A MEANINGFUL NEW ENDEAVOR FOR A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

PROUD TO BE OF COUNSEL TO AWARD-WINNING IDENTITY PR

Mark Winter has been a friend for a quarter century.

I met him when I covered growth, development and urban affairs for the Columbus Dispatch.

Mark, then the small startup -- Identity PR -- boldly won the public relations contract for the acclaimed Nationwide Arena District in the heart of Columbus, Ohio.

Fast forward and Identity has more than 30 employees, a nationwide practice that has won numerous awards and a presence in Miami.

Mark Winter, President and Founding Partner, Identity PR

My roots in Miami go back a quarter century.

I have teamed with Mark Winter of Identity PR to provide full services to businesses involved in real estate/development, design, finance and related fields.

I’m Identity’s man in Miami.

But it’s much more than that. I will be working with nonprofits making the world a better place.

I will be providing content and expertise in Universal Design, Aging in Place and design that makes life easier and more inclusive for all.

Steve Wright -- after a pre-dawn run -- Miami Beach

My of counsel role means I still will be working as a planner, educator, writer and activist within the planning, architecture, design and disability communities.

It also will allow me to continue to carve out time for my growing career as a widely exhibited, acclaimed photographer/visual artist.

Take a moment this week to visit: www.identitypr.com

Then reach out to me and we can set up a Zoom to see how we can help your business leave a mark.

 

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING EXPERTISE FROM A LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS

TEAMED WITH A HALL OF FAMER.

My roots in Miami go back a quarter century.

I have teamed with Mark Winter of Identity PR to provide full services to businesses involved in real estate/development, design, finance and making the world a better place.

We also help leading and local nonprofits. 

Mark has done so much as a professional and member of his community in my native Midwest, that he recently was inducted into the Public Relations Hall of Fame.

Take a moment this week to visit www.identitypr.com

Then reach out to me and we can set up a Zoom to see how we can help your business leave a mark. 

IF THE PANDEMIC IS SLOWING DOWN YOUR BUSINESS

SHARE YOUR TALENT WITH THE COMMUNITY

I have donated $10,000 in professional time, writing about the 30^th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

I have contributed more than one dozen feature stories and prominent opinion pieces to an array of print and online publications.

The major stories have explored the ADA’s impact on urban design, town planning, architecture, transport engineering, sustainability, landscape architecture, mobility and public policy.

Images and ideas have been shared on universal design, inclusive mobility, aging in place, barrier-removal, resiliency, funding and how journalists cover (or ignore) the ADA and people with disabilities.

I have turned a slowdown of 15% to 20% in billings into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share my knowledge via my flare for storytelling.

Statistics say one in four people reading this is completely unemployed because of COVID19.

Easily half the households checking out this blog have been impacted by decreased hours, lowered pay rates and other financial hits caused by closures/lockdowns.

Lockdowns we must all support – because we don’t want our families dying due to virus spread.

I know pro bono work doesn’t pay the bills, but it keeps you active.

It keeps you engaged in what you do best.

It allows for creativity to flow instead of depression creeping in.

So whatever you do – whether it’s building houses for neighborhood cats awaiting rescue/adoption, drawing up plans for wheelchair-accessible house additions or creating coloring books that portray diverse people – fill your vacant hours with this work.

Your work product may be so impressive that it even serves as a marketing tool – drawing more clients to your business or attracting a new employer that offers an exciting fresh job opportunity.

Here are some of the stories I have published via my passionate pro bono storytelling:

https://urbantravelandaccessibility.blogspot.com/2020/07/2021-city-county-and-state-budgets-must.html

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/the-ada-is-turning-30-but-the-built-environment-is-still-far-from-inclusiv/581563/

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2020/6/1/when-inclusive-isnt?rq=steve%20wright

https://www.newmobility.com/2020/07/the-ada-enforcers/

https://www.newmobility.com/2020/02/guide-to-local-advocacy/

https://medium.com/@stevewright_57150/the-americans-with-disabilities-act-at-30-its-a-major-news-story-6ab3efe5a332?source=friends_link&sk=1f9cb61f1c3bcbe6239f377511261119

EXPERT COMMUNICATOR

TRUSTED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS AND DOZENS OF SUCCESSFUL PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR CLIENTS

On assignment in Egypt: March 2020

When the 1.3 million-member National Association of Realtors needed an expert writer to cover the COVID crisis from multiple angles for its prestigious On Common Ground smart growth-urban affairs magazine, it reached out to one person.

Steve Wright, Pulitzer-nominated, award-winning writer with 35 years’ experience writing about how cities work, was called on to do the near impossible: interview more than three dozen sources across the nation in barely a week’s time.

