Susie Falk, President and CEO of The Falk Group
Name: Susie Falk
Title: President and CEO
Company: The Falk Group
Company address: 241 N. Broadway, Suite 402, Milwaukee
Company web site: www.thefalkgrouppr.com
Industry: Public relations
Education: B.A.-journalism, 1989, UW-Madison; M.A.-journalism, 1994, UW-Madison.
Family: Husband, Jeffrey; daughter, Madeleine, 10; and son, Lance, 9.
Hobbies and interests: Rock-climbing, camping, fishing, skiing, gardening.
Favorite book: "The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR," by Al Ries & Laura Ries.
Favorite movie: "Dancer in the Dark," starring Bjork Guomundsdottir.
Favorite musician/band: Led Zepplin.
Favorite place to visit/vacation: A fishing shack on Island Lake near Spooner, Wis.
Favorite local restaurant: Mason Street Grill, Kil@wat and Milwaukee ChopHouse, not necessarily in that order.
Words to live by: "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
What is your core philosophy for doing business? "I take a holistic approach to business – an approach that doesn’t focus merely on the bottom line. This approach focuses on all of the business’ stakeholders, not just its shareholders. It concentrates on the success and satisfaction of customers and the well-being of employees. It involves volunteering time, talents and assistance to nonprofit organizations and associations and those who make up my network. Business success is the ultimate byproduct of this approach. I also strongly believe in working with clients who are a good fit with our organization.
"Who is your role model and why? "Stephen F. Johnstone, APR, mentor, colleague and friend. Besides being an extremely talented PR strategist who is a well-known leader in the industry, Steve is one of the most ethical businesspeople I know. In an industry that is sometimes faulted for bending the truth, Steve’s strong moral compass and belief in doing the right thing has been an inspiration for me – and my team."
What was the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? "As a reporter for a student newspaper at UW-Madison, I was assigned to write a profile of then Mr. Herb Kohl who at the time he was a candidate for U.S. Senate. I arrived late to the fundraiser where I was to meet Mr. Kohl. The room was packed. I finally found my interviewee. Half-way into my line of questions, the bald, distinguished man to whom I was talking interrupted me and said, ‘But I think you mean to interview the other old bald politician here. I’m Sen. Alan Cranston from California.’ Lesson learned: Always be prompt to an important event."
