For B2 principal Missy Hurley, having a mentor has been all-important in her career, whether it’s bouncing around ideas or getting advice on how to handle complicated situations.
So it was fitting that when Missy was named as one of the Business Observer’s “40 under 40,” she was asked to talk about how her mentor, Renee Vaughn, has helped her through many of the challenges of being a businesswoman and co-founder of a thriving public relations agency.
Renee is a former Tampa city official who’s a branding consultant in Tampa while working tirelessly on behalf of the University of Tampa, where her husband, Dr. Ronald Vaughn, is University president.
Every year the Business Observer recognizes 40 business leaders under the age of 40 from the Tampa Bay area south to Naples. This year, the news outlet focused its coverage and awards ceremony on telling the stories of these successful business leaders and their mentors.
Since Missy co-founded B2 11 years ago, it has grown into one of the top public relations agencies in west-central Florida. Missy takes the lead for a number of B2’s clients, including Omnivore, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, and the Community Foundation Tampa Bay, while also driving overall agency strategy and operations.
She serves on the Executive Committee for the prestigious Counselors Academy section of the Public Relations Society of America, and has won multiple awards from PRSA and the Florida Public Relations Association.
Having Renee as a mentor along the way has been invaluable, Missy says in a Business Observer article, such as seeing the power of positivity: “She's shown me how small shifts in my thoughts or behaviors can make a big difference in perspective, especially over the past year.”