The 2010 Class of the Chamber of Southwest Florida’s Leadership Lee County program led the way to kick off the final phase of fundraising for The Heights Foundation in its mission to restart construction on the Harlem Heights Cultural Arts & Community Center.

The group raised $37,000 in donations from the Community UP Rising event held on June 1 at the Heights Center. To add a little fun and color to the ground breaking, Promotional Incentives provided Heights Foundation with bright orange construction hats (orange is one of the predominant colors in the Heights Foundation logo); a low cost, highly visible promotional item worn by dignitaries, board members, sponsors and the general public to share the excitement of this incredible endeavor for the southwest Florida community.

HF Advisory Committee Carolyn Gora

Craig Scott and Victor Mayeron, President of HF Board of Directors

The Center will provide with enhanced access to the arts and improved education, training and enrichment programs for the residents of Harlem Heights and surrounding neighborhoods of Harlem Heights. With nearly $450,000 of the $6.5 million capital campaign goal remaining to be raised, members of Leadership Lee County are still asking the community to support the building the project.

Groundbreakings used to be considered ho-hum news, but in this day of stunted economic growth, breaking ground on a new structure is major news.

One of Fort Myers’ hometown heroic companies, LeeSar, broke ground on their new Regional Service Center facility on Friday, April 22. Priority Marketing coordinated the event planning, execution, and publicity. It was of course no coincidence the event occurred on Earth Day, as they dug into the earth.

To commemorate this important event, LeeSar and Priority Marketing presented a memorable gift to the leaders who are making this vision a reality. Thirty VIPs were presented with their own chrome-plated shovel engraved with the LeeSar logo and event date.

To LeeSar president, Bob Simpson, it was more about his employees than the dirt. Simpson also raved about the professionalism and outstanding service provided by Teri Hansen and her team at Priority Marketing. “You did an outstanding job,” Simpson said several times throughout the day.

Priority Marketing has a twenty-year track record of event management, ranging from private parties to major events with celebrities and thousands in attendance.

“That was one of the BEST events I have ever attended,” stated Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker.

More than two hundred and fifty people attended the tented event.

LeeSar is fast becoming one of the leading employers in Lee County, and was recently cited as being one of the most innovative companies in Florida.

Look to Promotional Incentives, Inc for more ideas promoting your brand through functional giveaways. And here are the helpful tips from Terry Wynter Auto:

“You may be familiar with that frustrating feeling of losing your car keys. It’s not only expensive to replace your car keys, but an inconvenience.”

Here are 5 tips on preventing your car and keys from being lost or stolen:

• Make a habit of always placing your keys in the same place. Try placing your keys in your purse, pocket or on a key rack when you get out of your car. This way you will always know where to find them.
• Never leave your spare keys by the front door or in an obvious location, as this might encourage thieves.
• Always have a spare key for your vehicle. Some dealerships charge $200 or more to replace a key for a newer vehicle.
• Never leave your car running, unless you are in the driver’s seat. This is not only an easy way to lock yourself out of your car, but also an easy way for someone to steal your vehicle.
• It’s also not safe to have your name and address on a key chain attached to your home keys, as this makes it too easy for a burglar to locate and enter your home.

Terry Wynter Auto is offering a FREE and safe way to protect your keys!

The Terry Wynter Auto Service Center key tag will feature a specific customer ID number and our service center address and phone number. When keys are turned into Terry Wynter Auto Service Center, we will contact you to pick up the keys.

On Friday February 4th, NAWIC (The National Association of Women in Construction), SWFL Chapter, hosted their 20th Annual Block Kids Program, at Bonita Springs Elementary School for the second and third grade students.

Our Block Kids program is designed as an educational tool, to promote the construction industry by allowing the students from grades 1-6 to “build construction projects” with plastic building blocks as their “construction materials”.  The program was created in 1990. Since launching the program, more than 300,000 children have participated.

Each child is presented a hardhat, commemorative T-shirt, and blueprint.  Along with 100 plastic building blocks, a string, aluminum foil and a rock they create masterpieces. Southwest Florida businesses pledge sponsorships and provide judges for the students’ work. Awards and Trophies are given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each grade category. This year’s 2011 Overall 1st Place winner is third grader, “Germain” who completed a Demolition Crane (along with rebuilding materials). His entry will be submitted in a regional competition against other Florida entries.

It was our pleasure at Promotional Incentives, Inc. to provide the Commemorative T-shirts for this event over the past 5 years.

National Testimonials

“It was awesome to see 200 students at one time
so intent on building their unique projects”
Darlynn D., PTA Secretary
Kenneth Murphy Elementary School
Beach Park, IL

“Our community members are still talking
about our successful Block Kids event. It was
especially memorable for my neighbor, who
won the event. He is now sure that he wants to
be a construction engineer”
Glenn Hillegas, Principal
Stanley E. Foster
Construction Tech Academy
San Diego, CA

3rd Grade Winners with their Teacher and Principal

One of our primary missions at Promotional Incentives is to help worthy causes advance their goals, awareness & fundraising efforts.

The Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer’s Resource Center took on an important initiative to increase the awareness of elder abuse by spearheading a new coalition called Lee Elder Abuse Prevention Partnership (LEAPP). With the help of a federal grant, the Center embarked on an ambitious program to promote prevention of this growing problem in our community.

To identify the program a logo was designed using the acronym LEAPP with an icon that would be eye-catching and memorable.

In addition to educational programs, LEAPP’s steering committee felt that reasonably priced, promotional products were important in targeting their market with this message and keeping the issue out in front of the community.

Low-priced, quality pens with the LEAPP logo were chosen as a handout for events, seminars and presentations. Once someone is exposed to the issue, it is the hope of the new coalition that they will be more aware of, look for signs, and report elder abuse.

At a local public event to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15^th, small bottles of bubbles were given out as an item to have fun while reducing stress. The LEAPP logo was on the bottle lid as a subtle reminder of the prevention initiative.

My First Name Badge

I came across this name badge in a memorabilia box over the weekend. It gave me pause to reflect on my early start at the importance of recognition products. I earned this badge while attending the University of Vermont where I was enrolled in the sports therapy department in a work-study program.

After floundering in pre-med science courses, I found comfort in the athletic training program which relied more on practical knowledge and simple science, not organic chemistry and advanced anatomy.

The work-study program was ideal for me. I was able to be in the gym for hours, which was where I spent a lot of time with sports practices and games anyway.  The building was practically adjacent to my dorm the first year and close to off-campus housing the second year.

Afternoons were spent with college athletes and learning how to tend to their injuries and help with self-maintenance.  In addition to earning credits toward my degree, which at best was nebulous and ill-defined, I was paid for the hours spent in the training room and loved the social aspect of the “job”.

Twenty seven years later, I still believe in the importance of recognition products, namely ID badges.

Professionally produced name badges are a critical component of promoting your brand to the public. For a nominal investment, you receive a great return with a finished, professional look wherever you or your staff are seen.

People will notice a nicely done badge, and if properly laid out, will easily be able to read your name and company.  As opposed to squinting to try and read your hand written name in Sharpie scrawl on a badge that doesn’t adhere well to clothing…hardly impressive.

In the case of my college badge I reflected on the choice of my PT manager to go with an abbreviated last name and wonder what drove him to that decision.  Was it because:  a) It rhymed (Lu – cee Gee in Sports Ther – a – pee), or b) For protection of my last name as a college student, or c) At my request because my maiden name (Gobbi) was forever being mispronounced.

Trust me, when someone asks you to “Order name badges for everyone in the office”, it pays to work with a professional who will streamline the process.  All of a sudden you’ll find yourself dizzy with the details overlooked (metal or plastic, magnetic or clip, black or white, 3-1/2 x 2 or 3 x 1, and so on).

Promotional Incentives, Inc. provides a user-friendly name badge program that reinforces the quality of your brand while conveying a positive image for and about your employees. With our Badge Warehouse program, pre-printed badges are held in inventory for release as few as one at a time for the next several years.

The next time you have to fill out one of those adhesive name badges at an event, give us a call and we’ll make you look good the next time. Enjoy this vintage Hollywood clip showing an example of the importance of having badges. http://bit.ly/X3OWf

With the help of several female friends, we decorated the town from Friday to Sunday, absorbing every moment and cocktail in the recently completed and beautiful River District.

As an attendee at Don Paight’s downtown Fort Myers redevelopment presentations in the late 80’s, it was pure pleasure to experience the fruition of his and other’s dreams. The beauty of the streetscape and refurbished buildings is enchanting and we made it our goal to support local businesses all weekend.

After a business meeting on my actual birthday (which this year fell perfectly on a Friday), I parked on the brick pavers and embarked on the weekend. The first activity was to find a spot for a pedicure. I started at Salon Nicholas. Exhibiting a spirit of teamwork and cooperation (pedicures are not in their repertoire) they kindly referred me to the new Greenleaf Day Spa on Second Street.

I called and scheduled time for my toes later in the afternoon and headed to the Hotel Indigo to check out my digs. With a friendly welcome, Michael wished me a happy birthday and said my room was ready for an early check-in (perfection!).

So I valet parked the Volvo, dropped my duds in the beautiful room, and walked a few short blocks to meet a friend at the French Connection Cafe for lunch.

You can never go wrong there – the quiche melts in your mouth – and to kick start the celebration, a delicious bloody Mary complements of the establishment for my self-proclaimed holiday.

