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October 7, 2009

TSAE Education Day 2009

Onyx Group will be participating in The Tallahassee Society of Association Executives 2009 Education Day and Trade Show. This year’s TSAE Education Day is circus themed and has been dubbed “The Greatest Education Day and Trade Show on Earth.”

Onyx Group’s session time will be from 9:45 am to 11:00 am. Nadia Kamal, Agency Principal, will be speaking on the topic of “Preparing for Your Strategic Plan.” She will be providing tips and techniques to help businesses enhance the planning process, identify key stakeholders, guarantee a smooth implementation and stay focused on the critical areas they want addressed.

Our session is part of the “View From the Top” track. The sessions in this track are intended to give chief executives the information they require to make informed decisions, keep abreast of trends that may affect their organizations, and effectively lead their staff, boards and volunteers.

The Education Day event will be held Wednesday, October 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center, 505 W. Pensacola Street.

This annual TSAE event offers attendees a chance to meet, mingle and learn with industry professionals and association executives. In 2008, there were over 250 association professionals present and TSAE expects even more to attend this year.

Come join Onyx Group this year for the “Greatest Education Day on Earth” and learn how to create a strategic plan that is a dynamic, working document. Register for the event online at http://bit.ly/syjcM and if you have any questions about the event contact us by email at info@onyxplans.com.

September 30, 2009

2009 Tally Awards

Voting for the fifth annual Tally Awards is underway! Voting for the 2009 Tally Awards began September 15, and will be open until midnight, December 15, 2009.

Tally Awards are awarded to the businesses that receive the highest number of votes for each category. The winners will be announced at The Tally Awards Gala on January 30, 2010.

This is the second year that Onyx Group has been an official sponsor of the event.

“We are excited about our continued involvement with this event both in our capacity as sponsor and through the nominations we have received,” says Nadia Kamal, Agency Principal.

In past years, Onyx Group has been awarded 3 Tally Awards. In 2007, Onyx Group won in the professional services category of Best Web and Graphic Design. Then in 2008, Onyx Group won for the professional services categories of Best Web and Graphic Design and Best Marketing Firm.
This year, Onyx Group is nominated for three categories: Best Web and Graphic Design and Best Marketing Firm. The third nomination is for the specialty category of Best Overall Business.

The Tally Awards are unique because they are the only consumer choice awards in Tallahassee. Anyone can visit the site and vote for the best businesses in Tallahassee.

Visit http://bit.ly/13G2lx to vote for Onyx Group and your other favorite Tallahassee businesses today!

September 17, 2009

Nadia Selected As Catalyst

Nadia Kamal, Agency Principal, has been selected from over 140 applicants to be one of the 31 community catalysts for the Knight Creative Communities Initiative (KCCI) for 2009-2010. This is a unique opportunity for Nadia to use her talent and creativity in order to help build economic prosperity in Tallahassee.

The Knight Foundation is a national organization dedicated to fostering journalistic excellence and community revitalization. In January 2007, Tallahassee was selected by the Knight Foundation as one of three cities nationwide to receive funding for community-driven initiatives aimed at boosting the local economy.

Richard Florida, a professor of Business and Creativity at the University of Toronto and author of the national bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class has conducted extensive research into the creative sector which is comprised of technology, arts, managerial and education based positions. Florida’s research into the economic implications of the creative sector became the foundation for The Knight Creative Communities Initiative a partnership between the Knight Foundation and Richard Florida’s Creative Class Group.

The KCCI catalysts will create a unified vision for Tallahassee’s future and an accompanying plan to help the community reach that vision. Catalysts will commit one year to educate, engage and enable fellow citizens in their initiatives.

“I’m very honored and excited to be a part of this group. As co-owner of Onyx Group, a local strategic marketing agency, I understand the value of creativity in the work place. I believe that my experience will allow me to contribute a unique and valuable perspective that will help foster creativity and prosperity in the community,” says Nadia Kamal.

Main goals for the catalysts include generating a greater local awareness of Tallahassee’s strengths and assets; achieving broader recognition of the value of the creative sector; and creating initiatives that improve communication and development in the areas of talent, technology, tolerance and territorial assets.

The focus of this year’s initiatives is to determine ways to make the Tallahassee area more attractive to young professionals in creative sector jobs.

Onyx Group is excited for Nadia and hopes that this year’s group of catalysts has success in achieving their goals!

September 11, 2009

Toast To Donate

Onyx Group is participating in the 2009 Big Bend Start! Heart Walk event that will be held Saturday, October 17th at Tom Brown Park. We have pledged to raise $2,500 to support the event and the American Heart Association.

In an effort to raise awareness for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk Event and to help us reach our goal we will be hosting the “Toast To Donate” Heart Walk event at The Winery @ The Red Bar, 1122 Thomasville Road, on Wednesday, September 23rd from 5:30 to 8:30pm.

Our event will include a wine tasting of four wines selected by The Winery and hors d’oeuvres. The $25 ticket includes entrance into the event as well as one complimentary ticket for our raffle. Extra raffle tickets will be available at the event for one dollar each or four dollars for the purchase of five tickets.

The raffle prizes include:
o   Boot Camps To Go has donated a free month of boot camp valued at $130.
o   Synergy Salon is providing a gift basket that includes products and a gift certificate for $25 in services.
o   Gibbs and Culpepper has donated a 10% off coupon that can be used toward any tree service.

All the raffle items have been donated by local vendors. We are still accepting donations for raffle prizes so feel free to contact us if you’re interested in donating. Thank you all for the support!
To purchase tickets in advance just stop by the Onyx Group office, 1120 Thomasville Road. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door the night of the event.

