About People
- Kyle Parks | Principal & President
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Kyle brings a combination of high-level journalism and corporate experience to his role as Principal and President of Bayview Public Relations.
After a distinguished career in newspaper journalism, which included senior editing and reporting positions in the business news department of the St. Petersburg Times, Kyle became Director of Corporate Communications for Walter Industries, Inc. (now Walter Energy, WLT), a conglomerate that had more than $1-billion in revenue and a variety of national subsidiaries.
Kyle handled crisis communications after a 2001 coal mining accident at Jim Walter Resources in Brookwood, Ala., that claimed the lives of 13 miners. He also effectively handled issues related to environmental problems and a violent employee strike at Sloss Industries, a Walter subsidiary in Birmingham, Ala.
In addition to intensive crisis communications experience, he helped the leadership team raise Walter’s profile, landing placements in such publications as the New York Times, Barron’s and USA Today while creating an effective internal communications program. During his tenure, the company’s annual report and employee newsletter won several national and local awards for design and content.
Kyle has also run marketing and PR functions for two national real estate programs, for Jim Walter Homes, which had offices in 18 states, and for the land-development division of Plum Creek (PCL), the nation’s largest private landowner. At Jim Walter Homes, sales increased over 35% in the first year after his arrival, and at Plum Creek, the development division’s revenues increased three-fold in his first year.
Kyle has a B.A. from Virginia Tech, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tampa. He is Chair of the University of Tampa’s Board of Fellows, a member of FGCAR (Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors), a member of the Executive Committee of the Urban Land Institute’s Tampa Bay chapter, and has a Florida real estate sales license.
He has won a number of communications and journalism awards. In 1999, Kyle’s St. Petersburg Times profile of St. Petersburg developer Mel Sembler was named the best newspaper real estate story in the U.S. by the National Association of Real Estate Editors.
- Missy Hurley MacFarlane, APR | Principal & Account Director
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Whether it's launching international brands in the U.S., promoting the leading cultural destination in the Tampa Bay area, or establishing the profile of fledgling organizations, Missy has built a reputation for innovation and results.
Missy specializes in securing editorial coverage that will resonate with her client’s target audiences. Just some of her top-tier national placements include: Woman’s Day, The Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure Golf, ESPN, Consumers Digest, Aviation Daily, Nation’s Restaurant News, and MSNBC.com. Missy also has worked with international media, including Nippon TV (Japanese travel channel), Este Mes En Nueva (Costa Rican lifestyle magazine) and a number of destination guidebook editors.
Working with a national wine and spirits importer, she created strategic communications plans for the national launch of Pebble Single Malt Scotch Whiskey (part of Lombard Brands), and introduced new branding and messaging for Camus Cognac, one of the largest independent cognac producers in the world. With experience in a wide variety of industries, Missy has garnered PR results for Salvador Dalí Museum, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tony Jannus Award, Fisher & Phillips LLP - Tampa, Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research, Sunscreen Film Festival, AMIkids, Senior Care Group, Bonecrunch Fighting, Seminole County (Fla.) CVB and CRM Loans.
Actively involved in the community, Missy is 2011 President of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She is currently serving on the planning committee for HISTeria, an annual signature event for the Tampa Bay History Center. Also, she served the Florida Suncoast Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in planning roles and provided pro bono PR support for the Race for the Cure.
She has received a number of industry awards, including an Award of Distinction in the FPRA Tampa Bay Image Awards and PRSA Tampa Bay’s Excellence in Community Relations Award and the President’s Award. Her PR efforts on behalf of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (in partnership with Jesse Landis) and Sunscreen Film Festival were recognized by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) in the 2008 Adrian Awards.
An Ohio native, Missy graduated cum laude from the University of Tampa with a B.A. in Communications. She serves on the Board of Counselors for her alma mater.
- Jesse Landis, APR | Principal & Strategy Director
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With about a decade of experience in public relations, marketing and strategic planning, Jesse has a concrete track record creating and executing successful campaigns for a diverse roster of organizations. Accredited and awarded, his background includes several director positions with several Tampa Bay-area communications and consulting agencies, plus a few political campaigns.
He's represented clients across the country and across a diverse range of fields and industries – health care, real estate, consumer products, law, banking, government, nonprofit, hospitality, tourism, education, waste removal, solar power, electric cars, large-scale art, and childhood obesity, to name a few.
As a reliable source to national and local journalists, Jesse has fostered hundreds of positive media stories for businesses, nonprofits, public figures, and friends, in such outlets as The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, FOX News, The Colbert Report, Shark Tank (ABC), ABCNews.com, AOL.com, CNN.com, MSNBC.com, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Fortune Small Business, Inc. magazine, Success magazine, and Advertising Age.
Jesse's aim is to be a valuable contributor to clients and a helpful resource for their audiences. He enjoys paying attention to various media and appreciates the opportunities to participate in the process – working to connect constituents, journalists and others with relevant, useful information. He develops thorough, informed, forward-thinking plans and strategies, anticipates and creates communications opportunities, exhausts avenues, and leads projects to success.
He has garnered substantial results for the likes of All Children's Hospital, American Home Health, American Momentum Bank, ANB Enterprises, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, College Hunks Hauling Junk, Collier County Museums, Dignity Memorial, Hillsborough County Planning Commission, Regenesis Solar Power, Rock for Hearts, Schools of Wellness, Senior Care Group, Southwind Hospitality, StarLite Cruises, Zenn Motors, and Zirkelbach Construction.
Jesse is on the Board of Directors for the University of Tampa National Alumni Association, a fourth-year mentor with the University of South Florida Corporate Mentorship Program, and co-chair of a 'new professionals support group' for the Tampa Bay chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. He's done other pro bono consulting and projects for such organizations as Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts, Democratic Professionals Council of Tampa, Metropolitan Ministries, WhatAboutBlue, and the Pier Aquarium.
He was honored among Tampa Bay Business Journal's '30 Under 30' in 2007, and was the University of Tampa's 2011 Young Alumnus of the Year.
Jesse graduated from the University of Tampa with several honors and a B.A. in Mass Communication.
- Leah Saunders | Account Executive
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With education and experience in public relations, backed by knowledge of best practices and successful tactics, account coordinator Leah Saunders works closely with agency principals doing whatever it takes to achieve results for our clients.
Most recently, Leah worked with national real estate investment company UDR. Leah’s PR agency experience includes Vantage Communications in Orlando, where she worked on several accounts for clients in the technology field, and the Tampa office of Fry Hammond Barr, where she garnered front-page media coverage for Moffitt Cancer Center.
Leah has been involved with the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) for the past four years. She currently serves FPRA’s Tampa Bay chapter as a board member on the programs committee, contributing to planning the chapter’s professional development events and conferences, and she has represented the chapter at state conferences.
Born and raised in Tampa, Leah graduated cum laude from the University of Central Florida with a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Psychology.