Page 15 - BusinessWest July 21, 2021

Indeed, over the ensuing decade, she has con- tinued to add scores of new lines to her résumé (figuratively but also quite literally).
She started Chikmedia in 2014 and has grown the agency to a staff of five and a client list that includes Dunkin’ Donuts, Papa John’s Pizza, Square One, and many others. In addition to being
ness, Rothschild is well known for the many ways in which she gives back to the local community, and especially its nonprofits.
Indeed, she has become a resource on many levels, from those aforementioned emceeing duties to the way in which she engages the classes she teaches at Springfield College and Southern New Hampshire University in building social- media strategies for selected nonprofits (five to 20 of them, depending on the size of the class).
Meanwhile, Chikmedia chooses three to five nonprofit events each year to sponsor on a pro bono basis, with help ranging from free publicity to fundraising to event coordination. Beyond that is ongoing support to several nonprofits. Roth- schild said she started her company with such efforts to give back in mind, and it has become a huge part of the culture of the business, one that others are now striving to emulate.
“We donate five hours of time every month to Girls Inc. of the Valley, we work with Square One, we have been very involved for years with all of
the Food Bank of Western Mass. events, and I’ve been volunteering for and emceeing events for the American Cancer Society for many years,” she said, offering just a partial list of such efforts.
But Rothschild and her company go further in their backing of nonprofits by compelling their for-profit clients to make support for, and align- ment with, a nonprofit part of their overall mar- keting plan.
“Every marketing strategy I devise for my for- profit clients aligns them with a nonprofit that makes sense for their mission; that’s something I’ve always been passionate about,” she explained. “Yes, you can buy traditional advertising, and that’s great; you can place digital advertising,
you can do all these things. But if you can find a nonprofit or a charity you can support, it’s going to really help reinforce your mission, but it’s also what you should be doing.”
Rothschild’s effort to mentor others, work with- in the community, and be a role model to count- less others was summed up perfectly by Heather Clark, event manager for Baystate Children’s Hos- pital, who nominated her for the Alumni Achieve- ment Award.
“People tell me all the time how much Meghan inspires them through her passion for not only helping businesses to succeed through great marketing and PR, but also her straightforward approach,” she wrote. “She cares deeply about her clients and about the nonprofits for which she vol- unteers her time. Most importantly, Meghan is as authentic as a person gets, and is the best friend anyone could ask for. She has personally lifted me up more times than I can count and encouraged me to follow my dreams.
“She doesn’t settle for mediocre, but instead demands the best from herself and everyone around her,” Clark went on. “I truly wouldn’t be
in the career I am today without her encourage- ment and leadership. I have learned so much about business, marketing, and events, and I push myself each day to present myself in a way that would make me proud.”
Those sentiments, echoed by many others, explain not only why Rothschild is a finalist for this award, but why she has become a true busi- ness leader in this region — in every sense of that word. u
—George O’Brien
“She doesn’t settle for mediocre, but instead demands the best from herself and everyone around her.”
an entrepreneur, Rothschild has also become a mentor to several young women in the region and a coach and resource for many women-owned businesses look- ing for effective ways to tell their story.
Efforts in this realm also include the recent creation of scholarships for women of color pursuing degrees in marketing and public relations. Last year, the first for this initiative, the company awarded one $500 scholarship; this year, it awarded four because several area com- panies heard about the program and wanted to be part of it.
“This was something we felt passionate about last year, when everything was
going on in the country and there was so much turmoil over racial injustice,” she told Business- West. “It was something we needed to do to give back and try to combat these issues; since we’re very much focused on women’s empowerment, we thought this was a great way to support a young woman who is pursuing a degree in this field.”
In addition to her success in business and efforts to mentor and coach other women in busi-
Where You Succeed. Congratulations to this year’s
Congratulations to this year’s 40 Under Forty Alumni
40 Under Forty honorees! Achievement Award finalists!
(413) 787-4000
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healthnewengland.org/40under40
SPN 4350-0621 Rev: 5/4/21
(800) 842-4464
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