Spears Group Announces New Hires and Promotion Going Into 2019

17 December 2018
News

The Spears Group is extremely excited to announce two new additions to the team and a promotion rounding out a successful year and celebration of the firm's 10th anniversary. Spears announced two new hires including Heather Ferdinand, a long-time freelance production partner of the firm as its new Events Operations Manager and Melvin Cade Jr., a recent graduate of Howard University, as Account Coordinator. Additionally, Spears announced current Account Manager Elle Schmidt would be promoted to the role of Senior Account Manager as of 2019.

Itaí A two-time graduate of Florida Atlantic University having received both her undergraduate and MBA in Business Administration with a concentration in International Marketing, Heather Ferdinand has worked with the company since its founding in 2008 and brings more than a decade of events planning and production experience to the Spears Group events team. She has played an instrumental role in the successful execution of Spears events including the National Fried Chicken Festival, Millennial Awards, Le Diner en Blanc, La Fete du Rose, and more. Additionally, she has worked as a freelance production manager for large-scale New Orleans events and organizations such as VooDoo Music Experience, Essence Festival, Live Nation, and NBA All-Star among others.

Misoprostol for sale Ferdinand will serve as a great addition to the Spears Group events team as it prepares for a continued out-of-market expansion of their events portfolio in 2019.

"Since the very beginning when the company consisted of just a couple of employees and a handful of clients, Spears Group has been a huge part of my life," said Ferdinand. "I'm thrilled to officially take my place as a full-time member of Team Spears and get to work on some new and exciting projects planned for the coming year."

Spears' newest Account Coordinator Melvin Cade Jr. is a fourth generation New Orleanian and recent graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he received his Bachelor's in Strategic, Legal, and Management Communication with a focus in Advertising. Prior to being hired by Spears Group, he gained valuable experience working with the Wilderness Society, Joan Mitchell Center, and National Park Service.

"I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such a close-knit and diverse team," said Cade. "Spears Group truly exemplifies excellence in all that they do, from their communications and PR work to their impressive events portfolio, and I am excited to be a part of the agency's continued growth and success."

Finally, Spears Group announced the promotion of current Account Manager Elle Schmidt to Senior Account Manager effective January 1. A former athlete and two-time graduate of Louisiana State University, Schmidt received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mass Communication with a concentration in Political Communication and PR. Since moving from her native state of Ohio and joining the Spears team two years ago, she has led successful campaigns for her various clients including the New Orleans City Council, NBA All-Star, the Greater New Orleans Funders Network, HousingNOLA, and Landis Construction. As a result of her work, Spears Group has received various awards of excellence from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter.

In her new leadership role, Schmidt will serve as the lead strategist for her assigned clients in addition to supporting her fellow team members with the successful execution of accounts.

"Since my first day at Spears Group more than two years ago, each and every member of the staff has embraced and enabled me to grow, both as a person and as a PR professional," said Schmidt. "I am eager to get started and help the company continue to expand and reach new heights in 2019."