Janet Smith, APR

Janet is the founder of The Power of Goodwill.

She is an employee morale and reputation consultant who works with leaders, business owners, and managers at all levels, as well as with groups of non-management employees.

Janet worked for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City for nearly 15 years and was the company’s assistant vice president of public relations when she left at the end of 1998 to start Expansion Communications, a full-service public relations firm. She launched The Power of Goodwill in 2007 to focus more exclusively on employee morale and its impact on reputation, and during 2009 phased out her PR firm.

JANET SAYS: “While at Blue Cross, a significant part of my responsibilities were in the area of internal communications. Since leaving that company and starting a consulting practice I have worked with many businesses and non-profits to enhance their reputation, and always recommend a specific focus on employee morale. It is surprising how many business leaders and business owners don’t give full consideration to employee morale as an important factor in building, maintaining and enhancing the organization’s reputation…and that is why I decided to launch an employee morale consulting practice in 2007.”

The “APR” after Janet’s name means that she is accredited in the practice of public relations through the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She has a degree in management with an emphasis in marketing from Webster University in St. Louis. Janet has been involved with the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) since moving to the Kansas City area in 1984, and is accredited in public relations through that organization. The Kansas City PRSA Chapter named Janet as Kansas City’s Public Relations Professional of the Year in 1992, and in 2006 the organization presented her with its Distinguished Service Award. She is honored to be the only public relations professional who has been the recipient of the chapter’s two top awards.

JANET SAYS: “Employee morale has a tremendous impact on the bottom line and reputation of an organization. Working with leaders, managers, business owners, and bosses at all levels to increase the morale of their employees is my passion, and it is incredibly rewarding to help organizations make positive changes that lead to greater success. There’s nothing I would rather do! Employees genuinely want to be ambassadors for their employers because it adds value and meaning to their lives.”

Janet has won numerous PRSA PRISM awards for work in the communications field, including video production, special events, media relations, crisis communications, internal communications, annual reports, marketing literature, and writing. She has spoken locally, regionally, and nationally on topics including reputation management, internal communications, crisis communications, and employee morale. In fact…she’s quite a talker.

JANET SAYS: “During my years working at Blue Cross, I was invited to speak three times on PR topics at national Blue Cross and Blue Shield conferences. I have also been a speaker three times at meetings of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. In 2007 I was a co-presenter at the annual convention of the National School Public Relations Association, and at the annual YouthFriends mentorship conference here in Kansas City.”

Janet’s speaking engagements and workshops over the past two years include:
 — “How to Generate Publicity for Yourself or Your Performing Group,” June 2008, national music workshop in Stonington, Ct.
 — “The Power of Employee Morale,” July 2008, South Overland Park Rotary Club
 — “The Power of Employee Morale,” August 2008, Independence Rotary Club
 — Full-day team-building workshop, University of Iowa, August 2008
 — “Demystifying Publicity,” August 2008, Kansas City Small and Home-based Business Connection
 — “The Power of Employee Engagement,” October 2008, Downtown Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association
 — “Publicity Boot Camp,” full-day workshop at Webster University, October 2008
 — “The Power of Employee Engagement,” November 2008, Blue Springs Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association
 — “Maximizing Free Publicity,” workshop for a Lexington, Mo., business group, February 2009
 — “Publicity Boot Camp,” full-day workshop at Webster University, March 2009
 — Reputation 101,” June 2009, Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce
 — “The Power of Employee Engagement,” June 2009, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Business Brain Food series
 — “Simple Steps to Raising Morale,” August 2009, Unity Village Management Group
 — “The Power of Employee Engagement,” December 2009, Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce
 — “An Introduction to Employee Onboarding,” February 2010, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Business Brain Food series
 — “An Introduction to Employee Onboarding,” February 2010, Lee’s Summit Cares
 — “Position Yourself as a Leader,” July 2010, New Landings Job Club
 — “The Power of Employee Morale,” July 2010, Driven to Succeed (Lee’s Summit) Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association
 — “The Dirt on Workplace Gossip,” September 2010, Dynamic Connections Chapter (Blue Springs) of the American Business Women’s Association

Janet is a member of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce, where she serves on the Ambassador Committee. She volunteers for the American Lung Association, Hope House, and Woods Chapel United Methodist Church.

If you would like to schedule Janet to speak at your event, please call her at 816-941-3600 or 816-588-6400, or email Janet@ThePowerOfGoodwill.com