Gotham Gadgets Exclusive Interview with Amy Rupert, Senior Public Relations Specialist for Kidde Residential & Commercial Division, the leading manufacturer of residential fire safety products, based in Mebane, N.C. Our Coverage Sponsored by Cosmopolitan Dental
Amy Rupert
The Best Dentist in Manhattan
&
Official Dentist of Whom You Know:
30 E. 40th Suite 1001
212 683 1960
Dr. Garo Nazarian is a Mover and Shaker:
***
Amy Rupert is the Senior Public Relations Specialist for Kidde Residential & Commercial Division, the leading manufacturer of residential fire safety products, based in Mebane, N.C. Currently, Amy oversees Kidde’s PR efforts, including national and regional campaigns to educate consumers about the dangers of fire and carbon monoxide. Previously, Amy managed all the community affairs activities for the company, including third-party partnerships, product donations, and charitable contributions.
Prior to joining the company in 2005, Amy served as a development coordinator for the National MS Society Eastern North Carolina Chapter. She coordinated the organization’s largest fundraising event, the MS 150, for 1,300 cyclists. Held in New Bern, N.C., the three-day event raised more than $1 million.
Amy’s first job was with the Columbus Cancer Clinic, a United Way agency, based in Columbus, Ohio. As the community relations coordinator, she managed the organization’s volunteer program and coordinated participation in local health fairs.
Even though she grew up in West Virginia, Amy attended college at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2002 and moved to North Carolina in 2004. Amy resides in Hillsborough, N.C., with her husband, Doug, and their seven-month-old twin boys.
Amy earned her master in healthcare administration from UNC-Chapel Hill in August 2011 and hopes to specialize her communication skills further in the near future. We are so pleased to present Amy Rupert as our latest exclusive interview in Gotham Gadgets! Peachy Deegan interviewed Amy Rupert for Whom You Know.
Peachy Deegan: What were your favorite "gadgets" growing up and why?
Amy Rupert: I thought that my Walkman was the coolest thing ever. I also loved the older air-pop popcorn poppers. I would always pull a chair up to the kitchen counter and watch the popcorn spill out into the mixing bowl.
We hope you have not, but have you had any experience with fires?
I haven’t had any direct experience with fires, but when I was in elementary school I saw a house across the street burn down. That was a little scary.
What led you to your current position at Kidde?
I had worked at the National MS Society’s Eastern NC Chapter for a little more than a year doing development. I decided that I didn’t like fundraising very much and that I wanted to do something else. So, I posted my resume on Careerbuilder.com. A recruiter called me when the PR specialist position opened up at Kidde, so I interviewed and ultimately got the job.
What sets Kidde apart in this industry?
Kidde’s mission is to protect people and property from fire and carbon monoxide. We spend a lot of time, money, and other resources developing the most innovative fire safety products on the market.
What should most people know about fire alarms and the like that most do not know?
Many people think that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, as well as fire extinguishers last forever. In fact, smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years, and CO alarms should be replaced every seven years. Fire extinguishers should be replaced every 12 years if you have a disposable unit.
What do you enjoy most about what you do and why?
I like working for a company that makes products that save lives. We receive countless letters every month from people who were saved because they had a Kidde smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, or fire extinguisher.
What or who has had the most influence on your pursuit of excellence?
My husband encourages me in every way possible, but I think that his superb work ethic and professional attitude really rub off on me.
What would you like to do professionally that you have not yet had the opportunity to do?
I’d like to travel to NYC for work. In the six years that I’ve been with Kidde, I’ve never had the opportunity to attend one of our events in the Big Apple.
[Peachy: We hope you travel here for work too! We'd like to meet you in person!]
What is your favorite shop in Manhattan?
I wish that I had one!
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you at a cocktail party?
I don’t know if this is the funniest, but at a cocktail party in a Washington, D.C. hotel I was speaking to one of my colleagues when I looked up and saw John McCain walk through the door. It was really cool.
What is your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?
I would love to try almost any restaurant in Manhattan.
Who would you like to be for a day and why?
I’d like to be a talk show host like Ellen or Kelly Ripa to see what their typical day is like and how it feels to entertain people in an improvisational fashion.
What is your favorite thing to do in Manhattan that you can do nowhere else?
I don’t have one yet!
If you could have dinner with any person living or passed, who would it be and why?
I’d love to have dinner with J.K. Rowling. I think that she is an amazing writer, and I’d love to learn more about how she came up with the Harry Potter tale.
What do you personally do or what have you done to give back to the world?
My husband and I give several monetary contributions every year to one of Kidde’s nonprofit partners, The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors. We also make a donation every spring and fall to the Durham Mission in N.C. It provides job-training and other assistance for those who need help.
Other than Gotham Gadgets of course, what is your favorite Whom You Know column and what do you like about it?
I don’t have any other favorites. Gotham Gadgets is the best!
Have you drank The Peachy Deegan yet and if not, why not?
I haven’t had the opportunity yet.
What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?
There isn’t really anything else that interesting about me!
How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?
Please contact me by e-mail at amy.rupert@kiddeus.com
