Month: March 2022

OWC secured front page news in Tampa Bay Times on Impella patient Juan Sosa

Juan Sosa was at home doing pushups in the bedroom where he had isolated himself for almost two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19. His mild symptoms were long gone, and it was the final day of his quarantine.

A retired carpenter, Sosa had been vaccinated and considered himself a pretty healthy 58-year-old. He thought he had gas and wasn’t too worried. But the pain was severe so he drove himself to a walk-in clinic. Doctors quickly determined Sosa was having a heart attack.

Veteran cardiologist Hoshedar Tamboli was seeing patients at his Brandon office when he got the call about a patient in cardiac arrest.

Tamboli hurried to the emergency room. After a quick examination, he ordered Sosa moved to a cardiac catheterization lab equipped to open blocked arteries.

“Time is muscle in my business,” Tamboli said. “Like the brain, once the heart muscle dies, it doesn’t generate back.”

Read the full coverage: He was healthy, vaccinated, then had a heart attack. Was it COVID?

The Power of Employees – Your Greatest Risk or Secret Weapon? | eNews from OWC

If 2021 was the year of the “great resignation,” then 2022 will be the year of the employee. The pendulum of power shifted when one in four workers quit their job in 2021—a trend many employers would like to end in 2022. As any business knows, employees are the life blood of an organization. They are brand ambassadors to customers, partners, investors and other key stakeholders. However, during our reputational risk assessments with clients, employees typically rank at the top for potential threats to the reputation of a brand if something goes wrong. So, it is important to get employee communication right.

Here are the top 5 tips to battle the “turnover tsunami” and improve employee retention:

Create a Culture of Engagement – According to Gallup’s “U.S. Employee Engagement Holds Steady in First Half of 2021,” only one-third of US employees are engaged, and more than 75% are looking for other employment opportunities. It’s time to up the investment in company culture from training opportunities, rewards/accolades, diversity and inclusion policies, social programs, mentorships and transparent communication with leadership. Employees want to feel like they belong and are a part of something bigger than themselves.

Employee Reviews – Employees want to work for winners, so what others say about you matters. One of the first places talent looks to determine a destination for a career is Glassdoor, because it is based on feedback from other employees. Awards and reviews from other sites can attract talent through brand awareness as well. A “Best Places to Work” or “Best Boss” award can go a long way to recruit the next new hire.

Make Office Tech Work Like Personal Tech – Technology has enabled productivity to remain strong regardless of location. To keep and retain employees, workplace technology should be as easy to use as personal technologies. Overly complex technology makes workers less productive and less engaged. In fact, 48% of people wish their workplace technology performed like their personal technology. In addition to remote and hybrid work, flexible work hours, work-life balance and floating holidays builds esprit de corps.

Foster Workplace Mental Health – Fear, anxiety and stress is common in today’s work environment and addressing the emotional and psychological needs may require an investment in an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to offer outside counselors and resources. One of the easiest ways to address the stress, burnout and anxiety of employees is creating an empathetic leadership team that is supportive of problems, notices signs of mental health fatigue and quickly addresses and resolves any issues that arise.

Invest in Humans – Throwing money at the employment crisis won’t make it go away but neither does lip service. Business leaders need to open their wallets to address this issue. Competitive compensation, benefits that matter, childcare options contributions, signing bonuses and other amenities may be a needed investment in the business’ future. Now is the time for HR executives to get their seat at the leadership table because of the crucial role they are now playing.

At OWC, we work hard to create a compelling culture that seeks radical candor and transparency, embraces failure, leadership with a servant’s heart and working as one team. Above it all is a commitment to entrepreneurial thinking.

What is your culture, and how are you investing in employees this year?

Best,

Tracy


IN THE NEWS

OWC names Wes Robinson new Executive Vice President

OWC named Wes Robinson, a public relations veteran with more than 25 years of experience, Executive Vice President. In his new role, Robinson will oversee the firm’s growth of its existing client base as well as continue to build its executive team to shape the direction of OWC. Click here for the full announcement.

OWC secures interviews in Miami and Tampa for Abiomed

OWC secured local broadcast interviews for Abiomed in the Tampa and Miami markets. Andrea Iglesias and Juan Sosa spoke to Miami’s ABC 10 and Tampa’s NBC 8, respectively, about their cardiac episodes and how Abiomed’s Impella changed their lives. Click here to watch Andrea’s story and here to watch Juan’s interview.

Leonardo247’s Daniel Cunningham’s latest article for Forbes

The biggest problem in multifamily real estate is not the pandemic, rent abatement or vacancies — it’s employee turnover, a problem that is being exacerbated by the Great Resignation, according to Leonardo247 CEO Daniel Cunningham. Leonardo247 is a first-of-its-kind remote monitoring technology platform for onsite multifamily operations. Click here to read Cunningham’s full article for Forbes.

OWC worked with WLFA Tampa to cover a heart attack patient who was treated with Impella

Cutting-edge medical technology, like Impella heart pumps, can save the lives of those who suffer from heart failure.

Heart recovery is a less invasive procedure than heart surgery and provides a better outcome with a faster return to normal life.

Army Veteran, Juan Sosa joins Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom with more about the Impella.

