Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix
Nothing brings a capsized day to shore better than a nightcap. MacPhee chooses to get whisked away by the warmth of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix single malt scotch whisky. www.glenfiddich.com

Jaguar XF
MacPhee chose this mid-size luxury ride for all the right reasons: it’s easy on the eyes and the environment. This car gets him from A to B and beyond in sophisticated style. www.jaguar.com

Rado DiaStar Watch
An invariable element of MacPhee’s wardrobe is Rado’s Integral two-tone watch with its sapphire crystal elegance and high-tech psyche. www.rado.com

Prada Chelsea Boots
MacPhee slips on his black leather Prada Chelsea boots to give him that extra kick. www.prada.com

Ermenegildo Zegna
We communicate with our words, actions and even our attire. For MacPhee, Zegna’s bespoke suits do all the talking. www.zegna.com

Isaac Hayes
When it comes to music, MacPhee has Hayes fever. The songster behind the musical score for Shaft impresses with Hot Buttered Soul. www.isaachayes.com

Stewart MacPhee is president and CEO of Toronto public relations firm PUNCH Canada Inc. www.punchcanada.com

Breville Espresso Machine
To keep his days feeling short and sweet, Birchall prefers the steamy precision extraction of The Dual Boiler espresso machine. www.breville.ca

Progressive Nutritional
In the progressive world we live in, one must be conscious of keeping healthy. This is why Birchall starts his day with a multivitamin that complements his dynamic lifestyle.www.progressivenutritional.com

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
When driving in the fast lane, Birchall beckons the torque of Ford Mustang’s Shelby GT500. With a 5.4-L supercharged V-8 engine, fellow roadsters are left in the dust. www.ford.com

Rolex
The watch you choose to wrap around your wrist can say a lot about your character. With a sea of brands, sizes and styles to choose from, Birchall sticks to the classic eminence of Rolex Deepsea. www.rolex.com

Milwaukee’s M12 Heated Jacket
Birchall doesn’t let the cold air give him cold feet when it comes to staying active outdoors. Instead he slips on Milwaukee’s M12 Heated Jacket. www.milwaukeetool.com

Jim Birchall is founder of Birchall & Associates Inc. www.birchallpr.com

For Immediate Release
Ronn Torossian totes his top-selling public relations book For Immediate Release wherever he goes. www.ronntorossian.com

Philip Stein
When he’s keeping track of time, Torossian does it with Philip Stein Prestige. www.philipstein.com

Hint Water
Torossian drops a Hint about seeing his glass half full. www.drinkhint.com

Ronn Torossian is CEO of New York-based PR firm 5WPR. www.5wpr.com

“The first piece of jewelry I created was a necklace made from those found beads,” says Lorena Azizeh Abuabara, now 24. “My mom helped me make it and I do still have it.” Years later, her hobby turned into an eponymous jewelry business. Effortless style and revolutionary designs propelled her career, and friends quickly took notice of Abuabara’s
rare pieces.

“My jewelry is designed for fashion-forward, daring women who are confident and not afraid to show it [by] wearing extravagant pieces.” For those looking for glamour, everything in the Lorena Azizeh collection is exclusive and makes a bold statement. Ethnic prints, patterns and unique colour combinations all inspire a red carpet-worthy collection.

A big stamp of approval was given when international socialite Lynn Wyatt wore a beautiful Lorena Azizeh necklace to the 2011 Oscars. “[She] is the epitome of style and fashion and it was truly an honour for her to wear my designs,” says Abuabara. Wyatt, who has appeared in Vogue and W magazines, is a regular on best-dressed lists and an undeniable style icon. At 70, she is a testament that Lorena Azizeh can be worn by all women. “I don’t target a specific age group – it’s more about personality.”