Sated and jolly we went to the newly opened Greenleaf Day Spa. The lovely energetic owner Barbara greeted us warmly. She has completely transformed an older cracker box house on a busy street into a warm, charming haven of tranquility and pampering.

The massage chair eased my shoulders and a citrus-infused foot soak eased my mind as resident pedicurist/teacher Carla worked her magic making my feet look (almost) pretty. Comfort and joy filled my body as I began to glow). We headed back to the hotel for a quick freshen-up and walked two blocks to our designated happy hour spot, Spirits of Bacchus.

More than half a dozen fine female friends raised our glasses to life, liberty and the pursuit of a good time in our own back yard.

The pleasant establishment was lively and filled with local VIP’s and politicians. Whether they were there for camaraderie or escape, everyone was indeed happy! The weekend was off and rolling.

As the happy hours waned, hunger set in and we four remaining ladies debated the many options for dinner, settling on Delicious Things, which lived up to its name. To help digest our food, we sought live music which was available at the Rooftop Bar, and then at ‘The Spot’ where a local female blues guitarist name Diane belted out some soulful tunes.

Our fourth mate’s husband picked her up curbside, we three girls returned to the hotel where we inadvertently ‘crashed’ the Dunbar 7^th Grade 40^th Reunion. No one seemed to mind as we danced and joined in on the fun of their historic reunion of the first racially integrated class. The night was as fun as if we were in another world (or Vegas), and at 3:00 am we retired to the comfy hotel beds.

Saturday morning was rough, but we managed to get up, don our sunglasses and face the too bright sun for a hearty breakfast at The Oasis, a classic Fort Myers tradition. We were joined by one of our smart friends who went home early and arrived chipper and smiling. With the help of caffeine and food in our queasy stomachs, we parted ways as one friend went to Main Street Antiques, the other to her office to catch up on work, and I went back to the hotel.

Although the Butterfly Estates was on my wish list, the allure of the hotel room and time to myself, trumped that desire. I’ll do the estates another time. Hoping to refuel my body and clear my head, I went to the “Phitness Center” for a workout. After all, I did have another night on the town (check out all the “Phi” inferences at the hotel – fascinating background on architecture and history).

A leisurely shower followed by a much-need rest in the comfort of a chilly, clean hotel room (the bathrooms and beds rock at Hotel Indigo). Still feeling a little wobbly, I met two more friends for a “hair of the dog” cocktail at the rooftop bar (another fantastic feature of the Hotel Indigo) for a panoramic view of downtown Fort Myers.

The personable DJ catered to our diverse requests, as we enjoyed the music seduced by a warm breeze, tasty appetizers and the company of great friends. Round two of the birthday weekend, and a continuation of the celebration of the good life in southwest Florida.

As luck and fate would have it, one of my friends was working at the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center where the Dunbar 7^th Reunion hosted their second evening event. [Can you see the pattern here? Even though it was a momentous, historic occasion for this elementary school class, my arrival into this world came first which gave me the inalienable right to participate in their party.]

We snagged the bartender from her duties and went to yet another beverage establishment, the Red Rock Saloon. A large, bright and let’s say energetic bar with great live music (hey those guys are old and jamming like that!). We were about to call it a night when my friend’s husband called to say he plus two wanted to join us for a nightcap. So being the convivial sorts, we obliged and closed down the Spirits of Bacchus with Dominic the Bartender (who by the way makes the best lemon drop in the world).

With the pressure of animals being left too long, all but me and my bunkmate went home. Hunger set in again, as it often does when imbibing after midnight. Enter Downtown Pizza to the rescue, which not only is open late, but makes one heck of a pie. We devoured a slice on a street bench and went back to the hotel satisfied.

Breakfast at Bennett’s Fresh Roast was the ticket to start the last day of the celebration. Is there anything better to absorb acids in one’s stomach than the best donut in the world and a strong cup of java?

It could have been a doctor’s prescription and I would have filled it.

One of the remaining activities on my wish list was to walk the new ‘old’ Edison Bridge. Crossing the river with blue sky and white puffy clouds, a spectacular view of the marina and city skyline, I was most grateful to live in such a beautiful place.

As I was coming back down on the bridge, a man in a manual wheelchair was eagerly heading uphill. My feeling of accomplishment was diminished by the feat he was about to perform, and apparently does every Sunday. It was even more endearing when he told me his chair has no brakes so he really enjoys the ride down. A life lesson served in humble pie.

If you are a Lee County resident and have not experienced the changes in downtown Fort Myers, check it out and support our local businesses! We are fortunate to have an aesthetically appealing, entertaining riverfront city filled with diverse art, culture, history and people. And for the ladies, I highly recommend this birthday gathering with friends – you can walk everywhere, be entertained and help local business owners succeed.

