Shaw Construction has hired Jennifer Shermer as marketing manager. Shermer will manage the marketing and PR activities at Shaw, which provides construction services throughout Colorado and Wyoming. Shermer previously has worked at Grant Thornton and Fransen Pittman, and she is a board member of the Denver Press Club.
Filed under: PR Moves
Congratulations to Julie Scott, who has been named communications director at Junior Achievement. Scott formerly was communications manager at Bonfils Blood Center.
If you run into Tim Streeb today, make sure he buys the drinks – Linhart PR has promoted him to account director from account supervisor. Streeb joined Linhart in 2003, and he leads several accounts, including Comcast, FirstBank and Johns Manville.
Colorado State University has named Kyle Henley director of Denver public relations. His role will be to lead CSU’s media relations, marketing and community relations activities in the Denver metro region, which is home to more than 40,000 CSU alumni. Henley formerly was with CoBank and Cohn Marketing.
Filed under: PR Moves
Smashburger has named former Qdoba manager of non-traditional marketing public relations Doug Thielen as vice president of communications. The Denver Business Journal has the details.
Filed under: PR Moves
Suncor Energy has hired Brandy Radey as Senior Advisor for Communications & Stakeholder Relations. Radey previously was with Cohn Marketing.
Filed under: PR Moves
Denver Health and Hospital Authority appointed Julie Lonborg chief marketing and public-relations officer. Lonborg previously was director of Planning, Business Development and Marketing at Swedish Medical Center.
Turner PR has added Ryan Whaley as a senior account executive. Whaley joins Turner PR from Vail Resorts, where he was part of the communications teams at Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Resort. Prior to Vail Resorts, Whaley spent eight years as a professional boat captain which allowed him to work at multiple resort destinations.
For years, Ogilvy PR has had a quiet, under-the-radar presence in Denver. The small office, which was led by Amy Messenger before she took over the firm’s technology practice, seemed to focus largely on tech, but most of the work appeared to be for national clients. Recently, however, Ogilvy has made a push to grow its office in Denver, and with a headcount of 20 they have now become one of the larger agencies in town.
The most recent additions to the Ogilvy team in Denver are:
- Tara May, senior vice president
- Kate Wilson Stabrawa, account director
- Kabira Hatland, vice president
- Melanie Taylor, vice president
- Kylee Decker, account supervisor
- Olivia Watson, account executive
- Sarmishta Ramesh, account director
- Lauren Clancy, assistant account executive
- Paris Mackey, assistant account executive
Ann Charvat Dickerson has joined the Colorado Medical Society as director of communications. She previously was creative director at JohnstonWells, where she had spent the previous 17 years.
Linhart PR has promoted Lauren Cameron to account executive. Cameron joined Linhart a year ago as an account associate after working as a media strategist and graduate intern at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and at APCO Worldwide in Washington, D.C.
Filed under: PR Moves
Denver’s Barefoot PR has hired Sarah Hogan as vice president. In her role as vice president, Hogan will work closely with firm president and founder, Cori Plotkin, and other virtual team members on client relations, account management, and business development.
Turner PR has added Travaasa Destinations, Paraiso Del Mar and Inspirato to its roster of clients. Turner PR will provide them with a variety of strategic media relations and social media programs. Turner also announced it has added Rebie Bautista Lash as a senior director, Campbell Levy as senior account manager, Amber Connor as account manager and Ashley Taufen as account coordinator.
Former Schenkein principal and co-owner Leanna Clark has joined the University of Colorado Denver as special assistant to the chancellor for community engagement. Mark Harden at the Denver Business Journal has the details.
Pure Brand Communications has hired Drew Kramer, formerly of InterMountain Corporate Affairs. Kramer will continue to be involved in public affairs consulting, as well as working with Pure’s other clients.
Filed under: PR Moves
Communications Strategy Group (CSG|PR) promoted Shannon Fern to director of its Health & Wellness practice. Fern is CSG|PR’s lead health PR specialist, and she has more than 10 years of diverse communications experience with expertise in the areas of public and community relations, communications plan development, writing, event planning and sponsorship marketing.
If you see Jim Guttau, you may want to encourage him to take a nap. Guttau PR has landed six new clients (Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping, Rivé, Thermal Clean, neuroAgility, Caroline’s Cuisine, Infinite Harvest), added Kelly Ozinga as a new account coordinator, and relocated to a new office in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood.
Brand Iron named Kassandre Linstroth as brand manager and Leilani Derr as graphic designer. Linstroth will be charged with creating and implementing strategies for Brand Iron clients; Derr, who joins the agency’s creative team, will be responsible for providing Brand Iron clients with creative concepting and design for both print and website applications.
