Company News

April 15, 2009

Former Flint Journal editor joins Lezotte Miller Inc.

Mike Turner, former copy desk chief at The Flint Journal, has joined Okemos-based Lezotte Miller Public Relations Inc. as a public relations counselor/media specialist.

Turner has more than 20 years of print journalism experience.  He was a reporter and editor at The Flint Journal for 15 years as well as a business writer for The Bay City Times and Grand Rapids Business Journal.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University and has received numerous writing awards.  He serves on the Downtown Development Authority, Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals in the Shiawassee County community of Vernon.

May 1, 2008

Lezotte Miller Inc. recognized with public service award

Lezotte Miller Public Relations Inc. earned the 2008 Award of Achievement for Public Service from the Public Relations Society of America Central Michigan Chapter for its role in helping the Food Bank Council of Michigan raise awareness of hunger in Michigan. 

The Food Bank Council is a statewide organization committed to the alleviation of hunger.  It gathers food and funds to help stock Michigan’s member food banks, which serve people in all 83 counties.  It provides a central, single voice to the issue of hunger, statewide leadership and education about the need for food and food security

The PACE awards are presented annually by PRSA to recognize professional excellence.  Research, planning, execution and evaluation of the tactic or program are examined and judged.

March 1, 2008

Gull Lake schools selects Lezotte Miller for communications effort

Gull Lake Community Schools selected Lezotte Miller Inc. to spearhead its public relations and marketing effort.  The school district in northeastern Kalamazoo County is working to improve enrollment and retain students by reaching out to the community.

Lezotte Miller's staff is helping the school district with research, media relations and marketing.

July 11,2007

Michigan businesses unprepared for crisis

Almost a third (32 percent) of Michigan businesses are vulnerable to a crisis in which they are forced to confront negative press and communication challenges, according to a survey commissioned by Lezotte Miller Inc. and conducted by EPIC-MRA.  Only 15 percent have a plan in place to deal with negative publicity, and just 4 percent have updated the plan recently to deal with today’s media challenges.  The study of 600 Michigan businesses had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.           

Nearly a third who agreed they were vulnerable had, in fact, already experienced negative publicity due to issues such as fraud, employee errors or harm to customers because of faulty products, etc. 

“The majority of business crises are preventable if businesses take the time to look critically at their operations,” says Barbara Lezotte, president of Lezotte Miller Public Relations Inc.  “Companies that assess vulnerabilities often are able to fix potential problems before they attract negative media coverage.”

Lezotte likens crisis planning for businesses to estate planning for families.
“They know they should do it, but most manage to put it off until it’s too late,” she says.  “Some of the most vulnerable businesses are drifting on a false sense of security that media crises are something that only happen to someone else.  We’ve worked with several well managed, successful companies who suddenly find themselves in the media spotlight due to an unintentional employee error or an event outside the company’s control.”

Lezotte stresses it’s much less costly to prevent crises than to try to salvage a company’s reputation once the damage has been done.

“Negative publicity can be the death knell for some companies, especially when strong competition exists.  When it’s too late for prevention, however, dealing with the issue head on is critical.  A company in crisis must respond effectively to media inquiries or risk being branded as guilty.  Incredibly, there are still business executives and their legal advisors who decide that media avoidance is the safest strategy.  Such a passive approach allows the media to define the company’s reputation, often erroneously.”

June 11, 2007

Lezotte Miller Inc. recognized for crisis communication expertise

Lezotte Miller Public Relations Inc. earned the top award from the Public Relations Society of America Central Michigan Chapter for its handling of negative publicity about one of Highfields’ programs. 

Highfields Inc., is a not-for-profit organization that serves children and families with in-home counseling, school programs and residential treatment.  Lezotte Miller helped communicate Highfields’ longstanding history of serving the mid-Michigan community and worked to restore public confidence in the organization.

The PACE awards are presented annually by PRSA to recognize professional excellence.  Research, planning, execution and evaluation of the tactic or program are examined and judged.

June 1, 2007

Lezotte named to board for Small Business Association of Michigan

Barbara Lezotte, APR, was elected by the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) to become a member of the group's Board of Directors. As a board member, Lezotte works with SBAM staff to improve the small business environment across the state.

SBAM is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. Its mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy.

May 7, 2007

Former assistant editor joins Lezotte Miller Public Relations.

Jason Cody, formerly of the Lansing State Journal, has joined Lezotte Miller Public Relations Inc. as a PR counselor/media specialist.  Cody brings seven years of journalism experience to the position.

He was an assistant editor on the LSJ’s news and information desk, where he led many special projects, including the 2006 election coverage and the Ricky Holland case.  Cody previously worked on the copy desk, helping oversee nine copy editors in designing the daily paper and editing stories.

Cody is also a former assistant news editor at the Times Herald in Port Huron.
He graduated with honors from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a double minor in sociology and history.