Verde PR & Consulting has been named Agency of Record for Stio, a new mountain lifestyle apparel and accessories brand. Craig Randall will manage the account from Verde PR’s Boulder office.
Month: June 2012
Kurz Named Denver’s Director of Marketing
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has named Sarah Kurz as the city’s Director of Marketing. Kurz, who joins the city from SE2, replaces the dynamic and alliterative Steve Sander.
Engaging Your Customers
McDonald’s Canada is using its YouTube channel to address questions from the public. This one: why McDonald’s burgers in print ads look better than what you buy.
Boulder (Not Cleveland) PR Job
Metzger Associates is hiring an Account Executive.
10 entrepreneurs. Three $50k investments.
Head over to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Friday, July 13, to watch as 10 young, impactful entrepreneurs pitch their companies solving social or environmental problems for one of three $50,000 equity investments. Entrepreneurs from the Denver Metrowill present to local visionaries and business leaders in front of a live audience.
The winners will be announced at the Made in Denver after party downtown in the middle of 14th street. Celebrate with a DJ, unique cocktails and delicious bites. Here’s to better cities, better entrepreneurs.
Are you an entrepreneur hoping to foster change in Colorado? Applications accepted through Monday.
Ticket link: http://i4ccampaign.com/i4c-summit/
104 West Adds Four Clients
104 West has added four clients: HomeSnap, SpotRight, willbeHired and Agencyport.
amali PR Rebrands as ‘Go Ahead’
Denver-based lifestyle PR firm amali has rebranded as Go Ahead PR & Communications.
Pure Brand Adds Wright as Director of Account Management
Pure Brand Communications has added Anne Wright as director of account management. Wright has a 15-year portfolio of designing and implementing strategies across the marketing landscape, largely with Denver-based positions. She’ll contribute to Pure’s efforts with clients such as Western Union, Bellco, Stetson and NCM Fathom, among others.
Denver Meetup Scheduled for #SMDay
The Denver meetup for Mashable’s Social Media Day (#SMday) is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, at Japoix Restaurant & Lounge (975 Lincoln Street). There will be giveaways, raffle prizes, food and drink specials. Contact Frankie Cervantes with any questions.
Denver PR Jobs
Among those hiring this week are Americorps, Aspen Skiing Company, Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Jackson National Life Insurance, Porter Adventist Hospital, Small Planet Foods, The Colorado Trust, Virtela, VisiTech PR (intern), Western Union, Colorado State University, City of Colorado Springs, Contently (Aspen), Cortez (Colo.) Journal, Henderson Mine (Empire), Visit Estes Park, Pueblo Colo.) Chieftan, Rocky Mountain Institute (Snowmass, Colo.) Cody (Wyo.) Enterprise, Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News & Guide and Jackson Hole (Wyo.) Daily.
And dovetail solutions and SE2 also are hiring.
GroundFloor Adds Similasan as Client
GroundFloor Media has added Highlands Ranch, Colo.-based Similasan USA as a client. GFM will develop and execute a strategic communications program for Similasan, including the development of foundational materials and news releases, media training, media outreach and trade show support.
DCI Opens New Denver Office
Development Counsellors International (DCI) has officially opened a Denver office along the Platte River in downtown Denver. The firm’s seven Denver-based employees previously shared office space at Pure Brand Communications or worked from home offices.
5280 Picks Up Another Award
5280 magazine won a City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) Award for the Best Magazine Redesign at the recent Annual CRMA Conference Awards Dinner. The competition was open to members of CRMA and other city and regional magazines throughout North America that qualified.
SE2 Looking For Associate, Project Manager
SE2 has posted two positions: a project manager and an associate. Here’s a tip to anyone offered either job: negotiate the use of Eric Anderson’s “Bentley” at least one day per month.
Update: I have been told this is Eric Anderson’s actual car, which I believe because it is parked outside the SE2 office in this photo.
Mile High Flea Market Selects The Idea Group
Mile High Flea Market has retained Denver multicultural marketing group The Idea Marketing to help attract Hispanic vendors to the market.
Denver DA Accuses Hamling of Stealing $243K from Charity
Traction Communications founder and alleged scam artist Kirsten Hamling may have settled a lawsuit filed against her by state prosecutors for money that went missing from her Fired Up For Kids Charity, but that hasn’t stopped the Denver District Attorney from filing charges.
The result: Hamling is charged with 13 counts of theft, four counts of charitable fraud, three counts of filing a false tax return, two counts of failure to file a tax return and one count of attempt to influence a public servant. Michael Roberts at Westword has the details.
HaifleighBrandWorks, Mulligan Win Cantaloupe Contract
It turns out that it was HaifleighBrandWorks and Mulligan & Co. that snagged the $175,000 contract to restore the reputation of Colorado Cantaloupes after the listeria outbreak. Said one of the cantaloupes, “We knew Mulligan & Co. was the way we wanted to go when we saw how thoughtful Diane looked in her photo on its website.”