Less is definitely not more for this daring designer. “Since I was very young I remember layering on bracelets half way up my arm and rings on nearly every finger,” says the fashionista, who has never gone a day without being perfectly accessorized. She may be a thriving business owner, but the little girl who loved to doll-up in jewelry remains. Going through security at the airport is always fun,” she jokes.Diving into the cultures of her travels, Abuabara says people in Italy have the best eye for fashion. “They manage to wear what in other parts of the world would be considered outrageous yet look impeccable.” Favouring this fearless European mentality, she takes risks and insists “everything can be fashionable as long as you know how to wear it.” Abuabara’s designs never follow the latest trends. Deviating from the mainstream look is the essence of her jewelry’s appeal.

Lorena Azizeh is the perfect marriage between fashion and art. Moved by her culture-injected life, the collection masters a look that is unique without trying too hard. This jewelry and fashion princess inhales inspiration and exhales creativity. With an upcoming clothing line, the world has only been given a small taste of Lorena Azizeh. www.azizeh.com

Possessing a fanciful mind that is limited by neither colour nor concept, Handy’s desire is simply to create – a craving fuelled by a passion for fashioning unforgettable evenings that strike at the heart of originality. “We create an event that is something that no one has seen before,” says Handy. “I want to do something that’s going to be wild, something over the top, and something that has not been seen a million times before.”

But nothing is forced in Handy’s world. Designs grow organically and feel natural, roaming faraway from a manufactured look. To mark this originality, Handy melds vibrant colours with a pinch of the unorthodox, giving classic arrangements a distinct yet comfortably conversant quality.

His welcoming demeanour towards clients helps to facilitate the creative process, and Handy holds this in the highest regard. “Something I pride myself on, and we pride ourselves on in the company, is our interaction with the clients. We’re very personal,” explains Handy, is based in Boston and New York.

Although weddings are his speciality, Handy’s company orchestrates 40-plus affairs each year, including non-profit and corporate events, launch parties and birthdays. But this frenzied schedule is all made worthwhile by the wide eyes and gapping mouths of elated clientele.“Just seeing their face when they walk in the room for the first time is fantastic.”  www.davidmhandy.com

With fashion backgrounds, Chan and Slight are known for planning exclusive events that leave lasting impressions. Their company, Candice & Alison Luxury Event Management, always strives to “make an event live beyond the evening itself,” explains Slight, managing director. “It’s [about] how you capture it through imagery, through video, through press, in order to keep the momentum rolling.”

Referring to themselves as tastemakers and their events as marketing campaigns, Chan and Slight always keep their eyes open for what is current in fashion, entertainment, and interior design. Incorporating novel ideas and up-and-coming talent allows their clients to bask in media exposure. “These events become buzz-worthy, and then get highly published,” says Chan, creative director. When asked about the celebrity talents they’ve worked with, a long list that includes Elton John, Coco Rocha and Monika Schnarre is revealed.

Despite chic clientele like Dior, Chanel and Rolls-Royce, Chan and Slight never neglect their smaller projects. “Whether it’s a small budget or a big budget, you can still bring touches of luxury through the experience to anybody,” says Slight.

One of their proudest moments was seeing an event dedicated to children’s cancer seamlessly unveil. Conceptualized by model Coco Rocha, Strut for a Cure was a multi-faceted evening. With three DJs, a band from Los Angeles, a fashion designer from England, and models from around the world, it was a night full of fashion and fun.

Chan and Slight never stop being inspired. “Every event is a whole new brand, it’s a whole new idea, a whole new concept and whole new design,” says Chan. “It stays very, very exciting.”

www.candiceandalison.com

Fascitelli is the founder, president and creative director of Clos-ette – a design and consulting firm dedicated to developing high-end residential closet spaces, dressing rooms, jewelry and safe rooms. For nearly 10 years, Clos-ette has been providing affluent – yet cluttered – clientele with comprehensive closets and organized spaces.

Her tried-and-tested cleansing process begins with an initial consultation to understand the client and their needs. “I sit down with them for at least a half hour before we even start the editing process,” explains Fascitelli. This helps her formulate a custom strategy to meet the specific needs of her client’s lifestyle.

