Public Information Officer
Bill Kress
With a Journalism degree in one hand and about $150 in the other, Bill Kress was determined to escape the brutal winters of his hometown, Rochester, N.Y. He bought a one-way ticket as far as he could down the East Coast – all the way to Miami, where he launched his career in communications.
The road ultimately lead to Palmetto Bay, where today he serves as Public Information Officer. But that's jumping way ahead: First stop, 25 years ago, Bill's first writing job was South Florida Aviation News, where he served as editor of this mom-and-pop newspaper serving the aviation industry in South Florida and the Caribbean. In the process, he got to cover the Paris Air Show, survived an inverted 360-degree loop in a glider, and even shook the hand of Baby Doc on the inaugural flight of the now-deposed-dictator’s family airline, Haiti Air.
Bitten by the travel bug, Kress decided to swap covering aviation as a journalist to promoting airlines as a public-relations practitioner. Thus, he embarked on a new career in corporate communications with the commercial airlines, starting first in a rather dubious locale: “corrosion corner” at Miami International Airport, home to Southern Air Transport. Armed only with a pen, camera, and supply of Pepto Bismol, Kress literally traveled the globe in military-type freighters promoting this company’s operations: relief missions in Ecuador, aircraft-engine deliveries in New Guinea, and other cargo to places that don’t typically appear on post cards, such as Angola and the Marshal Islands.
By the late 80s, he was offered an opportunity to trade this wild ride for the stability of the scheduled passenger airlines. Kress was recruited by Piedmont Airlines in Winston-Salem, N.C., which soon merged with USAir in D.C. He then headed west to America West Airlines in Phoenix, and was ultimately tapped to work as Divisional Communicator for Flight Operations with one of the world’s largest carriers, Delta Air Lines. All the while, he served as a spokesperson, publications manager, and crisis communications professional.
Now into the new millennium, the once glamorous airline industry was suddenly anything but. Kress decided to try his hand at consulting, and moved back to Rochester to begin his own business in his hometown after 20 years on the road. While specializing in PR for non-profits, he also passionately worked in the substance-abuse and community health care industries, and volunteered to serve on the Board of Directors of at least three such organizations. Characterized by low pay and high personal reward, the austere life in cloudy, cold Rochester lost its allure. Once again, he set his sights again on South Florida -- this time arriving with about $155 dollars!
Palmetto Bay PIO
Today, Kress proudly serves as Palmetto Bay’s PIO, reporting to the Office of the Village Manager. He serves as the communications liaison between the Village and the news media, private and public organizations, and community groups. He is also responsible for researching, writing, photography, and producing publications and other material concerning Village operations and programs.
Significant accomplishments with Palmetto Bay to date include the introduction of a cost-saving electronic-news program (“e-Currents” and “Seniors On-the-Go”), management of major Village events (i.e. Earth Week and the Mayor's State of the Village), management of the Village website, production of promotional videos, and coordinating media relations whereby enhancing the image and economic viability of the community.
Kress earned his BA degree in English/Journalism from the State University of New York College at New Paltz. He presently serves on the Board of Directors (as Treasurer) of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-Miami Chapter); he is a member of the Florida Government Communicators Association (FGCA); and assists with fundraising for SAVE-Dade, a human rights organization based in Miami.
Contact Bill Kress at Palmetto Bay Village Hall at 305-259-1234 or via email at bkress@palmettobay-fl.gov.
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