Linhart PR has promoted Quinn Kelsey to account executive. In her new role, she will provide communications counsel and media relations support to clients Comcast, Colorado Technical University, Johns Manville and UnitedHealthcare.
Bill Menezes has joined the research firm One Touch Intelligence. He formerly was with VisiTech PR.
Melissa Hernandez has joined Jackson National Life Insurance as a media relations specialist. Prior to joining Jackson, Hernandez was a senior account executive at Christopherson & Co. Communications in Greenwood Village and a contractor for Pushkin Public Relations in Denver.
Branding firm Adrenalin has added Danielle Vala to its staff as a Graphic Designer. Vala joins Adrenalin from Bennet Adelson in Cleveland, where she was worked on the Cleveland Clinic wellness website.
Filed under: PR Moves
Guttau Public Relations has hired Jesse Spencer as Account Manager. Spencer’s experience includes positions in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles wwith E! Network, Warner Brothers and the Gersh Agency. He also has helped with various public relations, marketing, and social media campaigns for organizations such as Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Qwest, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Downtown Denver Partnership, Namco Networks, and Wilson Electronics.
CJ Powell has joined Cohn Marketing as a PR advisor. Powell formerly was with Dovetail Solutions and Schenkein.
Filed under: PR Moves
Colorado Public Radio promoted Jennifer Flatt to director of marketing and hired Tara Friedman as director of philanthropy. Flatt is now responsible for execution and supervision of day-to-day marketing and public relations initiatives, and Friedman will develop and execute strategies to build financial support for the news, information and classical music that CPR provides.
Dovetail Solutions has added Dana Stone as director of Client Services and Tyler Lyons as manager of Client Services. Stone’s experience includes positions at First Data in Denver and GolinHarris in Atlanta, and she is a PRSA Colorado board member. Lyons comes to Dovetail from Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien’s office.
Congratulations to Linhart’s Dayna Davis, who has been promoted to account executive.
- Duo Marketing & PR has added entrepreneur and radio personality Nick May to its client list. Duo will manage publicity and social media services for May.
- Conversation Starters has been selected by Chemo101 to handle web and social media development.
- Dovetail Solutions has added Amanda Pehrson and promoted Ryan Peacock to senior manager of client services. Pehrson formerly was with Pelligrini Solutions and The Fresh Ideas Group. And, on an unrelated note, members of the CJ Powell Fan Club (CJPFC) will be glad to know he has been added to the group shots on the Dovetail website.
- Perini & Associates has added Hardware Oasis as a client.
- MMG Mardiks named Carly Grimes as account supervisor for its Colorado Tourism Office account.
- GroundFloor Media has added St. Anthony Central Hospital as a client.
- Linhart been retained as agency of record by specialty finance company Stout Street Funding, LLC.
- Adrenalin has been hired as marketing/branding agency of record by the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.
Joe Hodas, EVP of Brand Communications at Vladimir Jones, has been named a partner. Hodas joined the agency in early 2009 and, according to VJ, “has been instrumental in advancing the agency’s integrated approach to brand communications, strategically incorporating emerging trends to address client goals, and infusing a new echelon of dry humor into the agency.”
Filed under: PR Moves
Randy Blauvelt has been named director of marketing and communications at Rose Community Foundation, where he will oversee the Foundation’s publications, news media relations, marketing efforts, and strategic communications related to grant-making, philanthropic services and program initiatives. Blauvelt previously was vice president of marketing and communications for the American Humane Association.
Cohn Marketing has formally announced the addition of Brandy Radey as a senior PR strategist. Radey, who has more than a decade of experience in strategic planning, media relations, public affairs and community outreach, formerly was with PopSpring Communications and Schenkein.
Cohn also announced that it has been retained by New York-based L.M. Zuckerman & Company for brand development, brand expression and website redesign services. L.M. Zuckerman & Company is a wholesale coffee dealer, serving clients worldwide with a broad range of coffee types and qualities from sources that include Columbia, Brazil, India and Mexico.
Filed under: PR Moves
Colorado Public Radio has hired Lana Jefferson Taussig as public relations manager to direct social and traditional media outreach, organize various community and listener engagement programs, and contribute to other strategic marketing initiatives. Jefferson Taussig previously was director of communications at Project C.U.R.E. Before that, she led and supported PR efforts for several local and national accounts at Schenkein.
Brand Iron has named David Bryson as brand executive and Justin Clark as a graphic/web designer. Bryson will lead the agency’s business development efforts, while Clark will be responsible for creative concepting and design.
GBSM has hired Kyle Miller, a government and public affairs specialist who formerly advised Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, as an Associate. Miller most recently served as the Director for the Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery where he managed a team responsible for implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In his new position, Miller will help craft strategy and communications efforts for GBSM clients.
