So this week's post is not necessarily a documenting a week in pictures, but instead is a compilation of GFM team members 4th of July celebrations. Whether it be strolling with the kiddos in the Wash Park parade, sitting with a coworker at the B-52s/Squeeze concert at Chatfield, taking in fireworks at the City and County building or hitting the Greeley Stampede, the GFM team (and Reuben) celebrated the 4th in style.
Did you know that 170,000 Colorado children do not have basic health care? GroundFloor Media's Amanda Brannum recently sat down with Deb Federspiel from Children's Hospital Colorado's Children's Health Advocacy Institute (CHAI) to talk about our partnership, funded by The Colorado Trust, working together to reach mothers and families throughout Colorado to inform, educate and encourage families to speak up for better access to health care in Colorado. Learn more about the program and how you can get involved at www.childrenscolorado.org/speakup
We're more than half-way through the year already and the GFM team is going strong as we launch into the second half of 2011. In addition to lots of exciting client activities, we're also preparing to celebrate our 10th Anniversary. Join Ramonna Robinson and Amy Moynihan for a quick overview of where we've been and where we're headed through the remainder of the year!
GroundFloor Media's own Jim Licko and Alexis Anderson just returned from St. Louis where earlier this week they kicked off the 2011 Make A Splash tour on behalf of client the USA Swimming Foundation. In addition to working with Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones and engaging with amazing kids at the local Mathews Dickey Boys and Girls Club in St. Louis, the team secured fantastic media coverage and are looking forward to future tour stops.
Watch this video for an overview of the story and some highlights from the St. Louis trip!
GroundFloor Media's Get Grounded program provides team members an opportunity to actively participate in causes they believe in by offering paid time off or cash grants in exchange for hours volunteered. In this short video, GFM team members Kristina Reilly and Jennifer Wills talk about their community involvement the benefit to the organizations they serve as well as to themselves in the connections they've made and the relationships they've formed.
Wondering how you can build a program like Get Grounded for your company, or how you can integrate community support into your business? Click here for more information about GFM Cares, our cause marketing practice.
For more information about the organizations mentioned in this video, follow these links:
Slow Food Denver
Cooking Matters Colorado
Cancer Cure
The team at GroundFloor Media has been painting, sculpting and crafting up a storm in preparation for the 2011 Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) "On My Own Time" employee and family member art exhibit! See here for a video starring our own Kimmie Greene and Carrie Odberg introducing the program and providing a preview of some amazing pieces of art including pottery by GFM team member Wendy Artman and paintings by GFM family member Cathy Lester.
We hope you'll stop by our office between May 9 and May 20 to see our work on display!
Its been a crazy few days in Austin, and despite everyone warning me that it would be overwhelming, its still surprising how much goes on at South by Southwest (SXSW). New product launches, bloggers, social media discussions, panels, keynote speakers and tons of swag. It really is an amazing mix of Silicon Valley start ups, thought leadership, communications folks, established online brands, established corporate brands, marketing people, advertising experts, tech geeks (I say that lovingly) and anything and everything social media. As an agency employee who focuses on communications and social media strategy, it's a pretty amazing place to be. I will be recapping some of the specifics from the show after I've had a chance to sort through the ridiculous amount of information and let some of it soak in, but for now, here are a couple of the main items that stand out in my mind so far from SXSW 2011:
That was one of the questions that ran through my head on January 14th, as I entered the first day of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s (DMCLF) Impact Denver class. I also wondered what could little ole’ me have to offer to the community? How will I make an impact and what exactly does that mean? Although I fully understand the power that people can have within their community, I was a bit unsure of my ability to make a difference beyond my company or my family.
During the past six months the DMCLF staff organized information-filled classes about issues and topics that impact our local community. My classmates and I heard from various speaker including Tom Clark, executive vice president, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation; James MejÃa, CEO, Denver Preschool Program; Anne Warhover, president & CEO, The Colorado Health Foundation; Jamie Van Leeuwen, former project manager, Denver’s Road Home; KieAnn Brownell, president, Metro Denver Sports Commission; and Councilman Michael Hancock, Denver City Council, District 11. Topics ranged from education and health and wellness, to sports and culture, to community service and board involvement. Regardless of the topic the message was always the same – the only way to make an impact is to get involved. By the end of each class the question was no longer, “will I make an impact,” but instead “how can I not?”
