TORONTO - In the presence of 300 people from the fields of business, media, entertainment, sports and fashion, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) presented Roots Co-founders Michael Budman and Don Green with the 14th annual Award of Excellence for Communication and Public Relations today. The award ceremony and luncheon took place at the Fairmont Royal Hotel in Toronto.

Michael and Don gave the keynote address in which they discussed the ideas, principles and sources of inspiration that have guided them in their approach to communication and PR for Roots over the years.

“Ahead of today’s event, I was thinking a lot about the role of communication in what we’ve been able to achieve since we started Roots in 1973,” said Michael early in the presentation. “I asked myself about the relationship between communication and the perception of Roots in 2006. I reflected on how our communication and PR have evolved in recent years.

Roots Co-founder, Michael Budman, beside the Annual Trophy for the Award of Excellence for Communication and Public Relations	Roots Co-founder, Don Green, addressing the room

“I truly believe that one of the most critically important elements to the success of a major business today is its communication, both internal and external. When it comes to Roots, our communication operates on many levels in many ways. From our website to our internal weekly newsletter, to the special events at our stores to our interaction with celebrities, from our marketing and advertising to our charity work, from our sponsoring of Canadian athletes to our in-store literature and the recently-launched Roots of Music series of CDs. It’s all part of the Roots narrative. It’s an integral aspect of who we are and what we do.

“At Roots, we see good communication as contributing to and resulting from teamwork.  It’s having something to say, and saying it in a way that’s consistent and true to the culture, values and heritage of our company. Communication is the voice and human side of Roots.

“For all the diverse activities of Roots in different areas, at the end of the day we are in the fashion business,” said Don. “We learned long ago that to succeed in the fashion business, you need a lot more than simply good style. We realized early on that you need a good message, a good story, one that can evolve in tune with the times.

“You need to have something to communicate if you wish to succeed. And it can’t be simply product driven. You need a narrative grounded in reality. A lively, colourful, engaging story that connects with your audience. You need to stand for something. You need to have something aspirational and inspirational about your brand that people can relate to.”

Roots Co-founders, Don Green, (left), and Michael Budman, (right), with Hockey Legend, Ted Lindsay	Roots Co-founder, Michael Budman, addressing the room

In their speech, Michael and Don described episodes from different periods of Roots to illustrate their approach to communicating with the public and their team. They also cited various individuals who have had a major influence on them throughout the evolution of Roots. (Click here for a PDF of the full transcript of the speech).

At the conclusion of their speech, Michael and Don received a standing ovation from the crowd, which included NHL hockey legend Ted Lindsay, Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist Adam van Koeverden, Toronto Film Festival CEO Piers Handling, world-renowned communicator Bruce Mau, CITY-TV founder Moses Znaimer, and musical video director Little X.

In selecting a winner, the CPRS jury evaluates business leaders based on their actions over the past year in various PR/communication-related areas. Established in 1991, the Award is the greatest honour a CEO or business leader can receive from the professional association of communicators in Canada.

(Click here for a PDF of the full transcript of speech by Michael Budman and Don Green).

For further information, contact:
Robert Sarner
Director of Communication and Public Affairs
416-781-3574 ext 4280
E-mail : rsarner@roots.com.

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