Without quality consideration, you order the pens that “look nicer than what you paid.” You give them to clients and key prospects with pride. The next week, your largest prospect, Angie is making a presentation and reached for a pen- yes, your pen, and it doesn’t write. Angie is noticeably embarrassed, she shakes the pen, draws squiggly lines frantically in a circle, and the pen explodes showering ink all over her suit.

How are you feeling about now?

This story illustrates what happens when you dip below a certain quality threshold. The pen potentially destroys, instead of builds your brand. Avoiding these types of situations is where a strategic partner comes in. We help you plan your budget, share value-added options, reinforce your brand image and focus on Getting Results.

Remember, how that pen performs is a direct reflection of the copy printed on the pen – that’s your company brand!

Pens make sense as a brand builder. Generally economical, efficient in maintaining a brand in the marketplace, they remain one of the top promotional items.  We recommend the best quality for every price point – but if someone insists on low quality for the price, we’ll refer them elsewhere.

He is passionate about his cause and continually thinking of new strategies to get people’s attention on the important issue of distracted driving. Although focus tends to be on cell phone use, the primary culprit is texting while driving. There are numerous other distractions (eating, changing CDs, putting on makeup or shaving) that interfere with a driver’s ability to concentrate on…you got it, driving.

To help his message have staying power, Jay relies on Promotional Incentives for appropriate giveaways such as the very popular carabiner key rings to remind people, when they grab their keys, to be safe. Bumper stickers on cars including law enforcement and emergency vehicles give increased visibility and an important moving reminder, to be alert whenever you get behind the wheel of a car.

I consider myself an ambassador of this campaign, pleased to be able to promote the cause and increase donations. Yet even as strong an advocate as I consider myself to be, it’s a struggle for me to be disciplined enough to break the habit of talking while driving.

I’m okay about not eating or changing CD’s (though I will do that at a stop light), and I have no children to yell at in the back seat, but since my first car phone was installed in 1989, I have to admit to talking for many miles.

In an effort to decrease distractions, we have to be willing to view it as a work in progress. It’s unlikely that many of us will stop cold turkey, even after having seen the horrific scenes in the educational videos. That is an unfortunate side to human nature. So we have to be willing to chip away at it.

This week, I was humbled when parking for a meeting at the chamber of commerce and instead of scrounging for a few quarters in my car, I decided to park in one of the designated chamber spots. Not wanting to take up one of the two directly in front of the building, I opted to go around the corner and park in one of the two (or so I thought) spots. I even pulled up to the “front” one in case someone else might want to park.

For the sake of full disclosure, I have to admit the sign said ‘30 minute CoC parking’, but since it was early and there were many spots available, it seemed like it would be okay. Wrong. When I returned to my car 90 minutes later, there was a green ticket on my windshield with a $50 fine (or more if not paid in three days).

Incensed because I assumed the ticket was for being parked longer than thirty minutes, I went into the chamber office where the Exec Director Marietta Mudgett promptly called on my behalf to see if it could be minimized. When she read the violation code to Don at the CRA he asked, “Did she park against a yellow curb?”  So Marietta opened her window blinds as we both saw my car parked next to a fire hydrant and a yellow curb. “Sorry, due to state law there is nothing I can do about that, ” he explained.

What a way to start the day, but truthfully I was mad at myself for not paying more attention, and here’s where I have to eat crow, I was on the phone while parking. When I told Jay this story we both enjoyed a hearty laugh while realizing that this was in fact, an example of distracted parking.

Those of use who’ve been educated in marketing, sales and advertising know the four P’s of the marketing pie (product, price, place, promotion).  This blog is about the brilliant, timely implementation of these core essential marketing premises.

Case in point amidst March Madness®, Glaceau VitaminWater’s brand exposure on weeks of coverage of the NCAA® basketball tournament.  You cannot watch five minutes of any game in the playoffs without seeing products branded  with the VitaminWater logo in the background. They are located in the premium position behind the team benches.

When I Googled NCAA® Basketball Championship sponsors initially, VitaminWater was not even listed.  After watching the tournament intermittently over the past two weeks, I finally saw a commercial for their product during the Elite Eight®.

Though not listed is a top sponsor of the tournament, VitaminWater does have a Facebook page complete with a link to NCAA coverage where fans can vote and show support for their teams and submit personal stories of surviving March Madness®.

It is unlikely they paid the sums equivalent to that of primary sponsors, and yet their exposure to the international audience was incredible combing the power of social media with television coverage.  In my opinion this is promotional marketing brilliance.

By providing this targeted and highly applicable product to the teams in customized containers (I’m not even sure if the beverage in those containers is in fact Glaceau’s product), VitaminWater has maximized their promotional dollar to an enviable degree.  I dig living examples like this one and look forward to the NCAA Championship finals next Monday!  Lucy Costa, Pres. Promotional Incentives, Inc.