.   

Battling Democracy’s Decline is a combination of theory, history and “how to,” which makes the content accessible to everyone from high school students to civic scholars. This book is a must read for non-profit leaders, elected officials, students and citizens wanting to make a difference in their organization, community and country.

“Michael Mills is a leader in civic engagement and his thoughtful reflections on citizen participation are borne from personal experience, careful study and his unyielding commitment to our democracy,” said Mark Gearan, president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and former director of the Peace Corps during the Clinton Administration. “At a time when some may question the relevance of an engaged citizenry, Michael Mills issues a call-to-arms and lays out the critical nature of America at a crossroads.”

Battling Democracy’s Decline points to a number of negative indicators of American civic health even in the face of incrementally-increasing levels of volunteerism and voter turnout. Case studies used throughout provide a number of positive lessons and ensure readers that the problem of declining participation can be solved if we instill a sense of civic responsibility in our communities and work together to understand the issues and build accountability for participation. The book provides insight into the following topics:

• Politics has become increasingly partisan and bitter and many Americans feel that real discussions of issues are subverted because of negative attacks or are controlled by special interest groups
• Institutional barriers make government seem unwelcoming and cumbersome, turning people away from the process
• Personal obstacles exist that create challenges to active civic participation. Many Americans feel they lack non-partisan, unbiased information to make decisions and do not know where to begin engaging with government 
• America’s families are pulled in countless directions and the civic process takes a back seat 
• Television and the Internet also play critical roles in our collective civic decline

According to Mills, “America is at a crossroads. We’re evenly divided but deeply disengaged. The situation presents a unique opportunity to drastically change the state of civic participation because people do care and they do want to be involved in the political process. They are thirsty for leaders who will rise above rhetoric and partisanship to talk honestly and openly about the issues and challenges that face us as a nation. They will rally behind people who invite them into the process by making the debates and institutions of government accessible and meaningful,” Mills said. “Each of us must take part. We all must be leaders in our own right. By working together we can reap the benefits and the boundless opportunity available in our country, and I am optimistic we will get there,” Mills concluded.

Finally, the book outlines the basic tools needed for taking part in the civic process, including:

1. Become educated about issues and government operations and share the information with others 
2. Build coalitions of people (“finding others”) to bring about change
3. Get to know our elected officials because they want and need citizen input (especially at the local and state levels where there is less support staff) 
4. Take action: put the knowledge and relationships developed through active civic engagement to work for our families, neighborhoods, country and world

Mills brings a wide-array of political, grassroots, public policy and civic initiative experience to this book. His work in the trenches has provided keen insight into the current state of American civic participation, how we arrived here and real world examples of what inspires people to action.

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Battling Democracy’s Decline is available for sale ($19.95) online at Michael’s site and Amazon.com, among other locations.

What others are saying about the author and the book
“Michael gives us hope that our citizens will once again realize that participation is vital to our future. His point of view comes from political, corporate and grassroots organizations and he’s aware of the power that media and communications hold in mobilizing us to act. In his work with one of the biggest and most controversial corporations in America he has avoided becoming cynical; rather, he sees the glass half-full and full of juice! The same business principals of scale that make the corporation successful can be used here, convincing great numbers of people to make small changes and win out over seemingly immovable obstacles.”

Linda Woodworth
Director, Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta

“Michael Mills sends a clarion call to Americans, seeking to motivate us in ways that will benefit our country. This book is truly a wake-up call for present and future political leaders and for citizens who want to make a difference.”

Honorable Lewis Massey
Former Secretary of State, Georgia

About the Author
Michael Mills is a small business owner and civic activist. His previous professional and leadership roles in the civic space include recently serving as a regional director of public affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In this role he managed community building activities, philanthropic giving and was a media spokesperson, all geared towards shaping the company’s brand locally.

Mills founded the non-profit, Coalition for a Voting America in 2000 to improve long-term civic participation. Central to this work was his graduate thesis on improving youth voter turnout, which identified barriers to civic participation and solutions that impact all citizens. He also managed the 2002 Georgia campaign of Vote for America, which helped to raise metro Atlanta’s electoral participation by more than seven percent from 1998.  

