Crystal Ghassemi, APR, Public Relations Manager, Dollar General Corporation
Since joining Dollar General last year, Crystal Ghassemi has completely overhauled the company’s external outreach efforts. Ghassemi implemented a substantial PR outreach in January 2013 to position the company as an employer of choice that garnered more than 84 million impressions along with earned media placements in USA Today, Fox and Friends and dozens of other national media outlets. She conceptualized the outreach, created the key messages and metrics, wrote the news release, Q&A and talking points, prepped company leadership for interviews and effectively pitched the story and managed an enormous amount of incoming media inquiries. She captured the earned media impressions and documented the media value showing an impressive return on investment.
Ghassemi has created and executed a comprehensive strategic communications plan to enhance the brand, position the company as a clear leader in the sector and garner prestigious earned media placements. As a direct result of her efforts, the company has earned a PRSA Parthenon Excellence award for the PR campaign supporting the “Paychecks for Patriots” program to match veterans with career opportunities. In addition, the company’s been recognized in the top 100 on the Forbes list of most reputable companies and had numerous impactful earned media placements, including The Today Show, All You magazine, Fox and Friends, Family Circle, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Forbes, The Tennessean, The Orlando Sentinel, Ladies Home Journal and People Magazine.