Solomon McCown &

It was unintended symbolism: Mayor Thomas Menino speaking at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Annual Meeting - not from the stage where other powerful dignitaries addressed the 1,500 attendees, but from the floor of the Convention Center hall, visible because his image was fed onto giant screens looming above the crowd.

"If you see anybody out there being negative about Boston, step on them," Menino urged the leaders of the city's most influential businesses and institutions.

In that moment, two decades of Boston's political past crystallized. Here was the quintessential "strong mayor," the self-styled urban mechanic who had firmly grasped the city's levers of power and imagery since 1993, unapologetically preaching defiant optimism despite being forced to step down from the spotlight.

Just 12 hours earlier, four leading journalists had debated the positives - and the negatives - that will shape the future of Boston at a panel discussion hosted by Solomon McCown & Company and attended by nearly 150.

With the city preparing to elect only its fourth mayor in 45 years, the SM& Presents event surfaced concerns ranging from leadership styles and Boston's vanishing middle class to the chronic challenges affecting planning, mass transit and public education.

"Given time, dedication and opportunity, a mayor can have a profound impact on the fabric of city," said Meghna Chakrabarti, co-host of WBUR's Radio Boston, who praised Menino's impact on commercial development.

But Chakrabarti also wondered aloud whether "a city can outgrow its mayor" and whether the next mayor might do more to position Boston as "a world-class city."

Referring to a 2012 study by the Boston Indicators Project depicting the widening income gap that parallels the loss of manufacturing jobs, Paul McMorrow, associate editor of CommonWealth magazine, expressed concern that Boston could come to resemble "ancient Rome" - a city of "the wealthy, the not wealthy and no one in between."

McMorrow pinpointed public education as "the big lever a mayor can pull" to recruit and retain a new generation of middle class families.

NECN Business Editor Peter Howe lauded Menino's unique ability to "make people feel good about themselves" and said the biggest challenge for the next mayor may be to "not screw up" the positive momentum the city seems to have achieved.

But Howe also complained about the chronic inability of mass transit to work efficiently on behalf of residents in the city's working class and minority neighborhoods.

"MBTA riders are the most shockingly under-utilized political force in the state," he said, calling for a concerted effort to "rebuild trust" in the MBTA by solving basic service problems and rooting out perceived waste and favoritism.

With a new school superintendent and a new student assignment plan looming on the city's horizon, Boston Globe columnist Joanna Weiss said, "Reforming education will require a big vision from the next mayor."

Good urban schools are integral to the growth and vitality of strong neighborhood communities, argued Weiss, who also spoke passionately about the need to address several emerging public health issues among young women in the city's poorer neighborhoods.

"It's striking to me that Mayor Menino has not hand-picked or groomed anyone to continue his legacy," she added. "It will be left to the public to winnow through this vast group of candidates... and they could pick someone very different."

By Ed Cafasso, Senior Vice President at Solomon McCown & Company

The scramble to shape the post-Menino era has begun, and the stakes couldn't be higher for companies and organizations in the real estate industry, healthcare and mission-driven, non-profit sectors.

Today's announcement by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino that he will not seek re-election means the city has the chance to elect only its fourth mayor in 45 years. Since 1968, the year before the Mets won a World Series and America put men on the moon, only three people have led Boston government - Kevin White, Ray Flynn and Menino.

There will be no shortage of candidates for the job, but the seminal question is: Will Bostonians go "big" or small in choosing Menino's successor? While actual Boston residents will cast the ballots, everyone knows the money and blessing of the city's business interests will exert disproportionate weight - especially if most of the key influencers wind up unifying behind a favorite candidate.

Is Boston's next mayor a Paul Grogan, the head of the Boston Foundation, a Peter Meade, the head of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), a Stephen Lynch, the congressman from South Boston now running to succeed former U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry? Or it is City Councilor John Connolly, the only official candidate who had the temerity to get in the race early. Or Councilor Michael Ross, a bridge builder with a strong personal story to tell? Or Councilor Ayanna Pressley, the first African-American woman to serve on the Council? Or any of the dozen or so other councilors and state representativeswhose names are being floated today?

