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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
My friend Dale Zabriskie likes to tell people that when he started his public relations firm, Zabriskie and Associates, he stopped having personal birthdays and began having “corporate” birthdays.
Well it’s hard to believe, but under that formula, Dale is 20 years old today.
It was March 15, 1982 when, with the help of a part time secretary, he fulfilled a long held goal, and opened the doors of Zabriskie and Associates. This was the first Utah firm to focus entirely on public relations and government affairs consulting.
Clients were few at the beginning, but by word of mouth the business developed. The firm provides strategic planning and they are also experts in crisis management and lobbying.
Along the way, the firm has won numerous awards. The most significant was the national Silver Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America. This award is the “Oscar” of the public relations world, and was received for a campaign that helped keep the important Central Utah Project on course.
Zabriskie and Associates played a key role in defeating crippling tax initiatives a few years ago. They helped to steer the north-south TRAX line through construction and worked to secure passage of the bond election for the new Salt Lake City Library. Most recently they provided all the media relations for the construction and opening of Salt Lake’s hottest new attraction, The Gateway.
There have been several associates who have worked for the firm, including wife, Miriam and daughters Melanie and Marsha. But the longest tenured associate continues to be daughter Michele Zabriskie, who started doing odd jobs and running errands while still in high school. She says her interest in a public relations career is simply “in the blood.”
Dale has also been very busy in serving the community. He currently serves as a member of the Utah Symphony Board and on the executive committee of the United Way of Greater Salt Lake. And, he has played a significant role in the state’s system of higher education as a trustee of Southern Utah University and as a member of the Board of Regents.
He demonstrates that an individual does not have to represent a large business to make a positive contribution to the community.
So, happy 20th birthday to Zabriskie and Associates, and many happy returns.
For Zions Bank, I’m Fred Ball. I’m speaking on business.