Through the “edit” phase, Fascitelli analyses your wardrobe, determining what stays and what goes, before designing a layout that optimizes space and merchandises garments in an esthetically appealing fashion. “It just provides such piece of mind. It’s really unbelievable the changes you see and how happy it makes people, which is the part that we love,” continues Fascitelli, who utilized her cathartic touch on various celebrity closets such as Eva Mendes and Liv Tyler.

To prevent your freshly arranged fashion inventory from reverting back to archaic disarray, Fascitelli feels a bi-annual wardrobe edit is a must. When winter shifts to spring and summer fluctuates to fall, ditch your unneeded attire to make room for seasonal essentials. Colour coordinating clothing is also a great way to keep outfits in sequence, and
colour-coordinated hangers – like the strategically engineered Clos-ette Too hangers – further itemizes your apparel. “A de-cluttered closet creates clarification, it creates organization, it just makes life easier. It makes your closet look as though it’s its own little boutique, and you really enjoy the things you own and buy when it’s that way.”
www.clos-ette.com

The defensive end for the National Football League (NFL) team the Houston Texans, Green established The Jarvis Green Foundation shortly after one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history subsided. The non-profit foundation, whose motto is “do as much as we can to help,” assists single-working mothers in disadvantaged, low-income areas. Proceeds are generated through events like football memorabilia auctions and the Jarvis Green Foundation’s wine tasting galas. Green’s largest donation was in 2009 on The Montel Williams Show. A struggling single mother of four received $25,000 from the foundation to help her purchase a new home for her family. So far, the foundation has raised $150,000.

It might be cliché, but the age-old adage “everything happens for a reason” best describes Green’s life this past year. At the beginning of the 2010 season, he was cut by the Denver Broncos. “It’s funny the way things happen. I turned a bad situation into a good thing – my body was able to rest and I reconnected with my wife and three kids on a whole new level. People probably don’t know this but during the eight years as a professional football player, I barely saw my family. I also had time to fortify the Jarvis Green Foundation. What can I say, the universe is very funny.” Green was selected towards the end of the season by the Texans. He finished the year on a high note and will most likely earn a starting role next season with the team.

Green does it all while looking as sharp as the razor that gave him his clean-cut look. He’s a humble and down-to-earth gentleman who exudes his own brand of charm and charisma. Naturally, his personal motto is to “just be you.”

The fourth annual Jarvis Green Foundation’s Wine Tasting Gala will be held on March 19, 2011 in Seekonk, Massachusetts.

www.jarvisgreen.com

The enterprising event planner from Louisville, Kentucky graduated from Boston’s Emerson College with a degree in acting and television/film production. At 22, she packed her things and travelled west to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in the entertainment industry. The beautiful and brilliant southern belle worked as an actress, a producer and moonlighted as an event planner. She gained recognition from producers after planning a few of their festive events. From that moment, she says “things just started to fall into place.”

Seven years in the business of making dreams reality, Go Get It Events proudly claims success on a global scale through satisfied word-of-mouth referrals from clients and concierge services in the U.S. and abroad. Go Get It Events delivers that extraordinary touch to everything it passionately produces. Whether your budget is under $1,000 or over a million, the level of passion Jones brings to your life, and the life of your loved ones, exceeds all expectations. Actors, pilots – you name it – if it’s legal and you want it, chances are Jones can make it happen.

One of her finest moments came last year. A client of hers chartered a cruise ship for his wife’s 50th birthday party, and wanted to continue the festivities onto a secluded beach in Montenegro. The problem? The island her client wanted was the one he couldn’t have – cruise ships were forbidden to dock on this specific isle.

The challenge for Jones was to convince a foreign official to grant her client’s chartered million-dollar cruise ship access to the island. A dedicated Jones flew from Los Angeles to Montenegro to speak with its minister of transportation. To the grand delight of her client, she didn’t take no for an answer and somehow convinced the bureaucrat to make an exception just that one time. “After convincing a foreign official, I realized that anything is possible,” says Jones.