Ef Rodriguez’s dream of never again leaving Boulder County is a step closer to reality. Ef has accepted a position with advertising giant Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where he will be the “Curator of Conversation” responsible for helping develop social media strategy for CP+B clients. In lieu of congratulatory emails or phone calls, Ef respectfully requests that donations be made to PRSA Colorado in his name.
Ef previously was part of Cherry Creek-based Turner PR’s social media team, and the good news is that his departure has opened up a spot at Turner. Angela Berardino, who leads Turner’s social media group, has formally posted that position (no phone calls, please).
Linhart PR has promoted Kelly Janhunen to account director. Janhunen, who most recently held the position of account supervisor, joined Linhart PR in 2003 and leads several consumer marketing accounts, including Red Robin and Chipotle. In her new role, she will continue to oversee the planning, execution and evaluation of client programs.
Filed under: PR Moves
Dana Lauren Berry has been named Director of Public Relations for the new Four Seasons Hotel Denver. Berry formerly was Director of Public Relations at Magnolia Hotels before launching Dana Lauren PR.
Travel, hospitality and real estate agency Turner PR added Caitlin Sullivan as senior account executive and Julie Wagoner as emerging media account coordinator. Sullivan joins Turner from MMG Mardiks, where she led the agency’s largest account, the Colorado Tourism Office. Prior to that, she was an account executive at Heedum Agency in Denver, where she represented travel brands, hotel properties, culinary events and restaurants.
Wagoner is the founder and editor-in-chief of the weekly online entertainment publication, The Media Fix, where she supervises a staff of 15 writers and coordinates interviews with popular recording artists. Prior to joining Turner, she worked at Boulder Digital Arts.
Cactus has hired Mike Lee as public relations and social media director. Lee joins Cactus from Colorado AIDS Project, where he was director of marketing and communications, and his experience includes the Outdoor Industry Association, American Humane Association and Vail Resorts. He also worked as a broadcast journalist with 9News in Denver and KING 5 in Seattle.
Filed under: PR Moves
Vince Hancock and Ginger Pelz have joined DaVita’s communications department at the company’s new Denver headquarters. Hancock most recently worked in Level 3′s corporate communications group, and prior to that was Qwest’s field media relations manager in Salt Lake City where he was responsible for all media relations in Montana, New Mexico and Utah. Pelz joins DaVita after spending three years at MGA Communications, where she focused on developing and implementing social media strategies for the agency and its clients in addition to spearheading community outreach programs.
PR, branding and positioning firm Dovetail Solutions has promoted CJ Powell to Manager of Client Services. In his new role, Powell is responsible for the management of several clients at the firm.
Mulligan & Co. has hired Lindsey Larson as strategic communications manager. Larson previously held positions with the National Stroke Association, PRACO (now Vladimir Jones), and Citizen Pictures. Mulligan & Co. also announced it has added Montana-based health food company The Healthy Pantry as a client.
JohnstonWells has added Teresa O’Brien as an associate. O’Brien formerly was public relations coordinator at the Fort Collins-based branding and marketing firm One Tribe Creative, and she volunteers with the Denver Rescue Mission and the Mile High Down Syndrome Association.
- Weise Communications has added Mark Plumb as senior account executive and Heather Hutchinson as public relations account manager. Plumb’s experience includes stints at Volume PR, SBC, AT&T and Dish Network, while Hutchinson formerly was an account executive at Boulder’s Pivot Communication.
- Linhart PR hired Anna Lindsey as an account associate. Lindsey formerly was a public relations assistant at Crocs.
Filed under: PR Moves
Liz Pope has been named media and research manager at Sarah Evans’ Chicago-based Sevans Strategy. Pope will remain in Denver and consult with businesses on how to integrate social media into their public relations strategies. Pope formerly was PR and marketing manager at Scott Systems.
The Bawmann Group has named Rich Martin as director of creative and interactive services.
- Dovetail Solutions added Amy Secor as marketing coordinator. Secor is a recent graduate of the University of Denver.
- Linhart PR added Lauren Cameron as an account associate. Cameron’s experience includes stints at Ogilvy and APCO Worldwide.
Zach Knaus has left MGA Communications to form 4degre.es, a full-service online communications firm that focuses on social-media marketing, search-engine optimization, Web design and public relations.
GroundFloor Media has added Alexis Anzalone as social media/public relations manager and Kimmie Greene as senior public relations manager. Anzalone formerly worked at Formula PR in San Diego, where she managed both traditional and social media programs. Greene’s background includes Level 3 Communications, where she managed media and analyst relations for new product launches, network expansions, financial earnings and corporate acquisitions.
