Do-ers | M2 Public Relations (Atlanta , Georgia)

Though her childhood ambition was to be a nurse, a love of news lured Marsha Middleton into public relations. “I was addicted to the news at a very young age,” she says. “My mother called it ‘being nosey,’ but for me, the news was simply everything I needed to know.”

Middleton graduated cum laude from Florida A&M University and began her career as a public relations manager with Habitat for Humanity International, where she was responsible for the promotion of international projects including Women Build, the first building project led by the first ladies of the United States.

When she left the non-profit sector, Middleton headed for corporate America and joined The Home Depot as their Southeast public relations manager, where she led the internal and external communications between more than 200 stores, worked with contract negotiations and store openings. She also helped organize the 1,000th store celebration, held at the New York Stock Exchange. “Watching that bell ring on the NYSE still makes me think of Home Depot and their accomplishments,” she says. “I think I still bleed orange!”

This experience positioned her perfectly for her next career move to Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, where she served as the director of public relations. She made her mark on the luxury industry by keeping the city’s only five-star, five-diamond hotel at the forefront of local and national media, plus amassing major marketing and partnership opportunities and attracting new and repeat clientele.

In 2008, she formed M-Squared Public Relations, which began as a home-based business. “I love PR and I love my family and launching M-Squared allowed me to enjoy what I do in the comfort of my home while remaining accessible to my children,” she says. “We’ve outgrown the home office, but our new space is close to my home and their school.”

Middleton thrives on the fast-paced world of public relations, and loves the challenge of each new day. “I have the potential to turn everything I experience into a story,” she says. “I love being able to devise and execute new ideas for great client results. It might be cliché to say that I think outside the box, but I do. And I love it.”

As the mother of two, Middleton divides her time between work and family, but always finds ways to give back to the community that has been so good to her.

Affiliations include
• Member, Public Relations Society of America, Georgia chapter
• PR Chair, Literacy Action Inc.
• Board Member, Meals on Wheels Atlanta (2011-present)
• PR co-chair, Flavors of Atlanta benefit for the Georgia chapter of the Liver Foundation (2001-2009)
• Member, advisory board for Mayor’s jewelers (2005-present)
• PR chair, National Black Arts Festival’s annual gala (2009, 2010)
• Board Member, Meals on Wheels Atlanta (2011-present)
• PR co-chair, March of Dimes AIR Awards (2008)
• Board member, Atlanta Community Food Bank (2005-2007)
• Member, Jeffrey Fashion Cares host committee (2008)
• PR chair, Boots and Blue Jeans benefit for the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit at Grady Health System (2008)

While the ink was still drying on her cum laude degree from the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, Abby Moreland accepted a job with M-Squared PR.“I was Marsha’s first hire,” Moreland says.“It was a little scary because I imagined my first ‘real’ job would find me sitting in a cubicle in a big company, not sitting in Marsha’s house, but from the first second we talked, I knew I’d be getting more training, more experience and more opportunity with her than I would at any other company.”

Moreland tried on history and education majors before settling on advertising, and finds her background essential in the world of PR.“They’re completely different curriculums, but it’s helped me understand the difference between advertising and editorial—and that’s essential when pitching the media,” she says. “More than anything, it’s taught me that I have the power to change people’s perception of a brand or product.”

Numerous internships across several branches of the marketing industry, plus a semester abroad to complete her minor degree in Spanish at the University of Valencia in Spain, laid the foundation for Moreland’s skill set, but she credits her work in the hospitality industry for showing her how to take care of clients.“It all comes down to providing the best service possible,” she says.“Whether it’s servicing tables, developing new menu concepts or launching new initiatives for major corporations, it’s about time, care and personal attention.”

Moreland’s diligence and relationships with local and national media have yielded placements in print and online publications across the country, increasing sales and awareness for M-Squared clients.“I pitch and pitch and when I finally get a response, it’s so rewarding,” she says.“I love a challenge.”

In late 2010, Moreland left the company to try her hand at advertising, but quickly realized the grass was not greener.“If I didn’t leave, I’d always wonder if I married my first boyfriend with M-Squared,” she says.“Marsha encouraged me to go and left the door open if things didn’t work out. I missed my clients, and that’s honestly the reason I came back. I missed Marsha, too. I’m glad I went because it made my relationship with the company and our clients stronger.

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