On our final day of class, Councilman Hancock asked one thing – forgo an hour of ‘me time’ each month and give that hour back to the community. Recently, The Denver Business Journal published an article about Denver ranking 12th among 51 large U.S. metro areas for volunteering. On average, Denver residents donated about 40.4 hours of volunteer community service a year, representing $1.6 billion a year in labor. Imagine the impact that would be made if each of us upped the ante and gave one hour of time each week and also financially committed to supporting one charity – maybe Denver would then be propelled to #1 on this list?
Last Thursday, the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation graduated 49 members of the 2010 class of Impact Denver. In addition to realizing that I can make an impact, I will forever be bonded to my classmates through our shared experiences in our class and our future endeavors in our community. On graduation day, we voted on our class project. As a class, we have committed to using our time and talent to assist Denver Public Schools, Slow Food Denver, Sprout City Farms and it various partners in the launch of its school garden and school farm pilot program at McGlone Elementary. Over the next year, the Impact Denver 2010 class has committed to our hour per month, what are you willing to do?
~ Kristina
I have a fear of heights. I also have a fear of snakes crawling all over me and of getting stuck in elevators with more than two other people. But I digress. To be perfectly clear, the actual ascent is not the problem. It’s the looking down – or the coming down – that makes my heart feel like it has been shot with a large syringe full of adrenaline. At one point in my life, I thought that if I went skydiving and bungee jumping in the same day, I would conquer this fear forever. I was wrong.
In 2003, our team started working with facilitators from Outward Bound Professional (OBP) to conduct off site professional development sessions in order to create collaboration, foster creativity, and truly ‘dig in’ to the good, the bad and the ugly to figure out what we could do to create an even stronger agency. We refined our mission and our vision and created a few BHAGs along the way. We have each asked the tough questions about our own personal growth, the partnerships we create with clients and how we want to work together to build a stronger team and culture.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, I have a business partner who thrives on adrenaline. So Ramonna led the charge of turning our offsites – once conducted in a hotel setting - into an 
offsite conducted in a natural setting (translation: ‘naturally vertical’). Last summer, we spent the day with OBP on the high- and low-ropes course in Genesee. Last week, we repeated this insanity by rock climbing at OBP’s base camp in Leadville. I can’t say that I will ever feel the need to be suspended 50 feet in the air by a rope and a harness again; however, I can say that I learned – once again – that regardless of my fear, I have an amazing team that I trust will get me off the side of a giant rock through encouragement, laughter and teamwork.
These are the moments that you see the most incredible personalities unfold. As I watched colleagues volunteer to climb blindfolded (helmets off to Wendy and Carrie) while others volunteered to share their deepest fears, I am reminded that we are all human. We all have fears. We all need a team to help us get up the mountain safely and provide us with the strength and support to fall gracefully.
~Laura
rving on boards, or making regular donations of goods or money. Last weekend, a handful of GFM team members got together in support of the Youth Opportunity Foundation’s annual Big Bowl event to benefit Colorado Youth at Risk and Byrne Urban Scholars. While there is little concern about any of us running off to join the Professional Bowlers Association, a good time was had by all and team spirit was running high – particularly with our very own Jim Licko whose bowling team won their fourth straight Spirit Award by dressing up as the members of music group Devo. Nice…
n for which Amanda Brannum sits on the board. This month, we’re collecting items for SafeHouse Denver, which recently welcomed Ramonna Tooley to its board. If you are interested in joining the GroundFloor Media team to Get Giving in the coming months, please contact us at getgiving@groundfloormedia.com and we’ll be happy to relay the latest Get Giving beneficiary and provide you with a wish list for that organization. By way of an example, SafeHouse Denver is requesting items as varied as mascara or dishwasher detergent to paper plates and coloring books – all of which would greatly benefit its residents. Thanks, in advance, for joining us in staying motivated to give back to the community that gives us so much! Corporations and Nonprofits – A Match Made in Heaven?
When I first left the nonprofit sector, I wondered how I’d feel knowing I went from “doing good” every day to working for companies whose goal was to make money rather than give it away. GroundFloor Media founder Laura Love reminded me that when you find the right for-profit company, it’s possible to give back twice as much through one well-orchestrated program as you might raise in a whole year in a nonprofit role.
In this difficult economic year, it’s no surprise to learn that 38 percent of companies are cutting their cash giving. The encouraging side of the story, however, is that amidst the scaling back on cash donations, 54 percent of the more than 750 business executives surveyed in the recent Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Hitachi Foundation study said that corporate-citizenship activities are even more important during bad economic times than good.
Since joining the GFM team, I’ve found Laura’s advice to stand true, and I’ve been fortunate to work with companies who, no matter how challenging the economy, have made it a priority to give back to the community through park cleanup programs, collection of DVDs for the troops, donations of volunteer time and money to local high schools, and, in the case of Qdoba Mexican Grill, donations of food, time and money to Starlight Children’s Foundation – the restaurant’s national charity partner.
