Staff Reports
Taproot Creative’s work with the Tallahassee-based Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI) received the Florida Public Relations Association’s (FPRA) highest honor this week at the Annual Golden Image Awards Gala.
Taproot was presented with the Dick Pope All Florida Grand Golden Image Award, which salutes the top public relations program in the state during a given year. Taproot also received a Golden Image Award and a Judges Award for the campaign.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized for work that makes a meaningful and measurable impact on local communities,” said Sean Doughtie, president and CEO of Taproot. “KCCI is an invaluable economic driver for the Big Bend Region, and we’re privileged to have played a role in elevating its brand and in ensuring the continuation of its efforts.”
In 2014, KCCI faced certain dissolution as it neared the end of a five-year, $560,000 grant – its primary source of funding. In response, the nonprofit collaborated with Taproot to launch a comprehensive fundraising campaign to sustain KCCI for another three years.
The initiative generated more than $200,000 in financial support in just four months, surpassing the original fundraising objective by nearly 50 percent and generating a significant return on investment for the organization.
Established in 1957, the Golden Image Awards competition is conducted annually by the Florida Public Relations Association to recognize outstanding public relations programs in Florida and to encourage and promote the development of public relations professionalism in the state. Winners demonstrate the best examples of innovation, planning and design. To learn more, visit www.fpra.org.
Taproot Creative is an integrated marketing and behavior-change agency offering research, branding, public relations, and advertising and digital media services to organizations across the globe.
From startups to Fortune 500s, the agency represents clients in a variety of industries including agriculture, forestry, education, transportation, retail, law and finance, among others.
Since its inception in 2005, Taproot Creative has received more than 100 awards from industry organizations for its contributions to the design, web, advertising and public relations fields.
The company’s work has also received recognition in media outlets across the country, including The Wall Street Journal, Mother Jones, Politico and Florida Trend, among others. To learn more, visit taprootcreative.com.
KCCI annually selects and organizes volunteers known as “community catalysts” to execute projects that enhance Tallahassee’s sense of place. Research shows that communities with a defined sense of place fare better in attracting and retaining the creative class, and in turn, experience greater economic prosperity.
A nonprofit organization funded by public and private donations and grants, KCCI has successfully spearheaded more than a dozen initiatives since its inception in 2007. In turn, since 2009, Tallahassee’s “young professional” population has grown steadily, and the region has witnessed a spike in entrepreneurial endeavors.
To learn more, visit kccitallahassee.com.