Monaghan Adds Several Clients
Elisabeth “Don’t Call Me Elizabeth” Monaghan has signed on as the publicist for Erika Napoletano, handling both the promotion on Napoletano’s newly released book “The Power of Unpopular,” as well as general publicity for the notoriously shy and retiring Napoletano. Additionally, Monaghan is handling publicity for “The Insider’s Guide on Egg Donation,” a book co-written by Napoletano and Wendie Wilson-Miller, owner of LA-based egg donor agency Gifted Journeys. Monaghan also signed the Morgan Adams Foundation, a Denver-based nonprofit raising funds for research on childhood cancer
Crocs Launches Style Blogger Program
Crocs has launched a new style blogger program to highlight its trendier products. The company has engaged five well-known style and fashion bloggers – Kathryn Finney, Audrey McLelland, Jenn Rager, Maegan Tintari and Lilliana Vazquez – to participate in the program as “CrocStyle Insiders” to preview and showcase new Crocs styles.
Wagstaff Opens Aspen Office
Competition for Colorado travel and tourism accounts may increase a bit with the news that Wagstaff Worldwide has opened an office in Aspen that will be led by Brigid Finley. Finley, who is relocating to Aspen from Los Angeles, has headed a number of campaigns for travel accounts and nationally acclaimed restaurants, including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Lark Creek Restaurant Group, Cyrus restaurant, InterContinental Hotels, and Australia’s Great Southern Rail.
B Public Relations Adds St. Julien, Outlook Lodge as Clients
B Public Relations, a Denver boutique focusing on the travel and hospitality industries, has added the St Julien Hotel & Spa in Boulder and The Outlook Lodge in Green Mountain Falls as clients.
Depressing Denver Newspaper Prediction of the Week
If the University of Southern California Annenberg School’s Center for the Digital Future is correct, Denver likely will not have a major daily newspaper in 2017. Instead, The Denver Post will be an online property with print editions only once or twice a week.
“…Sales figures do not lie; circulation of print newspapers continues to plummet, and the current generation of print newspaper readers is not being replaced. We believe that most major U.S. daily newspapers as we know them today as print editions will be gone in about five years; eventually the only print newspapers that will survive will be at the extremes of the medium – the largest and the smallest. We expect at least four major newspapers with global reach to continue to publish daily print editions: The New York Times, USA Today, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. At the other extreme, local weekly and twice-weekly newspapers may continue in print form, as well as the Sunday print editions of metropolitan newspapers that otherwise may exist only in online editions.”
Conversation Starters Adds Pro Bono Client
Conversation Starters Public Relations has added the Westcliffe, Colo.-based Mighty Oaks Wounded Warrior Foundation as a pro bono client. The foundation provides services to former military members through multiple programs designed to focus on dealing with Combat Trauma, Character and Family Support for Combat Trauma Spouses and Family Members.
The Company You Keep …
What does the ruthless, murderous Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad have in common with the AARP, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Bid, the 2022 Qatar World Cup Bid and The Tony Blair Faith Foundation? They share the same public relations firm.
Dovetail Promotes Holleran to Director of Operations
dovetail solutions has promoted Emily Holleran to director of Operations. Holleran joined dovetail solutions in 2009, and in her new role she will oversee the firm’s day-to-day operations, including financials, client invoicing, human resources, IT support and benefits administration. Prior to joining dovetail solutions, Holleran was director of operations at The McLaughlin Company, a performance consulting and coaching firm.
Mayor Hancock Appoints Alegría Communications Director
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has appointed former journalist Rowena “Ro” Alegría as director of Communications. Alegría is a 20-year journalism and communications veteran who most recently was editor and publisher of The Denver Post’s Viva Colorado publication.
Bawmann Group Launches Statewide Health Campaign
The Bawmann Group launched “Cavity Free at Three 2.0” this week with a new interactive website: www.cavityfreeatthree.org. The statewide public health education campaign will seek to encourage more dentists to take Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus kids. TBG will be working with the Caring for Colorado Foundation and its partners to provide media relations, social media, advertising and dental/medical marketing to providers so that more kids in Colorado will be served.
GBSM Promotes Wertz to Principal
GBSM has promoted Cody Wertz from senior associate to principal. Wertz has been with GBSM for four years, and has helped build “a rapidly growing public affairs practice while providing media relations, positioning and communications strategy for the firm’s clients.” Prior to joining GBSM, Wertz was communications and press secretary to U.S. Senator Ken Salazar.
Denver PR Jobs
Among those hiring this week are Banner Media Group, Campaign for a Strong Colorado, dovetail solutions, Earth Force (part-time), Prairie Mountain Publishing, Quintess Collection, Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, Together Colorado, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Town of Snowmass Village and The Steamboat (Springs) Pilot & Today.
Philosophy Adds Anne Bé as a Client
Philosophy Communication has added Anna Bé, a Denver bridal boutique, as a client. Philosophy will conduct media relations and SEO work on behalf of the company.
RIP Ed Quillen
Longtime Denver Post columnist Ed Quillen died Sunday, according to the Post’s Chuck Murphy. I’ll update this post when more information is available.
Update: Coverage of Quillen’s death has appeared in Westword, the Denver Post, 9News and 7News.
Update II: Metzger’s Marie Rotter, who knew Ed personally from her high-school friendship with his daughter Columbine, offers a tribute to the late writer.
Depressing Newspaper Graphic of the Week
Adrenaline Develops Denver Cutthroats’ Logo
Adrenalin has developed the logo for Denver’s new CHL team, the Denver Cutthroats:
Denver Public Relations Blog 