View Full Coverage: Army Veteran Suffers Massive Heart Attack After Covid-19 Diagnosis

OWC secured an interview for Arculus on Disrupt TV on how to keep your digital assets safe

DisrupTV interviewed Adam Lowe, Chief Innovation Officer at Arculus along with Daniela Barbosa, General Manager Blockchain, Healthcare and Identity at the Linux Foundation and Executive Director of Hyperledger Foundation, and Mike Bechtel, Chief Futurist, Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Listen to the full podcast: DisrupTV Episode 269, Daniela Barbosa, Adam Lowe, Mike Bechtel

OWC secured coverage in CryptoNews.com for Arculus on crypto wallet trends in 2022

Cryptoasset ownership and adoption continue to increase steadily, encouraging new investments and developments in the crypto wallet market too. In fact, data compiled by Statista shows that downloads of the ten most popular wallet apps began to take off from December 2020, while Blockchain.com saw worldwide downloads of its software-based wallet increase to more than 80 million by December 2021.

This goes to show that increasing crypto ownership and use generally results in the increasing use of wallets, a trend that many industry participants expect to continue in 2022. Not only that, but industry players predict that we’ll see many wallets expand the services they offer, while the growth in longer-term holders might also see the software-to-hardware ratio shift more in the favor of hardware wallets.

“The number of addresses with positive balances for bitcoin surged last year and reached 38m, which has caused a parallel spike in wallet usage and new wallet users. Many traders and investors typically use a form of custodial wallet to allow for more control over an individual’s trading options but also can lean on noncustodial wallets to branch out and hold burgeoning alternative coins or take advantage of DeFi applications,” said Adam Lowe, the Chief Innovation Officer for hardware wallet manufacturer Arculus.

Read the full article: Crypto Wallet Trends in 2022: More Privacy, Security, Features, and Choice

OWC worked with WPLG Local 10 Miami to cover a mom who suffered SCAD and was treated with Impella

Every year in the U.S., more than 500,000 people are diagnosed with congestive heart failure, which affects people of all ages from children to the elderly. After years of trying to get pregnant, Andrea Iglesias and her husband welcomed their son Liam into the world on April 21. Eight days later, their shared joy turned to fear.

“It was early morning. I was breastfeeding him and I had this weird feeling in my chest and I felt faint and just basically ended up collapsing,” Iglesias, 37, said.

Paramedics rushed her to Kendall Regional Medical Center.

“And then come to find when I get to the hospital that I’ve had a heart attack, which myself and no one in my family could believe that was even a possibility,” she said.

In technical terms, Iglesias suffered a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, or SCAD, which is one of the most common causes of pregnancy-associated heart attacks.

“I think it’s a combination of hormonal changes in the body, volume changes in the body and definitely the stress of giving birth and going through lactation,” said Dr. Hector Crespo, an interventional cardiologist with Kendall Regional Medical Center.

Without immediate intervention, Crespo said patients can go into cardiogenic shock.

“And cardiogenic shock basically presents with a mortality rate of anywhere from 20 to 70 percent,” Crespo said.

In Iglesias’s case, the team at Kendall Regional was able to quickly repair the damage to her heart and then temporarily implant a device called the Impella CP with Smart Assist, which is considered the world’s smallest heart pump.

“Even though it looks small, it’s very powerful. It takes over the whole function of the heart so it can pump anywhere from two to five liters of blood per minute,” Crespo said.

“That’s what allowed my heart to rest for a few days to recover,” Iglesias added.

Once her heart was able to function on its own again, the Impella device was removed and Iglesias was back home with her husband and son. She said she’s grateful that when her heart failed, technology was on her side.

View the full coverage: World’s smallest heart pump helps save life of new mother

Olmstead Williams Communications Names 25-Year PR Veteran, Wes Robinson, as New Executive Vice President

Olmstead Williams Communications Names 25-Year PR Veteran, Wes Robinson, as New Executive Vice President

Robinson to manage growth for leading tech PR firm

 

LOS ANGELES -March 2, 2022 – Olmstead Williams Communications (OWC) named Wes Robinson, a public relations veteran with more than 25 years of experience, Executive Vice President of the growing reputation management and PR agency that works with technology companies spanning healthcare, finance, and ID and security. As Executive Vice President, Robinson will oversee the firm’s growth of its existing client base as well as continue to build its executive team to shape the direction of OWC.

“Throughout the last four years, Wes has exemplified leadership skills, managed operations and delivered results for our team and clients,” said Tracy Williams, OWC’s CEO and founder. “Wes is a natural leader and gets everyone energized to hitting our #1 goal, achieving remarkable outcomes for our clients. He has the experience of managing clients on the leading edge of technology.”

Robinson’s career spans multiple industries, including technology, cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, nonprofit, financial services and entertainment. He has led initiatives with top brands such as Mattel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Toyota, Visa and Yahoo!. His award-winning programs have touched every aspect of the product/service cycle: from the chip/technology to products/services to online retailing and digital payments.

Robinson has served as OWC’s managing director since joining the firm in 2018, overseeing the day-to-day operations and growing the business while managing employee development. Prior to joining OWC, Robinson was a Vice President at Cohn & Wolfe, supporting its technology practice. He also worked at Golin PR and Porter Novelli.

About Olmstead Williams Communications 

Olmstead Williams Communications is a leading Los Angeles tech public relations firm with a significant reputation management and thought leadership practice. The firm is well known for its message training that prepares CEOs for the national news media stage. It has a 14-year track record serving clients in fintech, healthcare tech, personal tech, medical device and pharmaceutical industry, construction and real estate tech, telecom and more.

To learn more, visit https://www.olmsteadwilliams.com/