Just today, Qdoba announced the winner of its inaugural Qmmunity program, which launched in early October and ran through Nov. 1 in an effort to collect inspiring stories of everyday people doing amazing things to better their communities. The Top 5 nominees (determined by votes by visitors to the site) were reviewed by a panel of judges, and Emily DuBois was selected as the most outstanding Qmmunity star. Qdoba is giving $5,000 to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America on behalf of Emily, and will dedicate a Starlight Fun Center in Emily’s name to a hospital of her choosing. In addition, Qdoba committed to giving $25,000 to Starlight in recognition of actions taken by community members who visited the site (e.g., voting for a nominee, tweeting or posting to Facebook to campaign for a nominee, etc.).
I've decided to kick off the holiday weekend with a little live blogging from a social media hotspot in Boulder! This morning a number of us GFMers are participating in a social media workshop (Social Media and PR in the Digital Age) put on by the Boulder Chamber and the Small Business Development Center. Our own Laura Love is currently moderating a panel with TechStar's Andrew Hyde, The Camera's Kevin Kaufman, Filtrbox's Ari Newman and ColoradoBiz's Mike Cote discussing the changing social media and PR landscape. While I feel like I've attended hundreds of these discussions it's amazing that the content is ALWAYS different. Twitter seems to be the hottest discussion topic right now and how companies can use to get their news out and learn what people are saying about their businesses.
Other interesting insight and advice from the social media junkie panel:
Last words of advice:
For many world travelers, it is a lifelong aspiration to see the thrill of Pamplona, Spain’s annual Running of the Bulls. However, for the team at GroundFloor Media, that thrill took the form of participating in the “Running of the Elvises,” or more commonly referred to as the Las Vegas Half Marathon this December.
Months earlier in August of 2008, our company’s president and vice president, Laura Love and Ramonna Tooley, invited our team to consider taking on the challenge of the “LV 1/2.” Some of us called it more of a dare, rather than an invitation, on their part. But given that we’re a goal-driven group of people several of us threw caution to the wind, said “count us in,” and figured we’d somehow sort out the consequences later.
On the theory that the team that runs/jogs/walks together stays together, our rag-tag group of 30- and 40-somethings embarked on our rather improvisational training efforts over the late summer and early fall. Despite sprained ankles, shin splints and varied levels of fitness, our rag-tag team of Olympic wanna-bes set off to Vegas the first weekend of December to accomplish our mission: cross the finish line in ample time to catch our flights back home.
Fueled by a team pasta dinner the night before, our race-morning arrived bright and early on December 7th. Against the backdrop of the famed Vegas Strip, pre-dawn fireworks, 11,000 other runners and at least five dozen runners dressed as Elvis Presley, the starting gun went off at 6:05 a.m. – and we were on our way.
Cutting through the masses of running humanity, we each found our own comfortable pace and tackled the course. And, as you might imagine, the city of Las Vegas offered an anything-but-dull collection of scenery to keep runners and walkers visually distracted mile by mile. The first half of our journey spanned the length of the Strip from the “family friendly” luxury casinos and hotels to older historic Freemont Street area, while the course’s back half was speckled with flop houses, bail bonds offices, taxi depots and adult-only dance clubs. And, from beginning to end, we had the companionship of runners dressed up as showgirls, “professional” showgirls dressed up as pedestrians, high-school marching bands, Japanese taiko drummers, the LVPD and, naturally, a very broad array of running Elvises. At mile six, the course had a run-through wedding chapel for those so inclined to say “I do” in between sips of Gatorade – complete with Elvis as your best man and a showgirl as your bridesmaid. But, we’re happy to confirm that no members of GroundFloor Media even slightly slowed down their pace at this part of the race.
The exhilaration of reaching the finish line to the cheers and shouts of hundreds of spectators was a thrill for each of us that just might possibly rival that of seeing Pamplona’s Bulls. Goodness knows some of us were about as graceful as a bull by the time reach reached the course’s end!
~Amy Claire
The write up in last week’s Denver Business Journal says it all. I’ve never been so proud while laughing so hard, so I have to share…
AND NOW, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: Speaking of disgusting things, how ‘bout that “Animal Grossology” exhibit in Parker at The Wildlife Experience, way south of Denver, where South Peoria Street meets Lincoln Avenue — and the farther away, the better.
