17 Sep KSC, Inc. Honored During Prestigious Award Ceremony

KSC, Inc. celebrated several honors during a Golden Image Award Ceremony hosted by the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) on August 27, 2020. Streamed live for the first time, the annual event recognizes the hard work and dedication of public relations professionals across the state with a highly competitive awards program.

Co-Founder Receives Highest Public Relations Honor

KSC, Inc.’s original co-founder, Christopher Caroll, APR, CPRC, received FPRA’s highest, most prestigious award, the John W. Dillin Award. The award reflects the spirit and dedication of FPRA’s first president and founder, Lt. Col. John Dillin, and his lifetime of service to the Association and the profession of public relations. Caroll formed KSC, Inc. in 1998 alongside Cheray Keyes-Shima, APR, CPRC. He retired in 2014.

Carroll began his career in public relations in 1977 while he was still a student at the University of Missouri. To gain practical experience, he started and operated a full-service advertising agency. He also published “The Columbian Magazine,” a city/society publication with a circulation of 5,000. Over the next five years, he worked for several advertising agencies, handling the public relations for many clients, including Walmart. In 1982 Caroll founded the Omaha Shirt Works and Poster Company, and he ran this company until he sold it in 1986. In 1987 he moved to Bradenton to work for McGuinn & McGuire Publishing, Inc. He joined FPRA in 1996 and became an active member in FPRA’s Central West Coast Chapter. The chapter president that year was Cheray Keyes-Shima, APR, CPRC, and she asked him to become her president-elect. He and Shima teamed in 1998 to extend their partnership beyond FPRA and formed KSC, Inc. (Keyes-Shima & Carroll). Together, they worked for 16 years side-by-side while managing client communications and the business operations of KSC and FPRA. In 2005, Donate Life Florida (DLF) hired KSC to handle the executive management of the coalition. Even though Carroll retired from KSC, he has kept DLF as his sole client and now serves as its executive director.

KSC, Inc. Receives Award of Distinction

KSC, Inc. also received an Award of Distinction from FPRA for a strategic integrated marketing campaign to enhance school safety through 3M™ Safety and Security Film. NGS Films and Graphics, the country’s leading 3M™ Authorized Window Film Dealer, hired KSC, Inc. to develop and implement a strategic lead generation effort to reach schools in Florida and Texas. The project focused on increasing school safety by installing 3M™ Safety & Security Film on all glass doors and windows. KSC, Inc.  received a Judges Award and Image Award for the same project earlier this year from FPRA’s Central West Cost Chapter. The project was entered by KSC, Inc. staff member Erin Hoffer, APR, CPRC.

KSC, Inc. Staff Member’s Contribution Wins Award

In addition, KSC, Inc.’s staff member, Melanie Reda, APR, led an initiative to enter into the Golden Image Award competition the Central West Coast Chapter’s highly-successful Operation Gratitude event, which took place on November 8, 2019 and raised more than $10,000 to benefit the original creator of the Operation board game, John Spinello, and the Family Network on Disabilities of Manasota (FND). The program entry received a Judges Award and an Award of Distinction from FPRA. Reda has served on the chapter’s board for a number of years and is currently serving as president-elect.

FPRA is the world’s oldest public relations trade association and has been supporting public relation professionals since 1938.

KSC, Inc. has been building brands since 1998. As a full-service communications firm focused on creating real connections between businesses, brands and people, KSC, Inc. employs a staff of strategists who specialize in helping clients tell their stories in ways that have impact and meaning for their customers.

For more information about KSC, Inc., a full-service marketing, public relations and advertising agency in Sarasota, Florida, call (941) 905-1555 or visit www.kscadvpr.com.