Fuse News

Fuse 5 Named PR Agency of Think Energy
Fuse 5 To Plan All-Employee Meeting For GDF Suez Energy Resources
Fuse 5 Creates Capabilities Brochure For Memorial Hermann Southeast
Client Hunting PLC Announces Leigh Anne Lester As Winner Of 2011 Hunting Art Prize
Fuse 5 Opens Office in Pittsburgh
Fuse 5 Adds New Training Seminar
Fuse 5 Sets Strategic Partnership With D.C.-Based Signet
Fuse 5 Begins Work For Family Court Judge Candidate
Fuse 5 Creates Facebook Page
Fuse 5 President To Speak In Toronto
Fuse 5 President Holds Webinar On Crisis and Social Media
Fuse 5 Offers Writing Tips Via Twitter
Robyn O’Neil Wins 2009 Hunting Art Prize
Fuse 5-Roadster Video Wins WorldFest Honor
Fuse 5 President Conducts One-Day Seminar In D.C.
Fuse 5 President Featured At National Grassroots Conference
Client Rick Burleson Writes Op-Ed For Houston Chronicle

Fuse 5 Named PR Agency of Think Energy
Think Energy, the new business established by GDF SUEZ Energy Resources NA to serve small commercial electricity customers, has selected Fuse 5 to design and execute a comprehensive public relations strategy that drives market growth and brand awareness. The campaign will employ a diverse range of tactics, including media relations, grassroots communications, story pitching, events and event management, integrated editorial-marketing communications, and community relations.

Think Energy recently began providing retail electric services to small commercial customers in Massachusetts and Maryland, and will begin serving small businesses in New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania in April 2012. The new ventures significantly expands the potential customer footprint of GDF SUEZ Energy Resources, which has traditionally served only larger commercial and industrial customers, including about half of the Fortune 100. Visit www.mythinkenergy.com, or follow Think Energy on Twitter: @MyThinkEnergy; and Facebook: /MyThinkEnergy.

Fuse 5 To Plan All-Employee Meeting For GDF Suez Energy Resources
GDF SUEZ Energy Resources, one of America's largest providers of retail electricity to commercial, industrial, and institutional buyers, has selected Fuse 5 to plan, coordinate, and execute its 2011 all-employee meeting. The expected scope of work includes event management, internal communications, collateral production, and logistical support.

GDF SUEZ Energy Resources currently serves commercial and industrial customers in 12 markets: Delaware, Texas, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Connecticut, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. The company serves over 73,000 accounts for customers having a peak demand ranging from 50 KW to more than 200 MW, with an estimated peak load totaling nearly 10,000 MW.

Fuse 5 Creates Capabilities Brochure For Memorial Hermann Southeast
Fuse 5 created a comprehensive capabilities brochure for Memorial Hermann Southeast, establishing a single vehicle to communicate the medical services available to residents of Houston's Bay Area and surrounding regions.

In addition to a high-level overview of Memorial Hermann Southeast's award-winning care and growth of key programs, the brochure includes the hospital's scope of services in the following areas: oncology, esophageal disease treatment and management, heart and vascular, orthopedics, neuroscience, specialty surgery, women's services, children's services, trauma, and rehabilitation.

Part of the 11-hospital Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Memorial Hermann Southeast is at the forefront of modern medical advancements and has built a reputation for service line excellence. In 2011, the hospital earned distinction when HealthGrades^®, a leading independent healthcare rating organization, ranked the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System among the top 1 percent of U.S. hospitals for extraordinary quality and patient care.

Client Hunting PLC Announces Leigh Anne Lester As Winner Of 2011 Hunting Art Prize
Hunting PLC announced that Mutant Spectre by San Antonio artist Leigh Anne Lester is the winner of the $50,000 Hunting Art Prize for 2011. The graphite drawing was selected from 110 finalist pieces in the 31st annual award program, which is sponsored by the global oil services company and is the most generous annual art prize in North America for painting and drawing. The announcement came during an evening awards gala on Saturday, April 30, at the Friedkin Corporate Campus, Gulf States Toyota, in Houston.

