Headliners in spring: How our clients scored throughout our shortest season
While we look ahead to sunnier (and warmer) days, we also wanted to reflect on the last few months at The Martin Group. Spoiler alert: The record-breaking rain we’ve gotten across Upstate New York hasn’t been the only thing making waves.
Our public relations and public affairs teams have been hard at work over the last several months earning coverage and making a difference for our clients.
From celebrating big moments like the NFL Draft to championing the commitment of a family that serves the student transportation industry in Texas, our team is digging deep into local markets and partnering with top-level national media to drive positive coverage outcomes for companies and organizations of all sizes.
Interested in learning more about everything we’ve been up to? Look no further. Our latest Headliners are below.
New Yankee Devin Williams is happy to have his beard back
GQ – March 28, 2025
Newly pinstriped pitcher Devin Williams made headlines this winter when he advocated for a change to the New York Yankees’ personal appearance policy. But just weeks before “well-groomed” beards were officially welcomed back in the Bronx, our client Beard Club delivered a letter to Williams, graciously declining his request for a trimmer so that he could comply with his team’s clean-shaven tradition. Instead, Beard Club encouraged Williams to take a stand. The rest is history. Our team helped Beard Club publicize its relationship with Williams through a lifestyle-focused profile in GQ, while bringing attention to the entire behind-the-scenes story via NJBIZ.
New York nursing homes urge governor to address funding crisis
WRGB – April 3, 2025
Nursing homes across Upstate New York are grappling with a severe financial crisis, driven by chronically low Medicaid reimbursement rates set by state officials. We’ve worked with Andy Cruikshank, CEO of Fort Hudson Health System, to help emphasize the difficult reality many facilities now face. “It’s hard to explain to a family why we can’t care for their loved one in the community they’ve called home for generations,” he said. Cruikshank pointed to New York State’s Medicaid system as the root of the problem. Nursing homes haven’t seen a meaningful increase in Medicaid funding to match the rising cost of care since 2007. This is more than a budget issue — it’s a community crisis. As these institutions struggle to stay afloat, the future of elder care in Upstate New York hangs in the balance.
Children at Albany Med’s Melodies Center enjoy crafts with Double H Ranch visit
WRGB – April 15, 2025
Young patients at the Melodies Center at Albany Med experienced a day of creativity and joy as representatives from Double H Ranch visited to lead them in crafts and activities. Double H Ranch, a camp in Lake Luzerne for children with chronic and serious illness, offers its services free of charge. As part of their outreach programs, they visit hospitals like Albany Med’s Melodies Center to bring fun to the bedsides and playrooms of hospital patients and their families. Through our work with Corinne Lafayette, Double H Ranch Outreach Program Manager, we were able to share the story of how meaningful these visits can be.
USA Football named governing body ahead of flag football’s Olympic debut
AXIOS – April 17, 2025
All eyes will be on the (flag) football field during the next Summer Olympics. And this spring, the United States Olympic and Paralympic committees officially certified USA Football as the sport’s national governing body. The significance? USA Football will select, train, and lead the men’s and women’s U.S. national teams for international competition, including at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. The Martin Group worked with USA Football to amplify this historic moment, securing placements in national outlets such as AXIOS to reach audiences beyond die-hard sports fans. Meanwhile, in-person opportunities with the TODAY Show and SiriusXM’s NFL Radio, plus a celebratory moment on the diamond at Citi Field, ensured exposure to USA Football’s core audiences. In all, USA Football’s announcement reached more than 275 million people via nearly 230 pieces of regional and national coverage.
Generations in gear: A bus driver bond
WFAA – April 22, 2025
Student Transportation of America (STA) has many exceptional drivers, but when our team learned about this mother-daughter duo from Dallas, we knew their story needed to be shared. Jocelyn Yates has been with GoldStar Transit (GST), an STA company, for six years, balancing her career while raising three boys as a single mother. What started as a way to support her family with flexible hours, has grown into a rewarding career. Jocelyn began working behind the wheel as a driver, but was recently promoted to dispatcher, where she helps students get to and from school safely while supporting drivers on the road. She’s also a second-generation GST driver, following in the footsteps of her mother, Marvel Warner, who shares a passion for the job, knowing that a friendly, reliable driver can make a difference in a child’s day. Now, a third generation is stepping in; Jocelyn’s son currently works as a monitor on special needs buses and hopes to become a driver himself one day. For this family, driving a school bus isn’t just a job, it’s a way to make a lasting impact on children’s lives.
SUNY school works to address surveyor shortage
Spectrum News – April 24, 2025
Surveying land is more than just property lines. For example, almost no construction projects can happen without a survey. Surveying is a career that blends technology, environmental awareness, and real-world impact. Officials with the New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors (NYSAPLS) say there is a massive need for workers as people are retiring at a much faster rate than those coming in. Our team has worked to help tell the story of SUNY ESF Ranger School in Wanakena, in the Adirondacks. They’re one of only two brick-and-mortar schools in the state that offer surveying education, and luckily, they’ve seen a bit of an uptick in enrollment over the last few years. As more students discover its importance — and its potential — the hope is that this critical profession will continue to thrive, one new surveyor at a time.
How baseball hats became a key element of the NFL Draft, plus the changes for 2025
The Athletic – April 25, 2025
The NFL Draft is one of the most special moments in a young athlete’s career – and New Era Cap has contributed in a major way since 2012. Each year, New Era’s team comes up with a new design, bringing something fresh to fans and players not only across the country, but across the globe. After a player’s name is called, they almost immediately place the cap of their new team on their head, marking their transition into the pros. 2012 was a pivotal year for New Era – not only were they supplying the on-stage caps for the NFL Draft, but they also became the Official Sideline Cap of the NFL. Up until this point, New Era was mostly known for their role in Major League Baseball, but this new deal showed that the brand can start creating for more major league teams. Ahead of this year’s draft, our team worked with The Athletic to tell the story of how all of this came to be – and what the brand had in store for this year. The 2025 NFL Draft caps featured a special pin representing a specific fact from each team’s city or organization. For all of us Bills fans, the pin was a standing Buffalo, but other team’s pins included a guitar in honor of Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Liberty Bell for Philadelphia, a sasquatch wearing a 12 jersey to represent Seattle’s 12th man, and so much more.
New pilot program seeks to help students with financial literacy
Spectrum News 1 – May 17, 2025
Only 29% of Americans said they took a personal finance course in high school, according to a MarketWatch survey. And the lack of financial literacy can come at a real cost to wallets and livelihoods. To address this national trend, M&T Bank is leading a local program at Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica, New York. The Martin Group worked with M&T to engage Spectrum News and other local media to promote the program, which has already served over 400 students, showing the impact of local financial education. It led to coverage across Spectrum News networks in New York.
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