Blake Dowling: Ron Sachs, a legend in The Process

The other day, I opened our staff meeting with a message of reflection.

Having just had our open house at our new HQ and office Christmas party, I suggested to my colleagues that they look back on the highs and lows of the year as a platform from which to grow in 2025.

Getting ready for the holidays, planning events, kids, family, and work can be a barrier to reflection with so much going on. Still, I had the opportunity to take my advice and sit down with a Florida business icon last week and do just that. It was a great chat, and the rapid pace of the day and month stopped for a moment.

We just took the opportunity to share some time.

Ladies and gentlemen, my “People in The Process” series continues with a feature on Ron Sachs. He would be more accurately described as a legend in The Process, as Ron has done it all. Ron created Sachs Media, which has become the most formidable strategic communications company in Florida, if not the nation.

Check out their Managing Director/Partner, Drew Piers, in this awesome new podcast to learn more about what they are up to today.

Before creating that company, Ron began his professional journey as a student at the University of Florida. He made an impact early as editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper The Alligator. Next, he was a groundbreaking reporter in Miami (Miami Herald, WPLG) and served as communications director for two Governors in Florida.

That’s just a snippet of his vast career accomplishments; you can see a longer list here.

The things we talked about at my office last week are not on any list. We talked about the journey of life and his daughter, Aimee Sachs, who the world recently lost. If you knew Ron’s daughter and would like to get involved in honoring her memory, UF and her family have a scholarship in her name.

He also shared with me the history of the Rock and Roll Heaven project. Ron said that in 2014, he proposed having an artist render what aging rock stars Elvis, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, and others would look like today.

This idea brought global recognition, awards, millions of impressions and views for Ron and Sachs Media.

We continued our chat about technology and life (my colleague Keith joining us for all of it), and he told me he had something new he was about to launch. Ron asked me if I used Siri and, if so, if I got annoyed by the usual non-responses, I can’t show you that, I don’t know, etc. He said he had created a new app called Iris, which is exactly what you would think it is: backward, bizarro Siri.

Meet “Iris,” your delightfully unhelpful virtual assistant, designed to bring humor to your everyday questions.

Whether you’re asking for directions, looking up trivia, or trying to stay productive, Iris offers sassy comebacks, quirky observations, and answers that may or may not be useful. Perfect for anyone who could use a laugh, Iris takes the pressure off getting it right and turns your mundane queries into a comedy routine. Who needs accuracy when you can have a personality?

Iris’s personalities include American, British, and Jewish grandma (a description provided by 223 Agency head honcho Dustin Rivest). Engineered with Ron’s sense of humor on full display, this app will meet your comic needs. Iris launches this holiday season, so look for it in the app store at the link below in the coming days.

Massive applause for Ron, who is still on the front lines of all things with another home run.

While I was not going to list Ron’s past accomplishments in this feature, one stands out. Did you know Ron founded the Best & Brightest Awards with World Class Schools of Leon County? This scholarship honors high school students who excel not just in their GPA but also in everything else. The awards celebrate their 20th anniversary this year, and I have seen firsthand how impactful they are. I serve as a judge in the tech category, and it is a game-changer.

So far, almost 1 million dollars has been awarded to local high schoolers.

Thank you, Ron, for your friendship and for being someone who sets the tone for what is possible in life’s journey. As we reflect on 2024 and roll into 2025, how about we all set a goal to do something for others? Right now, this is not just me making a journalistic suggestion with an attempt at a witty closing comment; let’s do this, and I will get you started.

Make a personal commitment to being an organ donor and literally save others.

Aimee Sachs made that decision before she left this earth, and in The Process, she helped save lives. Let’s do the same, Donate Life Florida and that’s it for me, signing off for 2024.

See you next year.