He then created the nation’s first comprehensive article on best practices for Business Improvement Districts, Main Streets, Downtown Development Authorities and other agencies charged with saving small businesses while keeping customers safe in the time of pandemic.

Wright not only created a pair of timely stories in fewer than 10 business days, he also gathered glossy magazine images – when servers were down and sources were working remotely – to vividly illustrate his storytelling.

Wrights’ frontline reporting on both urban small businesses and Coronavirus crisis procedures for commercial and residential realtors accounted for more than 40 percent of the text in the entire magazine contributed to by several journalists and published in record turnaround time.

To read the stories and get an understanding of the power of Wright’s writing and marketing communications capabilities, follow this link: 

https://tinyurl.com/yd2xocwd

To talk about how his unique storytelling skills can tell your firm’s story in the most challenging of times, phone Steve direct at 305 776-3231. Or email him at: 
stevewright64@yahoo.com

Storytelling for clients from Biscayne Bay to the banks of the Nile

ARE YOU DOING BY THE NUMBERS MARKETING?

WHEN YOU REALLY NEED A STORYTELLER/VISUAL ARTIST?

I am a Pulitzer-nominated, award-winning storyteller.

I have expertise in urban design, architecture, mobility, landscape architecture, town planning, universal design, real estate development, inclusive design, hospitality, main streets, complete streets and sustainable design.

I do marketing, business development and communications. But I don't do it by a set routine.

I work with your team and learn how to put people (not boring numbers, things and objects) at the heart of your studio's storytelling.

I have the soul of an artist. I post fine art photography 365 days per year on five social media platforms.

My standing as an artist has been validated by many gallery shows and recent inclusion in an international project that will evolve through 2020 and beyond.

I am Proud to be Part of the Saudades Poetry/ Photography/ Short Stories/ Painting/ Song Lyrics Anthology.

Let's talk about how I can supplement your staff while boosting your marketing with vivid storytelling.  Call me at 305 776-3231   email: stevewright64@yahoo.com

https://preview.tinyurl.com/teab8nf

THE MOST CRASS MARKETING EVER

INSENSITIVE PET CARE CLINIC OPENED PAINFUL WOUND

The picture here is of our beloved Puchy.

We shared custody of her with a Little Havana neighbor living hand to mouth.

When she took sick, we ran up well more than $1,000 in vet bills trying to save this little mixed breed bundle of joy.

Sadly, at about age 10, our angel dog crossed the rainbow bridge.

The veterinarian outfit we took her to, one with several outlets in Greater Miami, did a terrible job of caring for her.

She wasn't a beloved family member to them, she was a profit center.  

Even when we knew she had to be euthanized, the clinic's sales people were marketing to us -- guilting us into buying a clay pressing of her dying paw and a deluxe post cremation kit.

That day in 2009, I decided I wouldn't do business with that group of charlatans if they were the last veterinary clinic left standing in South Florida.

So imagine my shock when from out of nowhere yesterday, I received a "Happy Birthday Puchy" text from this piece of crap outfit.

Of course, the well wishes were a thinly-veiled come-on, wrapped around a link that went to their online pet appointment scheduling application.

Even if Puchy were alive, she'd be nearly 20 years old.  I don't think the average dog lives that long, so it's crass and careless to send out birthday wishes to an old pet anyway.

But this craphole of pretend pet care went beyond.

When it was pouring dollars into a new marketing campaign, it couldn't even have the decency to check its own records.

Five minutes of matching my cell number to the pet I brought in would confirm that this outfit put our beloved Puchy down in less than a week after it commenced  care of our furry family member.

I try not to be vulgar in my blog posts, but Knowles Animal Clinics -- 

I send you to hell.

I love my Puchy.

She brought joy to our lives for a good half dozen years.

We're truly not sure how old she is, because our indigent friend took her in off the street when she was full grown.

I guess when we registered her for care, we had to give a birth date so we made one up.

Somebody took that data, damn near a decade old, and turned it into the most shameful, greedy sales pitch text I've ever heard of.

If you are in Greater Miami, I urge you to go to Miami-Dade Animal Services.   They have a brand new facility and some of the most caring people -- from vets to entry level staff -- on the planet.

Boycott Knowles.  They are all about profit margin, not pet care.

I truly hope this goes viral.

Is there anything more underhanded than playing on a pet owner's emotions to try to ring the cash register a few more times?

Thanks for nothing Knowles, you opened a wound of grief I thought was long healed.

Thanks to your obsession with the almighty dollar and nothing else, I am shedding tears for my long-departed Angel Dog...when I could be spending my time caring for our 6 rescue animals.