The Individuals

Betsy Helgager Hughes | President / CEO

Asking “why not?”

Coming from a bi-cultural family, and having lived in Germany during my influential teen years where I traveled to more than 13 countries before the age of 18, I understood early in life the value of public relations. Because of my life experiences and natural instincts, I have always been interested in the similarities and differences of people and the way they live in the world. These personal insights have translated successfully to my business practices. I do not operate from a place that one size fits all. It is imbedded in me that things can, will and in many cases should be done differently around the world nationally, regionally or even within a city population depending on the mindset of the target audience.

I also come from a place that perception isn’t always reality. Being raised between cultures, many assumptions were made just by looking at me or hearing my last name — all of which were usually false. When counseling clients, I have the ability to have them look beyond the obvious, to not make assumptions and to not judge a consumer only by their demographic statistics. The same holds true for assessing the communications challenge. It’s not always what it may look to be on the surface, and we help dig to the core of what it really is.

With my diverse background and all of the experiences that came with that during the 70s and 80s, and my time getting my Bachelors of Arts degree from Florida A&M University in journalism and public relations, I developed the confidence to take calculated risks. I like to push creative boundaries and often in my mind say, “Why not?”