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President & Founder
Perception, Inc
With more than 15 years of public relations experience in the financial, political, and non-profit industries, Benjamin Lewis, president and founder of Perception, Inc., has the experience necessary to effectively develop and maintain strategic publicity efforts on behalf of client companies.
A graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, IL, Ben served as the Deputy Press Secretary on a United States Senate campaign in New Hampshire in 1996, then worked as Manager of Media/Public Relations for the SAE Fraternity and Foundation in Evanston, IL. After spending three years in the Chicago-area, Ben went to work as the Director of Communications for The Scarborough Group, Inc. – one of the country’s premier 401(k) advice providers.
During his time with The Scarborough Group, Ben produced a weekly radio show, Financial Fitness, airing in the Baltimore/Washington, DC market, and publicized Michael Scarborough’s book, The Scarborough Plan: Maximizing the Power of Your 401(k). He was able to successfully garner significant media coverage of the company in hundreds of national media outlets, including CNBC, Bloomberg Television, NBC Nightly News, Time magazine, US News & World Report, SmartMoney, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Tribune.
As President of Perception Inc., Ben has appeared as a guest columnist for the Washington Business Journal, ProducersWeb, and HOARD Clients System. He has been interviewed by Financial Planning Magazine, Research Magazine, Financial Advisor, Advisor Today, The Career Advisor, The Wall Street Letter and PR News discussing the importance of media relations for financial service companies. Ben is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and is affiliated with the National Capital Chapter. He was on the Executive Board of PRSA’s Association Section from 1999-2001 and served on the Executive Board of the Financial Section from 2002-2003.
Ben has received the APEX Award for Communications Excellence for his work on the SAE Foundation’s donor newsletter program and has been a featured speaker on public relations issues at the Royal Alliance Associates National Education Conference, the 2006 NAPFA National Conference, the 2006 NAPFA Cutting Edge Conference, the Financial Planning Association Alliance Forum, and the Financial Planning Association – Northeast Ohio, Georgia, National Capital, Tampa Bay, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Michigan Chapters. Ben has also presented a variety of public relations and marketing topics for the Alliance of Cambridge Advisors, Maryland Society of Association Executives and Virginia Society of Association Executives.
Ben hosts a weekly podcast radio show titled, 30 Minutes of Personal Finance, where he discusses hot issues and trends in financial services with industry leaders that can be heard through the web and at iTunes. He is also writing Perfecting The Pitch: Creating Publicity Through Media Rapport – scheduled for national release in May 2007.
In his spare time, Ben enjoys volunteer work. He has served as Chairman of the Harbour School Golf Classic to raise capital for The Harbour School, which helps children with learning and multiple disabilities. He is also Chairman of the SAE Leadership School Planning Committee – a program for collegiate undergraduates dedicated to teaching valuable personal and professional life skills.
Ben lives in Clarksburg, MD, with his wife, Wendy; daughter, Isabella; and their yellow lab, Norman.
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