Backus Turner International - It All Happened In 1978, Thirty Two Years Later We Are Still Thriving

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ --

The first ever cellular mobile phone was introduced in Illinois

The hit movies Grease , Saturday Night Fever and Close Encounters of the Third Kind were first released

Pope John Paul succeeded as the new Pope of the Catholic Church

The Jonestown Mass Murder occurred

The World Health Organization was formed

The first Susan B. Anthony Dollar was minted

Serial Killer Son of Sam was sentenced to 25 years to life

The First test tube baby was born

Ashton Kutcher was born

Happy Days, Charlie's Angels and The Love Boat were among the most popular television shows

The popular Muppet Show for kids became an overnight hit

Backus Turner opened its doors.

A 27 year old woman, Roberta Backus, opened the marketing, advertising, and public relations agency. The year 1978 was a time when women were struggling to be equal in the workforce and get ahead. There were few women -owned businesses back then. Having spent most of her career working in an industry dominated by men at agencies like Mike Sloan and Ryder and Schild, Roberta was determined that she had the talent and ability to make it on her own in spite of her gender. It took a lot of guts and, just like the first cellular mobile phone that was introduced, the agency has only improved with age. Internet savvy, social media, marketing, public relations and balancing traditional advertising mediums is something Backus Turner International does best. It has nothing but success backing it up.

Partners in the agency include Lawrence Turner and Rene Mahfood, each of whom brings their own talent and expertise to the agency. Larry Turner joined forces with agency after his tenure as Chairman of two major Florida banks which happened to be clients of the agency. He is also a lawyer and partner in the Brickell Key law firm of Whisenand & Turner and lends his legal and corporate expertise to all Backus Turner clients and projects which is an invaluable addition to the firm. Rene Mahfood brings the agency her excellent creative skills combined with her experience with the media, and her youthful outlook brings a completely different element to Backus Turner.

Plans are underway to expand its current client base by offering something the resort industry has perfected, "All-inclusive Pricing." "In today's economic turmoil we want to offer great value. We can do this because of our expertise. Over the past five years we have also perfected the art of having a virtual office. We have top-of-the-line people working in California, Miami, India and, of course, the executive office in Broward County."

Here are 32 big achievements the principals of Backus Turner have made through the years:

1. Launched the first ATM system in the country, "24 Hour Jack," for Flagship Banks (now Sun Bank).
2. Launched the first over-the-phone loan program, "Phone Loan," for Flagship Banks.
3. Launched the first Medicare HMO in the country, "Gold Plus Plan" (now Humana).
4. Over a number of years the agency assisted the Gold Plus Plan to become the largest Medicare HMO in the country.
5. Launched the Karen Carpenter Foundation for eating disorders to educate women about the growing problem of anorexia and bulimia.
6. Launched the International Hotel Brand of Renaissance Hotels.
7. Branded the Renaissance Hotels as properties equivalent to Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton with a breakthrough campaign (removing the stigma of the budget brand Ramada).
8. Launched a new concept for cruising, "cruises to nowhere," for Discovery Cruise Line.
9. Developed Discovery Cruise Line to be the largest tour operator to Grand Bahama Island selling hotel packages through its Cruise N Stay program to the Bahamas.
10. Created the most successful music festival on South Beach - SOBE Music Fest with Sheryl Crow and The Goo Goo Dolls.
11. Developed the Grand Opening of numerous hotels and their brands, such as the Loews Miami Beach, New York Renaissance Times Square, The Westin Cypress Creek Hotel, The Westin Dolphin Hotel Orlando, The Orlando Hilton, The Miami Airport Hilton, Embassy Suites Miami, Sonesta Coconut Grove, Trump Sonesta International, The Our Lucaya Resort, Old Bahama Bay Resort, and many more.
12. Developed and sustained the most successful music club for Specs Music, "Payback."
13. Developed the concept of trading in old CDs for credits against new purchases of CDs from Specs Music, "Cool Deals."
14. Served as the Chairman of the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority during the negotiations to build The Miami Arena.
15. Served as the Chairman of the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority during the negotiations to acquire an NBA Franchise that is now the Miami Heat.
16. Developed and launched the first, largest and most successful destination wedding site in the Internet industry, CaribbeanWeddings.com.
17. Developed the successful logo and image of Bal Harbour Shops that has been used for 30 years.
18. Developed and promoted the Playboy Millennium Launch with Hugh Hefner in South Beach.
19. Developed the grand opening events for The Falls Shopping Center, The Fashion Mall at Plantation, Mayfair in Coconut Grove, The Eaton Center in Toronto and Miami Center.
20. Launched the first Condo Hotel in Florida, The Mutiny Park, in Miami.
21. Developed a major fundraiser for The Elizabeth Glazier Pediatric Fund with headliner Michael Bolton as the featured entertainer.
22. Promoted and contributed to a celebrity line-up of magazine covers for a very successful national magazine, Channels Magazine. Celebrities featured on the cover included Brook Shields, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Kirk Douglas, and Angela Bassett
23. Successfully marketed the Bahamas as a tourist destination achieving and delivering over 3.5 million visitors to the islands.
24. Developed the name and innovative design concept for Scarab Boats which is still used today.
25. Launched and developed the national magazine which the agency now owns, Honeymoon Magazine.
26. Launched and developed the international magazine, Caribbean Weddings Magazine, which it currently owns.
27. Launched and developed the international magazine, Romance & Travel Magazine, which it currently owns.
28. Chaired the fundraising committee that raised the funds to build the Miami Children's Hospital.
29. Chaired the annual Rolex Tennis Tournament for the Orange Bowl Committee, secured the sponsors, and supervised the entire series of games.
30. Created the national brands of Diabetes Lifestyles of America and Arthritis Lifestyles of America for a national hospital chain, HCA Hospitals.
31. Created national exposure for a medical company with celebrity icons Mike Douglas, Glenn Ford, Barbara Mandrell , and George Burns.
32. Continuously keeps clients in the National and International press with major news ideas and promotions - press coverage includes New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Network television, specialty TV shows like David Letterman, and other regional and national mediums.

SOURCE Backus Turner International