“I have a nephew who is 12, and he thought it was AWESOME!” says Amy Moynihan of GroundFloor Media, which landed this prestigious account. Animal Grossology features a number of interactive and hands-on exhibits, “and you can dissect owl pellets [in animated form], and there’s a big cow that demonstrates how their digestive systems work. There’s lots of game stations, so you can make slime and fake poop.”
School and children’s groups have toured the exhibit, and there are educators and volunteers present to help. More fun facts to be gleaned: A dung beetle can roll dung 50 times its weight, which rivals any politician. Also, cows are the gassiest animals on Earth, which also defies belief as we’re assaulted by political commercials this fall.
When the Gold Pick Awards come around next fall, someone oughta nominate GroundFloor Media for:
• Headline of the Year: “Animal Grossology Exhibit Lands at the Wildlife Experience Featuring Pooper Scoopers, Blood Suckers, Vomit Munchers, Slime Makers and More!”
• Company President Quote of the Year: “Snail slime and the dung beetle, otherwise known as ‘nature’s pooper scooper,’ definitely qualify as unique story angles!” says Laura Love in a GroundFloor Media news release.
The exhibit runs through April 26, with hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. It’s closed Mondays, and we’re guessing that’s when someone places a giant fumigation tent over the building and has at it. Info: www.thewildlifeexperience.org or 720-488-3300, if tiny bugs haven’t burrowed their way into your cellphone.
Two topics we’ve all been taught to avoid in business meetings and casual conversations are religion and politics. But when GroundFloor Media looked for a way for Qdoba Mexican Grill to enter the world of social media, we decided to enter a conversation already taking place, rather than trying to create a new one. And what better topic to enter than one about the upcoming election?
That’s how TasteBudPolitics.com was born, and nearly 100,000 unique visits later, it seems to be a great strategy. Qdoba’s campaign is a nonpartisan look at 1) how Mexican foods describe people’s personalities – or Q-dentities – and 2) which candidates and issues are important to those people who take the personality quiz.
Personally, I find it fascinating how closely the national Taste Bud Politics results have tracked with national voter polls. And I find it extremely interesting that the only Q-dentity that supports John McCain more than Barack Obama on the national front is the “chips & salsa” group and that, based on analysis conducted by Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, Mc Cain is a chips & salsa personality. There are a couple of great articles about consumer product marketing campaigns that are playing on the election; if you’re interested see Joy Davis’ article in the Rocky Mountain News (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/oct/25/companies-rev-up-ballot-games/) and Mike Beirne’s article in Adweek (http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/esearch/e3i6d1955ff988810b8dcab2f3399bcf90e).
No matter your Q-dentity or your political party, I urge you to get out and vote! In Colorado, you can vote early in a variety of locations through Friday. To find your early voting polling place, contact your County Election Officials (http://www.elections.colorado.gov/DDefault.aspx?tid=147).
And now a special post from our own Ramonna Tooley who is attending the Olympics in Bejing...
You probably won’t be surprised when I tell you that the little Spanish I know does me absolutely no good in China. That said, I keep resorting to it when trying to communicate because it’s the only foreign language I know. Here in Beijing, however, there is nothing about the language that is familiar to English or Spanish – or anything else I can conjure up for that matter. Regardless, everyone here tries very hard to communicate beyond the “hello” and “thank you” that I’ve learned in Mandarin. The volunteers at the venues are very good at saying, “Nice to meet you” and “Please turn around” (as they wand you in security) and “This way, please.” Several months ago I attended a PR conference for GroundFloor Media client Morton's The Steakhouse. One of the sessions focused on social media, and one of the speakers was Andrea from Yelp.com, an online community where people can review almost anything in their local community (think restaurants, salons, shops - even banks and museums). I have to admit that when the session kicked off I had never even heard of Yelp.com and I was still just dipping my toe into the social media pool. But - after hearing Andrea speak I was intrigued and earlier this month I set up my own Yelp account.
After only a few weeks in the Yelp community I am Yelping every chance I get! To date I've Yelped about restaurants, my dog's veterinarian, local shops that I adore and even landmarks in New York City including Ellis Island and The Top of the Rock! And, beyond what I can share with others, what I'm learning from the Yelp community is tremendous. I've already established some new Yelp friends, determined that I live smack dab between the two best restaurants in Denver for fried chicken (hello, larger pant size), and I'm starting to dive a little deeper into the social media pool which is fantastically refreshing!
See here for a link to my personal Yelp reviews. Whether you decide to become a Yelper or simply want to lurk around on Yelp to find the best fried chicken in your neighborhood, I suggest that you give Yelp a try. Enjoy!