Menino has always been perceived as friendly to the development community and the city's real estate industry is booming as a result in Boston's core. Menino's administration has been wildly successful masterminding a relentless PR push touting the promise of the Fort-Point-Innovation District-Waterfront area.

Favorable financial conditions will continue to propel commercialdevelopment in the oldest real estate market in country, but the next mayor will also control the BRA, which is where the rubber meets the road for commercial real estate and affordable housing.

Boston's globally renowned network of hospitals and academic medical centers provide the jobs that employ one in five Boston residents, driving a big slice of the city's economy, so you can bet that institutional executives in the healthcare sector will want to exercise some control over the destiny of their workforce and expansion plans.

The policies of the next mayor also loom large for mission-driven non-profits, including the city's colleges and universities. A mayor who is friendly to labor uniongrowth and who demands more or larger payments-in-lieu-of-taxes, for example, would have a major impact on the business models of institutions already struggling for stability in the post-recession economy.

And then there are the neighborhood voters, who want crime kept low, their streets plowed free of snow, better family housing, a better urban transportation system, especially in the poorest neighborhoods, and, of course, better schools.

There's never a dull moment when politics and business intersect in Boston, and they haven't had the chance to collide like this since Menino succeeded Flynn in July 1993 and then won election outright that November. The next nine months will produce a political spectacle that most of the city's residents and many of its business leaders have not experienced in 20 years.

One ironic and telling anecdote, the "Menino Won't Run" story was broken Wednesday on Twitter by David Bernstein, the sharp-eyed former political columnist for the Boston Phoenix, which folded a few weeks ago.

Bernstein's scoop is a good reminder of how the media environment has changed since the days when an army of beat reporters and columnists from city's two newspapers and major television stations controlled the flow of game-changing information. It's no longer about where you work or who you work for; when you are online, breaking news is about your connections.

Based on a look at today's papers, it appears the Boston Herald, led by former Boston City Hall Bureau Chief and now Editor-In-Chief Joe Sciacca, had the story early enough to produce a package of blanket coverage in today's edition. The Boston Globe's new editor, Brian McGrory, also a former City Hall reporter and Metro columnist, appears to have paid a personal visit to the Mayor to make sure his paper remained competitive on Menino's departure plans.

By Ed Cafasso, Senior Vice President at Solomon McCown & Company

On February 2, the Boston Chamber of Commerce hosted John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, and Raj Sisodia, co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism Institute, and professor of Marketing at Bentley University. The two spoke about the secrets behind a successful business and the negative notions associated with big business today which they addressed in their new book, Conscious Capitalism.

When capitalism began 200 years ago, more than 85% of our country was living off less than $1 per day. Despite a vast change in personal wealth, only 19% of individuals living in the United States today approve of big business, said Mackey and Sisodia. They attribute this to the common adjectives associated with big business: greed, power, exploitation and selfishness.

Their book, Conscious Capitalism was written in an attempt to make the case for big business. Mackey and Sisodia argue the most successful businesses and their leaders embody characteristics opposite from greed and selfishness. These businesses (referred to as "conscious businesses") do exist, and include Whole Food, which has been on Fortune Magazines' Best Companies to Work List for since its inception in 1998.

In addition, these businesses are prosperous as a result of their:

• Positive Company Culture, which is established by a given company's leaders, and involves every one of a company's stakeholders: customers, employees, suppliers, and the community members in which it works. For example, every five years Whole Foods organizes a "Future Search" to bring together the company's stakeholders to discuss the future of the company. Through the "Future Search," Whole Foods founded "Whole Journeys," food related and community service trips/activities.

• Servant Leaders. These leaders are motivated by a higher purpose, not money or power. These leaders are down-to-earth and serve as mentors to inspire and motivate their colleagues.

• Higher Purpose, or the goal or a vision of a company. Companies with higher purpose understand the need for social responsibility, practice environmental integrity and have a well-established company culture. Mackey pointed out that 80% of diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, directly correlate with obesity related causes, and currently 69 % percent of US individuals are overweight and 36% are obese.  In response, Whole Foods is committed to educating society about health, lifestyle and diet options.

