Michelle

About Me

Michelle is the Founder and Chief Strategist of Common Language, Inc., a public relations and strategic communications practice located in St. Petersburg, Florida.  Michelle’s career spans over twenty years and includes business to consumer, business to business, and nonprofit expertise.  She has led marketing, communications, research, and conference development initiatives for organizations such as the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, University of South Florida, Ringling College of Art and Design, Bisk Education, Skyway Capital Partners, Digital Hands, Catalina Marketing, and BodyLogicMD. Prior to founding Common Language, Michelle was a partner with Sextant Marketing Group, where she directed the firm’s strategic consulting and communications practices. In the early 2000s, she served as the founding Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, a professional association dedicated to growing Tampa Bay's technology businesses and promoting the region as a major center of entrepreneurship and innovation. During her tenure, the organization grew to nearly 300 member companies serving thousands of professionals in the region's technology and business communities. In 2003, she co-founded CreativeTampaBay, a nonprofit organization designed to fuel the region’s creative industries by acting as a catalyst for the technology, arts, culture, science, and business communities. Michelle has co-developed and launched several influential business conferences including the Creative Cities Summit, The Florida Tech Transfer Conference, the Sarasota International Design Summit, and the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference.  Michelle holds Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees in English from the University of South Florida.  She lives and works in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.

Chillounge rocked.../ November 22, 2009- Yesterday's drive to Sarasota was fabulous. I love the way this car handles and it accelerates like a sportscar.  Silently, I might add.  It's an incredibly comfy ride.  I am going to have a hard time giving it back!! My pretty SRX was a hit on St Armand's Circle and the belle of the ball when we drove up to the valet at Chillounge in St Pete last night.  I'm a proud denizen of downtown St Pete, and last night was just the latest confirmation that I am lucky to live in the undisputed coolest place in Tampa Bay.  Great non-chain restaurants, cool little cafes, a gorgeous waterfront park, unpretentious people, and a thriving art and indie music scene.  Chillounge featured plenty of good looking hipsters of all ages, a seriously hot fashion show, and tons of people out and about sitting in the cafes across from Chillounge. The SRX will get to do all the humdrum stuff I usually do on Sundays - grocery store, etc.  More soon! M    READ MORE

SRX heading to Sarasota today.../ November 21, 2009- David wants to go to lunch on Long Boat Key and do some shopping.  Twist my arm, I tell him. So my delightful parents have a condo in Bradenton and are here for the winter like good little Long Island snowbirds. I call my mom everyday and she was the first person I rang up from the car when I picked up the SRX.  Like any good Italian mother, she worries.  Or finds things to worry about. "You have bluetooth now! I told you that you should get bluetooth!  I worry about you driving and talking on the cell phone!" She of course cannot wait to see the car.  So we're going to swing by so Mom and Dad can check it out too. I can't wait to see the reaction of the valets in St. Armand's Circle when we pull up with the pretty pretty SRX.  Hope a fight doesn't break out over who gets to park it. Tonight it's on to Chillounge in St. Pete.  Can't wait. M  READ MORE

SRX good for neighbor relations/ November 21, 2009- So I come home from work yesterday and see my neighbor in the alley.  Nice guy.  We say "good morning" as our dogs do the obligatory sniffing of each other when we take them for their pre dawn constitutionals, but that's about it in 4 years of next door-ness. Suddenly, it's twenty questions: "Hi, Michelle! When did you get that?  When did it come out?  How do you like it?  Did you check out the cruise control?  How are the cameras?  Do you like th OnStar?"  This goes on for awhile.  I am enjoying my neighbor.  Nice guy!  How come it took an SRX for us to have a friendly exchange?  Men and cars.  I get it.  OK, now I am dying for my post work cocktail - it's been a week.  So I figure I better let him see th inside of the car and play with all the features to satisfy his curiosity.  I invite him to go right ahead and play with the car while I head in and get myself a drink.  He's totally immersed in the car when I get back. He leaves.  I detect a tiny bit of sadness in his eyes...    READ MORE

SRX Man Magnet, Part 2/ November 21, 2009- So my boyfriend David comes over Thursday night and sees the SRX in the garage.  It goes something like this: D:  "Wow! Wow!  This is gorgeous!  This is so (expletive) beautiful!  I love this car!" M:  "Um, hello?  Honey?  Hi there...how was your day?"  No response. He's already in the car. Twenty minutes of playing with sunroof, dials, nav system, heated/cooled seats, etc.  40 more "Wows!"  Not that I feel less than special or anything....but this car is getting a lot of love from my guy. D:  "How much is this car?  It's got nearly everything my BMW X6 has...it's gorgeous!"  He loves the car and starts calling his friends to check out the site and click on my profile.  He's jealous that they don't have a contest like this for guys too! Yes, I reply.  It is gorgeous.  So we take it out and drive all over St. Pete for 45 minutes just to try out all the cool features.  OK, call me simple, but I love the way the headlights angle in the direction you turn the car.  I make more turns than a NASCAR driver.... We pull up to Bonefish and 3 guys stop us and ask about the car.  All cute and sub-50 years old, by the way. Hot tip of the day, single chickies:  The SRX pulls men in like nothing else I have driven before...I guarantee you won't have a hard time starting a conversation with a cutie if you tool around town in this car!   D:   READ MORE

This SRX is a man magnet.../ November 21, 2009- OK, so I've had this awesome ride for two days already and I've finally found time to post.  Here it comes, kids: I pick up the car on Thursday and get a 20 minute rundown on all the cool features it has and the things it does.  If they can figure out how to have the car give me a massage and paint my toes I am never leaving it.... Blackberry connected to the bluetooth, sunroof open, satellite presets loaded, and navigation set (because I cannot find my way around the block without assistance), I motor off to lunch at the Palm.  The valet practically chucks me out of the car.  Guys looking at the car with bits of drool forming on the side of their mouths...every male in sight is ogling my car.  I am starting to feel a little protective of my pretty black Caddy!   She's every guy's object of desire. Did I mention how much I love this car?! Kisses, Michelle      READ MORE