Your Award-Winning ELEVATED NEWS in October
Last month, ELEVATED NEWS earned a 2026 Lantern Award from the Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), and we owe that honor to readers like you.
This issue shares what we learned at the SPRF Conference about how AI is changing the way audiences trust and find organizations online.
We also highlight client accomplishments from the Panhandle to Sewanee, our therapy dog's library visit, goat calendars with a cause, and a full slate of October events.
NEW ON THE BLOG
ELEVATED NEWS Wins 2026 SPRF Lantern Award
At its Sept. 20-22 annual conference in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Southern Public Relations Federation presented ELEVATED NEWS with a 2026 Lantern Award, the top honor, in the Advertising & Publications category.
PR practitioners judge SPRF entries using the four-step research, planning, implementation, and evaluation (RPIE) process, the standard for measuring strategic communications work.
Reputation, Reach, and Relevance: How Robots Are Redefining Results
Takeaways From the 2026 SPRF Conference
In addition to the Lantern Award, the SPRF "PR Roots" Conference provided valuable insights we can apply in our work. One theme kept surfacing across the sessions I attended: how audiences find, trust, and remember organizations is changing faster than most of our habits. As a result, good PR practices are more important than ever.
Our conference recap covers actionable takeaways for small businesses, nonprofits, and creatives:
Follow your audience where it has moved;
Earn the media coverage driving 84% of AI citations;
Translate expertise into stories that only your organization can tell;
Plan your podcast distribution before buying equipment; and
Empower your teams to bridge generational divides.
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
Frame Gallery Gifts & Art
Color, gesture, and discovery filled the studio at Frame Gallery during September's "Art of Abstraction" workshop with artist Lendon Noe. Working in watercolor and water-soluble media, both beginners and experienced artists experimented with layering, repetition, contrast, and intuitive mark-making to build their own compositions. Along the way, Noe walked the group through a timeline of abstract art history.
Noe is a Jackson, Tenn., native who taught art at Lambuth University for 28 years and holds an MFA in painting and mixed media from Vermont College. Stay tuned for Noe's next workshop at Frame Gallery this fall.
Baird Dental Business Concepts
Congratulations to Sandy Baird, MBA, who is now an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Collat School of Business, teaching "The Foundations of Practice Management" this semester. With more than 40 years of dental practice management experience, she's passing that knowledge on to the next generation of practice leaders across all health professions.
Sandy's latest article makes a case every practice can use: "The real purpose of a team meeting isn't to meet. It's to build a team." Sandy evaluates research on why regular team meetings drive retention, culture, and patient experience, and what practices lose when they skip them. Team members who communicate well with each other communicate better with patients. Read her article, "The Meetings You Think You Don't Need," to learn more.
The Dental Associate Edge: Building Toward Ownership
Practice ownership starts long before you sign the papers. In Episode 6 of The Dental Associate Edge podcast, Dr. Dave Striegel and Sandy Baird, MBA, cover lender meetings, dental-specific advisors, and how to become the associate an owner thinks of first when selling.
Renee Broxson Fine Art
Renee Broxson said, "I just thought we all needed a little peace, love, and happiness." Each piece in these mixed-media triptychs measures 8" x 8" and features uplifting imagery with layered texture. You can purchase these triptychs in sets on Renee's website or as individual pieces by contacting her directly.
JC’s Gourmet
Find your inner sea witch this Halloween season with a Sea Witch Matcha, Ghosted Latte, or Spookarato at Salty Bottle and Brew in Carillon Beach, Fla., in the morning.
Return after a beach swim to pair a glass of wine with JC's Gourmet's southwestern Cluckin' Chicken salad or smoked Somethin' Snappy garnished with candied Jommin' Jalapeños.
Team JC's Gourmet has been working overtime to keep this family-owned, pet-friendly lounge stocked. Next time you're near the east end of 30A, support two local businesses in one stop.
Dog-Harmony
Chloe Attends Story Time at the DeFuniak Springs Library
Our office manager and therapy dog, Chloe, joined Dog-Harmony for Story Time at the DeFuniak Springs Public Library on Sept. 29. Children ages 3 to 5 learned about farm animals and the jobs dogs do on a farm, and then practiced greeting a dog safely. In the fall of 2025, only 44% of Florida children started kindergarten ready to learn, according to the Florida Chamber Foundation.
Because dogs make good reading buddies, Dog-Harmony continues expanding its R.E.A.D.ing Paws partnerships with public libraries in Okaloosa and Walton counties in the Florida Panhandle. A 2010 UC Davis program found that school-based third graders who read aloud to shelter dogs for 10 weeks improved their reading fluency by 12%, and 75% of parents said their kids read aloud more often and with more confidence.
The Farm at the University of the South at Sewanee
The baby goats of the University Farm at Sewanee have a new job: calendar models. The "Smart Kids" 2027 calendars, created by Richard Boeth and produced by Friends of the Farm, are now available for sale at the farm, Frame Gallery, the University Bookstore, and LUNCH Restaurant in Sewanee, and at Mooney's in Monteagle, Tenn. The University Farm grows food for the university dining hall, local markets, and food banks while teaching students hands-on skills.
Friends of the Farm is a community group that volunteers and raises funds to support the University Farm. To order the "Smart Kids" 2027 calendar online and have it shipped to you, fill out this form.
THE ELEVATED EXPERIENCE
A curated collection of upcoming events with our talented clients, partners, and friends
Thank you for reading, sharing, and helping make ELEVATED NEWS award-winning.
Although Hispanic Heritage Month officially ends Oct. 15, the community celebration continues on the Emerald Coast on Sunday, Oct. 18, at The Landing in Fort Walton Beach with the rescheduled Emerald Coast Hispanic Heritage Festival.
One of the festival's sponsors is ConexiĂłn Media Group (CMG), which produces a monthly digital business and community publication in English and Spanish for readers from Tallahassee to Mobile. We're proud to contribute articles on leadership, strategy, and resilience. Make a ConexiĂłn with your community by subscribing or reading the latest digital edition.
Hosting an event for small businesses, nonprofits, or creatives? Submit it to our Elevated Experience calendar. And if a friend would enjoy this newsletter, forward it along.
