The other day I had lunch with a woman who is absolutely spectacular.   She has achieved tremendous success in her career and still has quite a list of goals she wants to achieve. She has a strong passion and desire to see women my age become successful.  She was one of the founders of a program in Grand Rapids called Rising Women Leaders.  It is a program sponsored by Huntington Bank and the Center for Community Leadership.  Their mission is to connect rising women leaders in the community and share knowledge, opportunities and information in the community that will help them succeed.

It is difficult to come to terms with the final day of my year-long stint as senior intern with Truscott Rossman. I can’t help but feel nostalgic as I walk the halls of Boji’s eighth floor, knowing that today is the capstone moment of a long, arduous and highly-rewarding internship adventure.

Putting all the ethical questions aside, the recent kerfuffle over News of the World in London casts images in my mind of the great newspaper wars of old. European newspapers just seem more exciting than their stodgy American counterparts.

Sometimes when I tell people I work in “PR,” they look at me with a blank stare and I know they are thinking: what the heck does that mean...

So today’s announcement from Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe warning that mail delivery could move to just three days a week – possibly in 15 years – is hardly earth shattering.  Really, Patrick – why wait 15 years? Let’s just accept the fact that we can live with mail three days a week and be done with it. 

There are few better ways to spend a hot summer day than lying on the beach with a good book. While many prefer their summer reading on the lighter side, there are plenty of good reads that will sharpen your PR skills without leaving you passed out and burning in the sun halfway through the book. Here’s my short list.   

Charlie Cain's brilliant writing skills, institutional knowledge, great smile and loving spirit will be missed at Truscott Rossman, and in Lansing. We will miss our buddy. We may just have to memorialize that quote board.

Today, the Swedish music service Spotify launched in the United States. Spotify has long been considered one of the best streaming music services (with ten million users worldwide), but due to copyright restrictions, was never available in the States until now. Pretty cool stuff.

Kick back, relax and enjoy some smooth jazz tomorrow evening at the free “Rhythm of Summer” jazz concert in Durant Park from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring Lansing’s Too Smooth for Notes!

Not that I’m looking for Michigan’s version of Anthony Weiner … but I’d love to see a Michigan politician make a bold, important move on Twitter.

That same teamwork is being applied at Truscott Rossman. Our team has a wide array of skills and experience. It isn’t too often I have to go outside of our team to get the information I need to serve my clients. In addition, we all know that our work product is better with lots of input because you never know who will have the next great idea.

Memories of our friend and colleague Charlie Cain.

It is a beautiful sunny day in Grand Rapids, but today all Grand Rapidians are in shock and disbelief of the tragic happenings that occurred yesterday. From the time I left my home, to the moment I walked into the office, every person that I encountered had a comment about yesterday, and I heard a version of “this doesn’t happen in Grand Rapids” at least three or four times.

Communities like Royal Oak, Sterling Heights and even liberal, hipster Ann Arbor feel that if their elected officials are emailing or texting during meetings, then it must be to discuss city business, which is in violation of the Open Meetings Act. Transparency in government must absolutely be protected, but I can’t help but think an outright ban on these communications tools goes one step too far.

Last week, my family embarked (together!) on our biggest adventure yet - my brother’s wedding in Daegu, South Korea. It was an once-in-a-lifetime experience, and memories were made that will be engrained in our hearts forever. One part of the trip that was sometimes challenging was the language barrier.

Despite previous failures, I think Google+ offers a number of useful features that make it worth using. Over time, I can see Google+ growing to become a formidable rival to Facebook and Twitter. Here are some reasons I think it’s worth checking out Google+.