M. H. West & Co., Inc.’s Marilyn West and Joe Armstrong attended the Retail Merchants Association’s First Forum Series.  The focus was PR for Small Business and featured a Panel of Professionals who offered Tips on Getting the Word Out About Your Business .  Held at the Westin Richmond, the meeting was well attended with standing room only.  Participating were Lisa Schaffner, the Director of Public Relations and Marketing for UNOS, who served as moderator of the panel of other professionals who included: Greg Gillian of the Richmond Times Dispatch, Aaron Kremer of RichmondBizSense.com, Bernard Niemeier of Virginia Business Magazine, Sean Ryan of Hobbs & Associates and Phaedra Hise a freelance writer who formerly wrote for Inc. Magazine. The panelists offered their perspectives on approaches and strategies for grabbing the attention of the editors and writers of daily and monthly newspapers and other publications, distinguishing between news and PR.  Takeaways for Joe, who counts marketing among his responsibilities at WEST, include building relationships with your local media, designing compelling stories and limiting the outlets receiving the  material.  Finally, Joe found the diversity in talent of the panelists added to the quality of the program.

M. H. West & Co., Inc. hopes to participate in at least one of the events to be held in conjunction with the inauguration of the 71st Governor of Virginia, Robert McDonnell. Obtaining tickets is a challenge. Among the many activities is the Swearing-In Ceremony which will occur at noon on Saturday, January 16th and the First Lady’s Luncheon which takes place the next day at the Omni Richmond Hotel. Other inaugural events taking place in Richmond include: The Benefactors’ Gala (Friday, January 15), the Prayer Breakfast (Saturday, January 16), the Inaugural Parade (Immediately following the Swearing-In Ceremony), the Inaugural Ball (Saturday, January 16) and the Governor’s Mansion Open house (Sunday, January 17).

The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities held their 47th Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner at the Richmond Marriott on October 27th. M. H. West & Co., Inc.’s CEO, Marilyn West is proud to serve on the Steering Committee for The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and has been supporting the organization for years. Marilyn attended the dinner along with fellow associates Eugene Sampey, Julian House and Erica Cage.

The dinner celebrated “Inclusive Leadership” and some of Richmond’s most outstanding community leaders were present. Among those honored included: Viola Baskerville, Peter Bernard, Hugh F. Gouldthorpe Jr. and Alexander Lebenstein. Allix B. James received the Jeffrey B. Spence Award for Interfaith Understanding. St. Joseph’s Villa, which has been helping Richmond area children in need since 1834, received the Distinguished Merit Citation.

WEST’s Julian House enjoyed the dinner and found it inspiring that so many of Richmond’s influential leaders were active in promoting diversity in the community.

“United for UNOS” was both a 25th Anniversary celebration and a fundraiser for the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. WEST associates who attended the event, which was held at The Colony Club, included: Marilyn H. West, Eugene Sampey, Corliss Archer, Julian House, Erica Cage and Joe Armstrong.

Highlights of the evening included a raffle featuring many items from local retailers such as The Colony Club, Omni Hotel, Beecroft and Bull, Silpada Jewelry, Haley Pontiac GMC and an original watercolor painted by Dr. Baxter Perkinson, Jr. and two round trip airline tickets to anywhere in the U.S., donated especially for the event. Also during the evening, was an inspiring speech by Dr. Robert S.D. Higgins, M.D., MSHA, who flew in from Chicago to support UNOS. A performance by donor family member, Tammy Griffin,  a special tribute to her fiancé, who died in 1997 while waiting for a heart, and cousin, who received a liver transplant in 2001 capped off the night’s festivities.

“United for UNOS” had a clear message that organ donation is a noble act that not only saves the life of the organ recipient but also greatly enhances the lives of everyone who is close to the recipient. Marilyn West, who serves on the President’s Council for UNOS, was pleased that so many of her associates chose to support the event.