• Win-Win Situations: Mackey explained there does not have to be trade-offs in business. If you have not determined a win-win situation for all involved you must "get back to the drawing board." If a solution is not win-win, you have not found the solution yet.

Thanks to The Boston Chamber of Commerce for organizing an impressively motivational event. To learn more about the event, check out the conversation on Twitter #gbccef

By Lauren Michaels, Assistant Account Executive at Solomon McCown & Company

SM& client Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP was recently featured on Boston.com's Global Business Hub, discussing the Department of Justice's and Securities Exchange Committees' recently published "Resource Guide" to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Patrick O'Toole, Caroline K. Simons, and Jaclyn Essinger, experts in the Litigation Department of the Boston office, break down the key takeaways and gray areas of the guide, which gives insight on how the government defines unlawful conduct.  Weil offers many more tips to maximize international business for companies while abiding by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as well as guidance for companies who need a little extra help finding the appropriate ground between the gray areas of federal laws.

SM& President, Ashley McCown, recently participated in a roundtable on Corporate Reputation hosted by PR Week. To read the transcript of the conversation, click here.

We've all heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But this year, there's a more powerful and heartwarming way to kick off the holiday gift giving season: #GivingTuesday.

#GivingTuesday, a social media driven campaign debuting this year on November 27, was created by a group of charities and corporations to make the Tuesday after Thanksgiving a day of giving to those in need.

#GivingTuesday aims to deter a disappointing trend in our society. With the recession hitting Americans hard, it's no surprise that last year, as Giving USA reports, Americans gave $298 billion to charities, well below the peak of $310 billion in 2007. However, in the same year, there was a near $1 billion uptick of retail sales on Black Friday, wherein buyers spent $11.4 billion-all in one day. The idea behind the campaign is to gain as much enthusiasm, as seen at store fronts and malls on Black Friday, towards volunteering and giving to causes all around the nation.

Only a few days away, I can already see the promise in this campaign. Not only is it armed with a resourceful website, a blog with endless content and a major presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr and Twitter, #GivingTuesday has a major asset on his side: simplicity. The campaign is adaptable and allows every individual, family, organization and business the ability to find a way to give or promote giving on social media and beyond.

In the coming days, I hope everyone will take a break from the "shop 'til you drop" mentality and join this important movement, whether it's giving money, goods, services, blood, time-or by simply spreading awareness about the campaign.

I expect #GivingTuesday will show what I know to be true: nothing can overcome the power of social media and generosity.

Congratulations to our client, the Boston office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, on raising more than $9,000 through its charitable initiative "Weil Pays it Forward" for the National Education for Assistance Dog Services (NEADS). NEADS is a non-profit organization that provides canine assistance for deaf and disabled Americans. Weil's donation will support the organization's Canine for Combat Veterans program, which places trained dogs with veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders. The dogs require extensive training and are equipped to help with transitioning to prosthetics, providing social interaction, assisting veterans who may be in wheelchairs, and more. As part of the initiative, Weil held a Dog at Your Desk Day last week, during which staff members got to spend the workday accompanied by some very special pups from the program. As a dog friendly office here at SM&, we love the idea of our clients mingling with canines!

SM& President & crisis communications expert, Ashley McCown, lists five takeaways from the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado & the scandal at Penn State. Click here to watch the short video.

Follow Ashley on Twitter: @CrisisBostonPR

WBZ Radio Co-host, Anchor and New England Business Editor, Anthony Silva, recently interviewed our client, Shawn Hurley, executive vice president and regional manager for Skanska USA Commercial Development, about Watermark Seaport, Skanska's new development project.

Click here to listen to the segment and learn more about Skanska's plans for the Seaport district.

SM& recently promoted Alison Thompson to the position of Vice President, overseeing the company's corporate, real estate, finance, professional services & consumer accounts.

"Alison has been an important part of the SM& team for five years. She exemplifies real leadership, not only on her account teams, but with the entire agency, encouraging initiative, creativity and mentoring staff" said Ashley McCown, President of Solomon McCown. "With her hard work, dedication to clients and her teams, she is very deserving of this recognition."

Alison's promotion was featured on Boston.com, PRNewser, Bulldog Reporter and the Boston Business Journal.

Congrats, Alison!