Philly PRSA :: Pepperpot Awards 2006
by Juanita Berge, 1 Dec 2006
The Philadelphia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is a vital resource for communications
professionals throughout the tri-state area. One of the nation's largest PRSA chapters, it offers close to 500 members
a variety of services including professional development, mentoring, networking, the region's preeminent communications
job bank, and an opportunity to earn professional accreditation through the APR exam, PR's highest professional
designation.
Learn more about the Philadelphia Chapter of the PRSA by
visiting www.prsa.philly.org.
The Philadelphia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) hosted a lavish affair on the evening of
November 30th at the Pepperpot Gala, the Society's annual awards ceremony. Awarded for outstanding performance in
public relations by practitioner agencies, industry government, and non-profit organizations, the Pepperpot has grown
into one of the most coveted awards in the field of public relations.
"Pepper-y pot, piping hot! In Colonial days, the pepper-pot vendor plodded Philadelphia's twisting streets and alleyways chanting the pepper-pot call: All hot! All hot! Pepper pot! Pepper pot! Makes back strong, Makes life long, All hot! Pepper pot!"
- Betty Wason's and Clemintine Paddleford Books
The seamless harmony created by the venue,
the production, the awards ceremony itself, the music, the food, and the pacing of the evening were the result of
skilled preparation and resulted in a beautiful evening. The cocktail hour on the mezzanine level of the Ballroom at
the Ben Franklin House gave those present a panoramic view of the presentation floor below and was a whirling melee of
meet-and-greets between the stalwarts of the PR field, old and new colleagues, entrants, students and friends. The
throng was directed downstairs via a grand stairway, ala the Titanic, which spilled us into the glittering dining room
below. Decked out in Christmas finery, the ballroom, with its gilded Corinthian columns, arcades, and colonnades, was
even more magnificent than normal. All was positively spectacular.
At least 30 tables of 10 were seated in a ballroom aglow with candlelight, where we dined on a sumptuous surf and turf
meal. The awards ceremony started promptly on time and ended well before the self-imposed curfew of 10 pm. The
glitterati of the public relations world turned its attention toward our quasi master of ceremonies, who was none other
than "The Donald" himself... a Donald Trump impersonator, that is. He introduced the night's lineup.
The show began with PRSA President Michele Chierici welcoming the 300 plus crowd and touched on the themes of making
the PRSA more internet savvy and its website more user friendly. She then used the occasion to introduce the 2007 PRSA
leadership. Before leaving the podium, Chierici announced that Philadelphia has the honor of hosting the PRSA
International Conference in October 2007, an event that will coincide with the chapter's 55th anniversary celebration
in 2007.
Event chair Abby Rizen followed, thanking all of the sponsors and volunteers who had made the evening the smashing
success that it was. "Each year, this event gets bigger and better," said Rizen.
As for the awards: A Pepperpot award is an approximately 5 inch diameter replica of an actual soup pot, complete with
lid, which is this organization's preeminent prize. Runners up receive a Ladle award, a replica of a soup ladle. Over
100 entries were judged in the following categories: Community Relations, Special Events and Observances, Public
Service, Issues Management, Development/Fundraising. Pro-Bono Programs, Marketing Communications, International Public
Relations, Crisis Communications, Internal Communications, Investor Relations and more.
Dorland Global won the "Best of Show" Award for its "Alertness Matters" campaign. Other big
winners were Comcast Cable/Eastern Division with 5 Pepperpots; FCF Schmidt Public Relations and last year's heavy
hitter, Toplin & Associates, both with 4 Pepperpot awards; Star Rosen Public Relations with 3 Pepperpots; Anne
Klein & Associates, Reverb-DBC, and the American Cancer Society, each with 2 Pepperpots.
The Special Achievements Awards are a category that I feel truly needs to be detailed more fully. The awards are so
special because they are named for PR professionals with a true passion for the field, those with an abiding commitment
to excellence and integrity. The winners can take pride in the fact that their peers deemed them worthy of these
honors. The winners are: Laurel O'Brien, APR winning the Maxine Elkin Award – Excellence in Public Relations;
David L. Ferrell winning the Anthony Fulginiti Award – Contributions to Education; Robert W. Grupp winning the
DeAnn White Award – Community Service; PRaction winning the FrankX Long Award – Creativity; and Steve
Lubetkin, APR winning the President's Award – Volunteerism.
I had the privilege and pleasure of being seated at a table with 3 of the evenings' Pepperpot winners. John D. Green
of the Gift of Life Donor Program, clients of Toplin & Associates who won the Pepperpot for the "Ordinary
People, Extraordinary Power" campaign, Jordan Reese of Temple University Health System Public Relations the
winner of a Meritorious Award for the "Cradle to Grave" program, and Amanda Haines of Temple University
Health System Public Relations who received a Ladle Award for "Capsule" newsmagazine.
For a complete list of winners see www.prsa.philly.org.
Congratulations to one and all!
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