Mills has a proven track-record of building grassroots and legislative support for issues and initiatives ranging from health care to the environment, including serving as a strategist for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Clean Water Initiative, which was the basis for the North Metro Atlanta Water Planning District. The Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators recognized his work in 2000, with several awards. Mills also worked for former Georgia Secretary of State Lewis Massey and was press secretary on Mark Taylor’s successful campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 1998.

In his spare time, Mills chairs the Board of YES!Atlanta and is a past board member of Communities In Schools of Georgia, the Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition, Vote for America-Georgia and the League of Women Voters of Georgia. Mills’ awards and recognition include 2006 Outstanding Atlanta, Georgia Trend magazine’s 2001 list of “40 Under 40,” Georgia State University Communications Department “alumni of the year” in 2002 and 2001 Leadership Buckhead graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hobart College and holds a master’s in communication from Georgia State University. He resides in Midtown Atlanta.

Visit Michael’s site for more author information and the latest news about civic participation.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle featured the launch of PR1776 in their August 22nd print and online edition. The following is the text of their story (used with permission) titled “New Firm:”

Michael Mills, former regional director of public affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has launched Atlanta-based communications agency PR1776. Focusing on public relations, corporate social responsibility, public affairs, crisis management, design, and media training, as well as community relations, the firm will serve corporate, non-profit and individual brand clients. Companies and organizations already on board include The Foundation for Educational Success, Communities In Schools of Georgia, The Georgia Mentoring Partnership and Atlanta independent record label Barefoot Mailman Recordings.

Mills leverages battle experience with world’s largest retailer to open reputation management firm

Atlanta, GA (August 4, 2008) - Wal-Mart executive Michael Mills is leaving the trenches of the company’s corporate reputation battles to share that knowledge and experience with clients across the southeast. Wal-Mart took a proactive community and media relations approach the past several years, which has led to increased sales and consumer approval. Mills, one of the company’s former regional directors of public affairs, is launching a full-service agency based upon his more than a decade of experience and the lessons and relationships built across the southeast the past several years.

In addition to Wal-Mart, Mills brings a unique reputation management pedigree and insight to client “brand” needs, having worked in politics as an aide to former Secretary of State Lewis Massey and campaign press secretary for former Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor. He also launched a successful non-profit and has counseled numerous organizations about fundraising and influencer outreach. He is an award winning public relations/public affairs professional having worked at Atlanta-based Hayslett Sorrel and communications21, where he represented organizations in the court of public opinion and in the halls of government. And Mills is a renowned corporate social responsibility practitioner, having worked on Wal-Mart’s “Save Money, Live Better” efforts and driving policy around clean water issues and the Kyoto Protocol. Much of this work is summarized in his upcoming book, “Battling Democracy’s Decline,” out this August.

“Corporations, non-profits, governments and individual ‘brands’ are increasingly squeezed by a flattening globe, and are experiencing increased competition, scrutiny, accountability and white noise – and diminished access to traditional media,” said Mills. “That’s why PR1776 provides clients with ‘Revolutionary Communications’ tools to build, protect and enhance ‘360-degrees’ of their reputation to succeed in today’s global marketplace.”

Today’s competitive environment and struggling economy means brands must differentiate themselves to reach and exceed their goals, which requires: a complete and articulate image and message; channels and tools to effectively tell their story to various audiences (governments, customers, donors, critics and influencers); and the right relationships to be heard above the din. Effectively communicating to the right audiences, at the right time and with the right message is required in this 24/7-media, iPod, blog, Myspace and Blackberry-driven society.

PR1776 is working with corporations, non-profits and individual brands, providing them full 360-degree communications capabilities, including traditional PR, corporate social responsibility, public affairs, crisis, web and collateral design, media training, strategic counsel and community relations. Clients already on-board include: Choicepoint; The Foundation for Educational Success; Communities in Schools of Georgia, The Georgia Mentoring Partnership and Barefoot Mailman Recordings, among others.

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