I was deeply honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Public Relations Society of America in recognition for my career in the public relations field.
Having served in both the public and private sectors, this award recognized my tenure as Director of Communications and Press Secretary for United States Senator John D. Rockefeller IV when he was Governor, as well as Chairman & CEO of a multistate marketing company, The Arnold Agency and Founder of my syndicated column and speaking practice, “Life Life Fully.”
When I started The Arnold Agency, I didn’t know it would expand throughout multiple states, including Hawaii. All I knew is that we were dedicated to providing the blood, sweat, tears, heart and soul it took to get the best results possible for our clients. Starting out, I was like the bumblebee who didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to fly! Driven by an intense passion, I was open to all kinds of possibilities.
Along the way, I was fortunate to team up with business partners, colleagues, clients and vendor partners who helped us realize these dreams. Our company tag line was “Spirit. Passion. Results.” And we raised the bar higher on ourselves every day.
While we started out providing the services of public relations and advertising, we expanded into the arena of public affairs and government relations. As clients became more and more sophisticated (and demanding) over the years, we needed to “up our game” to keep current with cutting edge methods of creative content and delivery channels to ever-changing target markets. Digital delivery and social media began to eclipse the traditional methods of marketing, and we consistently made the investments of time and resources to best serve our clients.
Developing expertise in the arenas of healthcare, financial marketing, energy/environmental and food service positioned us well to add extra value. The advent of the global marketplace required us to stay on top of trends worldwide, not just in our clients’ backyards.
We were grateful to have those who believed in us from the very beginning. Clients like SUBWAY who began with us in one state and eventually grew with us to provide services in six states – with more than 500 restaurants.
Wisdom Media Network, as a client, was a labor of love. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be on the ground floor of this emerging network in the field of health, wellness, mind, body and spirit. We traveled the country, interviewing authors and speakers in the field, and I soaked everything up like a sponge.
It was a dream come true! And it served as the springboard for my life’s work, “Live Life Fully” through my syndicated newspaper column and speaking practice.
Thank you, Public Relations Society of America, and thanks to all of my teachers, mentors, colleagues and clients along the way!
I welcome the opportunity to continue to learn and grow with you – as we realize this life is not a dress rehearsal.
Article from the Charleston Gazette
PR society gives Arnold lifetime achievement award
The West Virginia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America presented its lifetime achievement award Wednesday night to Linda Arnold, the former chairwoman and CEO of The Arnold Agency, a director of communications under Gov. Jay Rockefeller, and a Sunday Gazette-Mail and syndicated columnist.
“I’m not sure if she worked for me or I worked for her,” said Rockefeller in a videotaped address, “but she has certainly earned this recognition.” Arnold, he added, was an “international rock star” during her time in his administration.
The award was formally presented in a ceremony at Edgewood Country Club. Arnold, who is also a psychological counselor and certified wellness instructor, is the fifth person in the 34-year history of the chapter to be given its lifetime achievement award. She was chosen for her “outstanding commitment and service to our profession, her clients and the West Virginia Chapter,” said Sara Payne Scarbro, immediate past president of the PRSA. “Linda’s spirit for life and the public relations profession is truly admirable.”
“The field of public relations and journalism has been very good to me,” Arnold said, “and I continue to practice my craft every day — whether that’s through my syndicated column, career work or, generally, in life. I can’t imagine a more stimulating field that ignites that fire in the belly and compels us to give it our all — blood, sweat, tears, heart and soul.
“I’m proud of what I’ve been able to build with team partners over the years, and I know our West Virginia work ethic has contributed greatly to our successes.”