We started working with McDonald’s in 2018, first with 70 restaurants in the Richmond market and now with more than 150 across Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Northeast North Carolina. As our partnership has grown, so has our understanding and admiration of the owner-operators. Each restaurant in our region is locally owned and operated, giving us the opportunity to collaborate with dozens of small business owners who know their neighborhoods, customers, and employees personally. Getting to know these owner/operators — their goals, priorities, and the ways they give back — has been one of the most rewarding parts of our work.
Our public relations strategy for McDonald’s focuses on two core areas: People and Community — the people within McDonald’s (crew and owner/operators) and the people in the communities the restaurants serve, along with the organizations and events that matter most to them. When we learned the City of Virginia Beach was planning a weekend celebration for Timbaland — including a visit to his alma mater, Salem High School — we knew it would be the perfect opportunity for McDonald’s of Hampton Roads and Northeast North Carolina to get involved.
Timbaland grew up in Virginia Beach, alongside Missy Elliott and Pharrell Williams. (Fun fact: Pharrell created McDonald’s original “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle.) From October 17–19, 2025, the city celebrated him with a weekend of events — a parade, concert, and the unveiling of Timbaland Way, a new street named in his honor just up the road from Salem High School. The Keys to the City ceremony took place at Salem, where he was presented with the Key to the City by the Mayor of Virginia Beach.
At the national level, McDonald’s supports education and career growth through Archways to Opportunity, a program that helps employees earn high school diplomas, receive college tuition assistance, and develop English-language skills. It’s one of the most meaningful ways the brand invests in its people and their long-term success.
Locally, our region has built on that same spirit by creating a year-round program to show appreciation for teachers — offering a free drink with any purchase at any restaurant in the region. Since this celebration took place at Salem High School, we wanted to do something extra to recognize the educators there. We worked with the organizers to customize a sponsorship. In addition to providing McDonald’s breakfast for all the volunteers who helped make the event possible, we made a donation to Candace Credle, who leads Salem High School’s DECA program — a student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. We also distributed free meal vouchers to every teacher at the school.
From October 17–19, 2025, the city celebrated him with a weekend of events — a parade, concert, and the unveiling of Timbaland Way, a street named in his honor just up the road from Salem High School. We was also presented the Keys to the City by the Mayor of Virginia Beach.
As a special moment on stage, we discovered that two of the event organizers were part of McDonald’s “1 in 8” community — the national campaign celebrating the fact that one in every eight Americans has worked at McDonald’s. We brought out the limited-edition “1 in 8” jacket and presented it to them during the program. She put it on right there, and the crowd loved it — a moment that reflected what we aim for in every project: celebrating people, supporting communities, and connecting McDonald’s to the stories that make each market unique.
Thank you to the City of Virginia Beach and the Timbaland Way Weekend organizers for inviting us to be part of such a meaningful celebration.
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