All proceeds from the event will go toward the support of The American Heart Association in the fight against heart disease. Heart related health issues have touched most of our lives in one way or another: heart disease and stroke are the nation’s number 1 and number 3 killers respectively, do your part to help in the fight against heart disease.

Remember to come out for the event Wednesday, September 23rd at the The Winery and show your support for a great cause!

For more information, contact Megan Valente or Elyse Gibson at Onyx Group (850)877-3930 or send an email to intern@onyxcreates.com.

August 31, 2009

Meet Our Fall Interns!

Onyx Group is excited to present our new fall interns!

Our graduate intern Jue Lutz is a graduate student at Florida State in the Integrated Marketing Communications program. As an intern she will be responsible for assisting in researching and strategic planning as well as identifying new business opportunities. In order for you to get to know Jue better here are some interesting facts about Mrs. Lutz:

She is originally from Beijing and got her undergraduate degree in advertising from the Beijing Technology and Business University.

She loves to travel and is a self proclaimed movie buff. This works out well when she’s traveling back and forth from her home town, hooray for in flight movies!

She really enjoys watching the TV show Top Chef. Her favorite dishes are soup and fish.

Why she loves Onyx: “It’s exhilarating working with a talented and creative team. I’m excited about gaining real world experience in a marketing communication agency.”

Our under graduate intern Megan Valente is a junior at Florida state in the advertising major. She’s excited to gain experience applying her new skills in a real world agency. Her responsibilities as an intern will include assisting in office administration, identifying new business opportunities and helping out with public relations. In order for you to get to know Megan better here are some interesting facts about Miss Valente:

Her favorite sports teams include the Florida State Seminoles (she’s been a fan since the cradle) and the Tampa Bay Rays.

She believes that acting like a child is the key to happiness. Bubbles, finger paints, side walk chalk and a little creativity can fix almost any problem.

She enjoys watching the shows 30 Rock, The Office and Project Runway. Recently she has become addicted to Hulu.com and catches up on missed episodes there.

Something unexpected about Megan, she’s a Girl Scout. In high school Megan received her gold award for organizing a literacy campaign in an inner city community and thus became a Girl Scout for life.

Why she loves Onyx: “Everyone at Onyx is so energetic and creative. There’s never a dull moment in the office and I feel comfortable and encouraged to learn here.”

Welcome to the Onyx team Megan and Jue!

August 18, 2009

ELC Sock Hop

Onyx Group has recently signed on to be a “Jitterbug” sponsor for the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend’s first annual “Ready for School, Ready to Learn” Sock Hop. The event will take place at the Goodwood Carriage House on Saturday, August 29th. Guests can boogie to 1950’s classic tunes, check out the cool class cards, and enjoy great retro food and drink served up by ELC’s own soda jerks.

Money raised from the Sock Hop event will help the ELC raise funds to help less fortunate children and families, specifically benefiting ELC’s scholarship fund that helps families that do not qualify for the School Readiness program. These Care Scholarship funds combined with the numerous support services provided to the families by the ELC, will ensure that children are more likely to receive a high quality early learning experience, ensuring that each child will be ready for school and ready for life. “This is a great event with a wonderful goal at it’s core: helping children and families,” says Nadia Kamal, Onyx Group Agency Principal.

If you are interested in purchasing tickets to the event, or becoming an event sponsor, visit www.elcbigbend.org. Tickets are $25 each and sponsorship opportunities are still available!

August 5, 2009

Chamber Conference

August 5^th, 2009, Tallahassee, Florida – Onyx Group will be in full force this weekend at The Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Annual Community Conference at Amelia Island Plantation August 7-9. Leaders from around the county and state will be in attendance to discuss community issues and network amongst chamber members. Onyx Group, never one to shy away from chamber events is highly anticipating a fun and productive weekend.

July 10, 2009

New Website Projects

The last month has been quite busy for us, especially with website projects. We’ve had three website go live in the last couple weeks:

Crews & Pesquera, P.A., an Orlando based Personal Injury and Criminal Defense firm. This website features the new (Onyx created!) Crews & Pesquera, P.A. brand, as well as both English and Spanish versions of the site. Check out the site at www.crewsandpesquera.com!

Landmark Systems, a leading provider of technical forest and natural resource management services and products. This eCommerce website allows for Landmark Systems’ customers to easily purchase products through the site, as well as download informational support software and manuals. Check out the website at www.landmarksystems.com.

TALCOR, Tallahassee’s leader in commercial real estate for the last 20 years. Users of this website can search TALCOR’s properties, get updated on the latest TALCOR news, and contact TALCOR’s agents and offices. Check out the site at www.talcor.com!

To find out more about Onyx Group web design and creative services, give us a call at 850.877.3930!

June 30, 2009

Capital Executive Feature

Tallahassee, FL, June 30^th, 2009 – Social Networking has become a household phrase. Local Tallahassee magazine, Capital Executive, recently dedicated their quarterly summer issue to the popular topic. With Onyx Group holding a strong presence in the field they were presented with the opportunity to be a contributing columnist for the magazine.

Onyx Group’s column was centered towards association executives and their need to participate in social networking for generating new membership and increasing communication amongst current association members.

“Social networking is a free, fun, and a valuable business tool. You get back what you put in and it’s definitely worth the effort involved,” Matt Meinrod, Onyx Group Regional Business Developer and article columnist.

June 16, 2009

Small Business Service Award

Tallahassee, Florida, June 15, 2009 – Onyx Group was awarded the 2009 Small Business Service Award on Friday night at the 26th Annual Small Business Recognition Gala, a part of the annual Small Business Week Celebration hosted by Florida A&M University’s Small Business Development Center and other local, state, and county agencies.

“We are so excited! As always, it feels great to be honored by our peers for all the hard work we do,” said Agency Principal Kris Carter.