By Staff
Joel began Rubin Communications in 1991 after a 15-year broadcasting career. His connections to local reporters and editors, as well as government and business leaders, made for a natural transition into a career in public relations.
It’s been nearly 25 years and many (many!) more clients since the beginning of Rubin Communications. To have a little fun with this week’s blog, we took a trip down memory lane and compiled an alphabetical listing of some our past and current clients. The easy part was finding the clients to match the letter; the hard part was deciding just which project or client to highlight.
Here they are, the ABCs of RCG:
A
America’s Best Restroom: Now in its 13th year, the America’s Best Restroom Contest allows the public to nominate and vote for its favorite public restroom. RCG has proudly worked on every contest since its inception in 2002, eventually adding a Canadian version in 2010.
B
Burtons Grill: We provided public relations services for this Hilltop restaurant to promote its brand in the marketplace, develop nonprofit relationships, create opportunities to highlight its chef and partner with 92.9 The Wave for on-air personality Dick Lamb to host “Dinners with Dick.”
C
Cintas Corporation: We’re proud to have participated in a number of nationwide product launches for the largest uniform supplier in North America, from a versatile women’s line to a strategic partnership with well-known merchandiser Carhartt, which was the basis of the popular Cintas & Carhartt Cold Crew Contest.
D
DockDogs: High-flying canines come from around the country to compete in the annual Care-A-Lot’s DockDogs Extravaganza. RCG promotes the event each year with press announcements and media coverage before and after the weekend-long contest.
E
The ESG Companies: We continue to play an integral role with ESG as the development company makes a push to build an 18,000-seat arena across from the Virginia Beach Convention Center. A solid communications plan is essential as the arena deal has become one the most hot-button civic issues in Hampton Roads.
F
Founder’s Inn and Spa: The Founder’s Inn recruited RCG to announce the addition of its new spa and wellness center. After a successful opening, we stayed on to help with media coverage for holiday events and the award-winning Swan Terrace Restaurant.
G
Gold Key / PHR: RCG and Gold Key began their relationship in 2013, when Joel was asked to assist the company in its efforts to win approval from the City of Norfolk for a new hotel and convention center. We also helped coordinate logistics for a send off event for the historic Cavalier Hotel at the beach.
H
Harbor Party: The Kiwanis Harbor Party and Seafood Feast and Joel Rubin go way, waaaay back. We’ve worked on this annual fall fundraiser for over 15 years, with hopefully no end in sight. We are proud of our involvement with the Harbor Party and the $1 million it’s raised for local children’s charities.
I
IssueTrak: Located in the heart of Town Center, IssueTrak offers IT help desk support and software. For several years, RCG was on retainer with the company, expanding its reach both locally and nationally through press releases, company announcements, new marketing materials and a quarterly newsletter.
J
Jewish Community Center: In 2014, RCG’s Danny Rubin met with several focus groups to understand the communications challenges between parents and administrators at the Strelitz Early Childhood Center, a well-regarded preschool inside the Simon Family Jewish Community Center in Virginia Beach.
K
Kahn Development: The gazebo at Kahn Development’s Towne Place at Greenbrier inspired the idea for a concert series on Friday nights during the summer months. Partnered with CHIP of Chesapeake, the Towne Place at Greenbrier Summer Concert Series brought new customers to the shopping center, raised money for a worthy nonprofit and provided a new “it” place Friday nights in Greenbrier.
L
Lynnhaven Mall: Rubin Communications Group has a long association with Lynnhaven Mall. In particular, we launched The Inlet, the 16-screen AMC theater complex, and promoted a holiday lights program during Christmas 2011. RCG also coordinated all public relations, marketing, event planning and sponsorship recruitment for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – Hampton Roads, (see letter “X”) which took place near Lynnhaven Mall and involved the attraction’s stores and parking lot.
M
Maglev: RCG’s Joel Rubin worked closely with American Maglev CEO Tony Morris to educate the media and elected officials on the viability of magnetic levitation as a mass transit solution in Virginia Beach. The result was the city’s decision to restrict light rail expansion in order to preserve the option for Maglev in the future.
N
Newtown Building Supplies: We currently help the Virginia Beach-based window, door and siding company with its marketing campaign. Joel, Danny and Jessica began at the ground floor with NBS, designing business cards, letterhead and a Facebook page, and now handle more complex tasks like external public relations and media relations as the company expands.