Lester focuses her work on addressing the genesis of genetic modification and its aftereffects. Her pieces have been shown in solo exhibitions throughout Texas and across the nation, and have garnered notable reviews in a range of publications, including New York Arts Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She is the co-founder, co-owner, and co-curator of the cactus bra SPACE, an alternative exhibition space for new artists, and is the manager of San Angel Folk Art Gallery, which houses the largest collection of folk art in the United States.

For more information about the 2011 winner, visit www.cactusbraspace.com/lal.

Fuse 5 Opens Office in Pittsburgh, Strengthening Marketing and Public Relations Services to the Energy Industry
Fuse 5 has opened a new office in Pittsburgh, Pa., expanding its scope of services and broadening its ability to serve companies in the energy industry. Meredith Dugas, M.B.A., who has nearly a decade of experience in writing and strategy development and execution, has been hired to lead the new location and will serve as the agency’s Vice President of Strategic Services.

The expansion is a natural step in the progression of the firm’s overall growth strategy. With resources both in Houston and Pittsburgh, Fuse 5 is now uniquely positioned to meet virtually any requirement of organizations working in the Marcellus and Utica formations.

Dugas has worked with a range of companies spanning multiple industries – from oil and gas, healthcare, and legal to wealth management, education, and technology. She has held positions in an agency setting and most recently worked as the Manager of Internal Communications for the renowned Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Campus in Houston.

Fuse 5’s Pittsburgh office can be reached at 412.343.2913 or at 1597 Washington Pike, Suite B14-121, Bridgeville, PA, 15017.

Fuse 5 Adds New Training Seminar:
“10 Lessons Communicators Can Learn From The Botched Health Care Debate”
Fuse 5 has added to its training offerings a new course that examines the successes and failures surrounding the national health care debate. It blends basic writing instruction with strategic technique – including persuasive structure and effective messaging – to provide participants with relevant skills in how to pierce the cluttered marketplace of ideas, products, and issues.

Titled “10 Lessons Communicators Can Learn From The Botched Health Care Debate,” the sessions can be customized for any audience, including public issues/public policy, marketing, internal, public and media relations, business-to-business, crisis management, and general corporate communications. And like all Fuse 5 training sessions, it is offered in packages ranging from an hour to a full day.

For further information, contact Doug Williams at (713) 539-6469, or by email, doug@fusefive.com

Fuse 5 Sets Strategic Partnership With D.C.-Based Signet
Fuse 5 has entered into a strategic partnership with Signet, a Washington, D.C.-based firm specializing in political and grassroots campaigns, public policy initiatives, and media relations. The company’s services include strategic communications planning, message development, speechwriting and speech preparation, congressional testimony preparation, internal communications, opposition research, and training.

Signet’s president is Ginny Wolfe, who has more than 25 years experience as a senior crisis and communications adviser. She has worked with high-profile clients in the United States and internationally; served as a senior counselor to U.S. Sen. Bill Frist during his tenure as Senate majority leader; and has been actively involved in every presidential campaign since 1976. Ms. Wolfe has expertise in a broad range of issues that include trade, intellectual property rights, FDA approvals, international finance, domestic financial services, health care, pharmaceuticals, and energy.

Fuse 5 Begins Work For Family Court Judge Candidate

Fuse 5 has begun working with Roy L. Moore, a candidate for Chief Judge of the 245th Family Court. The expected scope of work includes web content development, strategic messaging, direct mail, and speechwriting.

Roy L. Moore has nearly 20 years of experience in family law, both as a private attorney and as associate judge of the 245th Family Court. This real-world experience has translated to a respect for the law, an understanding of the process, a commitment to protecting the interests of children, and a unique insight into the emotional, legal, and practical concerns that are common to Family Court.

Fuse 5 Creates Facebook Page

Fuse 5 has created a page on Facebook to provide a full range of advice and observations about virtually any kind of communication. Go to Facebook and become a fan of Fuse 5 to regularly receive the updates.

Fuse 5 President To Speak In Toronto

Fuse 5 President Doug Williams held a one-day communications seminar in Toronto June 17 for the Human Resources Professionals Association. The session, subtitled, “How To Spread The Word In The New Communications Climate,” focused on innovative strategies for message development and distribution, including how to tell powerful stories and create dramatic narratives that persuade audiences.