Jones is a working example of passionately pursuing a pastime and turning it into a career. Since starting Go Get It Events, the entrepreneur has enjoyed turning fantasy into reality for her clients. “I help create some of the most special and amazing moments for people. To see happy couples, to hear how amazing it was, that is my payment … I am so satisfied in helping people have a good time. Nothing makes me happier.”

Q: Favourite romantic movie?
A: Bringing Up Baby, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant

Q: Most romantic cities in the world?
A: New York during the fall and winter; Paris in the spring and Venice in the summer.

Q: What is it about you that has people coming back so often?
A: I never stop working for my clients.  Once you have me, I’m yours.

www.gogetit.org

It all started with a quarter. That’s what a little girl asked Brown for on the corner of 94th Ave. and East 14th Street in Oakland, California on a weekday back in 1987. Heading to the corner store with a five-dollar bill in her pocket, Brown insisted that the girl join her and pick out whatever she wanted. “I expected her to pick up potato chips, but the first thing she picked up was a loaf of Wonder bread.” Brown could not understand why this little girl was on a street corner instead of in a classroom. Before she was able to find out her name, the streetlight had changed and Brown watched the girl wander down a different path, bread in hand, likely to become another statistic in a city with a 40 per cent high school dropout rate. “That should have been the end of the story, but it wasn’t. Anytime I would go to bed she was my vision and I could not sleep.”

Compelled by her encounter, the real estate broker set out on a mission to find that little girl, prompting news reports, reaching out to child services and visiting local schools. Day after day she would wait patiently for her vision to reveal itself, until one of those days she took it upon herself to adopt an entire first grade class of 23 students. “I thought that if I could get access to that class I would see her … I just explained to them that if they ever wanted to talk to me or needed me that they could give me a call. I was going to be there two-to-three days a week,” says Brown, whose announcement also included a monumental promise to pay the college tuition for every student in that class.

Securing her commitment, she immediately began the Oral Lee Brown Foundation, putting $10,000 of her salary into a chequing account every year and giving the kids a glimpse of what they could one day become by introducing them to dozens of industry professionals. “I was born in Mississippi and I had 12 siblings and not one of my siblings went to college because we could not afford it. We picked cotton for a living. Everybody may not be as motivated as I am or concerned as I am but I feel and have always felt that the one thing that would free you is an education,” says Brown, who has since been featured on CNN and received the Minerva Award in 2010 from former California First Lady Maria Shriver.

Today, “Mama Brown,” as she’s so often affectionately called, has helped over 180 students attend college. “I love my babies. I probably get more Mother’s Day cards and phone calls than anybody on this Earth,” she says. University of California, Berkeley biology sophomore Julian Orejudos attests this. “She’s had a major impact on my life, because I try to follow in her footsteps … I want to become a doctor in the future and hopefully I can come back to my community in Oakland and contribute in that same sort of sense,” says the 19-year-old. “It’s really helpful for me because I know that I don’t have to worry about the financial issues that most other students here are facing.”

Brown never found that little girl who she once suspected was an angel, but in her search she’s helped dozens of others find their way. “The day that those kids walked across the stage in 1999 graduating, getting into the colleges of their choice – that said to me that all things are possible.” You don’t have to believe in fate like Brown now does, but her story gives us cause to at least question the people that unexpectedly pop into our lives – even if it’s just to ask for
a quarter.

Q: Why was education your cause instead of poverty or hunger?
A: Everybody has their own beliefs, but I’m with education. To help a child, give them a job, but to free a child, give them an education. It’s the only thing that will free us all.

Q: What message do you want to send to our readers?
A: Look at the little people – they are somebody, too. They are our future. You may have to work a little harder, you may have to work a little longer, but I guarantee you a child is teachable, and I know that first-hand.

www.oralleebrownfoundation.org