O
Optima Health: As the insurance division for Sentara Healthcare, Optima was challenged with educating its members and the public in the face of health reform this past year. Enter the RCG videography team. The animated video series we created for Optima earned rave reviews with the company and public.
P
Pender & Coward: This regional law firm has been in business since 1889, and we’ve had the pleasure of working with its lawyers in a marketing and public relations capacity for many years. Recently, we developed the firm’s first Brand Guidelines, an extensive document including a revamped logo, color palette, fonts and corporate collateral.
Q
Quality Furniture: It’s inevitable — in almost 25 years in business, you’re going to work for family. Working for Harry and Sue Cohen (Sara Jo’s parents) was always a pleasure, whether making posters for their store windows or announcing business changes. If you know Granby Street, you’ll remember Quality Furniture.
R
Rescue Squads: Videos, press conferences, focus groups, newsletters, fundraising campaigns…you name it, we’ve done it for the Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Foundation. And we’re not done yet. The RCG team remains in awe of this remarkable client and the selfless sacrifices of its many volunteers. Please consider a donation to the Foundation’s fundraising campaign.
S
Silver Diner: Rubin Communications managed all local public relations efforts, including VIP events for the grand openings of four Silver Diner locations, three in Hampton Roads and one in Richmond. Our team continued to work with the Maryland-based chain on PR strategies and community partnerships. In 2010, we helped launch the “Eat Well, Do Well” campaign, including a new “farm-to-table” menu, local partnerships with public schools and a visit from the Virginia’s First Lady.
T
TowneBank: We are proud to have worked with the region’s premier hometown bank for so many years. We advise TowneBank on long-term PR strategies, assist with maximizing their community relationships, promote grand openings and other corporate announcements, manage their social media and more. We are also fortunate to work with affiliate companies Towne Insurance and TFA Benefits.
U
Uniquely Yours: Each year, Uniquely Yours hosts one of the largest bridal shows in the region at Scope in Norfolk. We enjoyed helping to promote their vendors and VIP guests. We got to try the cake too!
V
VDA: The Virginia Dental Association came to us when they launched the “Healthy Body, Healthy Mouth” Campaign in 2012. The TV and social media marketing push led to statewide media coverage and a social media campaign to showcase the VDA member dentists. Our team has also traveled across the state to generate coverage and take photos and videos at their Mission of Mercy events, which provide free dental care for uninsured and underserved people all over Virginia.
W
Wheelabrator Technologies: Wheelabrator’s plant in Hampton Roads is located in Portsmouth, operating to burn trash into re-usable energy and sell to the nearby naval shipyard. In our work with Wheelabrator, RCG facilitates tours and creates relationships with the community, city leaders and politicians while promoting Wheelabrator and its environmental initiatives. As part of its plan to raise environmental consciousness in the communities they serve, Wheelabrator hosts an annual Environmental Symposium, and the RCG plays a large role in that event too.
X
EXtreme Makeover: Home Edition: Sometimes you never know exactly what you are taking on. That was certainly the case with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the ABC-TV program that came to Virginia Beach in late 2010 to build a house for a deserving family. Starting in mid-December (and working entirely pro bono), we had to assemble media partners, recruit restaurants to provide food gratis for volunteers on three shifts for seven days, raise $25,000, organize a pep rally attended by 2,000 people and a march past the construction site for 1,500 more, coordinate a canned food drive with three local food banks that generated 400,000 pounds of donations, help the show’s producers with content and manage VIP and public tickets to the “reveal” of the home to the chosen family. Phew, we’re tired just writing all that out!
Y
Young Dentistry: It’s always fun to be there at the start of a business. For Dr. Lynette Young, RCG created the VIP list for the office’s Virginia Beach opening in 2008, coordinated the grand opening and provided pre- and post-publicity in the local market. We also helped with creative branding by designing the logo, business cards, mailers and more.
Z
Dr. Joel Zaba: We provided public relations services for Dr. Joel Zaba to unveil the results of a three-year study identifying inadequate screening as the cause of undiagnosed vision problems among children. These results were published in the Journal of the American Optometric Association.
If you’re interested in adding to our alphabet soup…give us a call!
We’d love to meet your company’s needs for advertising, graphic or web design, videography, public relations, event planning or social media.
To schedule a meeting, call 456-5212 or email danny@rubincommunications.com.