The Human Resources Professionals Association is Canada’s HR thought leader with over 18,000 members in 28 chapters in Ontario and other locations across Canada and around the world. It connects its membership to an unmatched range of HR information resources, events, professional development, and networking opportunities, and it annually hosts the world’s second-largest HR conference.

Fuse 5 President Holds Webinar On Crisis and Social Media

Fuse 5 president Doug Williams held a webinar for the Human Resources Professionals Association June 18 that provided instruction on how to communicate in a crisis, with a special emphasis on the role of social media. It included the basics of crisis management and also explored how services such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook have rewritten the conventional rules of outreach in an emergency – for better and for worse.

Fuse 5 Offers Writing Tips Via Twitter

Fuse 5 now offers free writing tips and other communication-related content on Twitter. To access the material, simply go to Twitter and follow Fuse 5.

Robyn O’Neil Wins 2009 Hunting Art Prize

Hunting PLC announced that A Death, A Fall, A March: Toward A Better World by Kingwood artist Robyn O’Neil is the winner of the $50,000 Hunting Art Prize for 2009.

The piece was selected from 129 final juried participants in the 29th annual award program, which is sponsored by the global oil services company and is the most generous annual prize in North America. The announcement came during an evening awards gala on Saturday, May 2, at the Decorative Center of Houston.

The Hunting Art Prize is sponsored by Hunting PLC, the international oil services company whose North American headquarters are located in Houston. The award is open to amateur, up-and-coming, and established artists in Texas who are 18 years of age or older. This year’s competition saw entries from over 180 cities and towns throughout the state. Submissions underwent a two-tiered jury process, after which nationally respected judges from prestigious galleries in San Antonio, Chicago, and Seattle selected O’Neil’s work as the 2009 winner.

Fuse 5-Roadster Video Wins WorldFest Honor

Fuse 5 and Roadster Productions shared a Bronze Award at the WorldFest-Houston Film Festival in April 2009 for a video on behalf of Neighborhood Centers Inc. The production supported the organization’s efforts to promote Senior Aces, a fitness class for adults 50 and older. Fuse 5 also developed additional materials – including a brochure and T-shirt – to raise visibility and awareness of the program.

Roadster Productions is an award-winning film and video production company located in Houston. It was established by Gary L. Watson, who produced “Inside the Octagon,” a feature-length documentary about the MG car company, and wrote and directed the short film, “After Twilight.”

Fuse 5 President Conducts One-Day Seminar In D.C.

Fuse 5 President Doug Williams led a one-day seminar entitled “Write To Change The World” April 1, for the Public Affairs Council in Washington, D.C. The session focused on a range of techniques and strategies communicators can use to better persuade audiences in the current climate of change. It focused on famous (and infamous) speeches as examples, including John Kennedy’s 1960 “Catholicism speech” in Houston; George W. Bush’s post-9/11 remarks at the National Cathedral; Jimmy Carter’s 1979 “malaise” speech; and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on the Mall in Washington.

The Public Affairs Council, based in Washington, D.C., is the leading international association for public affairs professionals. Its mission is to advance the field of public affairs and to provide tools and resources that enable public affairs executives and managers to achieve their business and professional goals.

Fuse 5 President Featured At National Grassroots Conference

Fuse 5 President Doug Williams will be a featured speaker at the Public Affairs Council’s National Grassroots Conference in St. Petersburg, Fla., February 4-7. His remarks are entitled “What The Movies Taught Me About Communications, or How I Stopped Worrying About Writing One Of 60,000 Unproduced Scripts In Hollywood And Put Those Lessons To Work In The Real World.”

Client Rick Burleson Writes Op-Ed For Houston Chronicle

An op-ed article by Fuse 5 client Rick Burleson, managing partner of Houston-based Burleson Cooke, was published in The Houston Chronicle Dec. 23, 2008. The article, headlined, “DOE nominee is no fan of fossil fuels,” assessed the potential impact that President Obama’s selection as Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, could have on the oil and gas industry.

Houston-based Burleson Cooke L.L.P. has earned a reputation as the energy law firm the energy industry goes to. It serves clients in the upstream and midstream segments, providing counsel to oil and gas producers, transportation companies, storage and processing businesses, and energy service providers.