On April 28, Morton’s in LoDo hosted its 5th Annual Wine Tasting to benefit Tennyson Center for Children, one of the Rocky Mountain region’s leading treatment centers for victims of child abuse, and the Third Way Center, one of Denver’s largest and most highly respected treatment centers for high-risk, homeless, mentally ill and disadvantaged youth.
photo).
There are parts of a job that make you feel like you can make a difference. Working with the Colorado Garden Show is one of those examples. I wish every day I could feel as amazing about what I do in public relations. On Wednesday, Carissa and I attended the Colorado Garden Show board meeting to interview two student candidates for scholarships to Colorado State University (CSU). These are not your typical high school seniors. Their activities, grades and background on their farms make us city folk look like couch potatoes. Or at least gave me a little guilt for sleeping in late and arriving at the office by 9 a.m.
Ashton Dilka of Briggsdale, Colo. showed up in her letter jacket with her parents and spoke about getting up at 4 a.m. to feed livestock before heading to school all day. She plays four varsity sports. She raises swine (pigs), has moved miles of irrigation pipes and pulled millions of rye weed from the wheat fields. Can you imagine? And she probably weighs 110 lbs. soaking wet. Ashton graduates from Briggsdale High School this May. In addition to farming she has participated in countless extracurricular activities and organizations including Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) National Honor Society and Future Farmers of America (FFA).
After asking her questions about her career aspirations and why she wanted to attend CSU the board took a brief break. It was unanimous. She was called back into the boardroom with her parents and told she had been awarded the Colorado Garden Show’s four-year, full-ride scholarship to Colorado State University to study agricultural education and business. In addition to paid tuition, room and board, she will receive a laptop with a printer and all expenses will be paid for her books and fees. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
“The only obstacle standing in the way of my educational aspirations was my lack of financial funding to help with the major expense of college. Without the help of the Colorado Garden Show’s full-ride scholarship, my dream of continuing my education would have been next to impossible,” said Ashton.
Her proud parents could not help but express their gratitude and excitement. “We live on a small family farm and this scholarship takes a lot of stress off of our family,” said James Dilka, her father. “A college education will help give Ashton a better path in life and will help her not struggle so hard to get there.”
Ashton hopes to someday become an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor to help teach others with the same passion for agriculture. “It’s not about the money. It’s about the rewards,” she adds. “I look forward to the day when I can make a difference in this changing industry.”
Colorado Garden Show also awarded a two-year scholarship for tuition, books and fees to Rachel Hornung of Stratton, Colo. to attend CSU. Rachel graduated from Stratton High School in May of 2007 as valedictorian and has served the past year as the Colorado FFA vice president visiting more than 25 agricultural programs throughout the state. Rachel impressed the board by remembering almost everyone’s names and for handling questions better than a political candidate in a press conference.
She looks forward to attending CSU this fall and will major in agricultural education. “I have a fondness for agriculture and serving as a State FFA Officer has added to that passion. This year I have learned more about the incredibly different aspects of agriculture from horticulture to cattle production to agricultural business to agronomy. Only 1 percent of Colorado’s population is directly involved in production agriculture, yet there are more than 350 different careers in the field including science, business and technology fields. Because of this I know I will have a great career in agricultural education,” Rachel said.
But that’s not all! Proceeds for the Annual Colorado Garden & Home Show, about $8 of every $12 ticket, go toward grants and scholarships. More than $500,000 will be given out this year. Additional Colorado Garden Show college scholarships for the 2008 – 2009 school year include:
Jamie Petersen of Denver received a one-year scholarship to cover tuition, books and fees in the Horticulture and Landscape Technologies program at Front Range Community College.
Ruchika Agrawal of Aurora, Colo. was awarded the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) Mentoring Scholarship toward tuition each year for four years of college. She will attend Community College of Denver next fall.
Teri Howlett of Windsor, Colo. was awarded a graduate scholarship of tuition, books and fees for one year at CSU towards her Ph.D. in horticulture.
Jessica Jo Johnson of Greeley, Colo. was awarded a scholarship for tuition, books and fees for one year at CSU towards her degree in agriculture business and agricultural education.
Heidi Moss of Ft. Collins, Colo. received a scholarship toward her degree in landscape horticulture focusing on design and contracting at CSU.
Chandi Aldena of Denver received an endowment scholarship toward her degree in landscape architecture at CSU.
Congratulations to all the students! My week is complete. It just doesn’t get any better than this…
~Amy M.
Tim Russert honored with Denver Press Club’s Damon Runyon Award
It is true, Tim Russert is at the top of my list of people I would love to have dinner with. I don’t know if it’s his slightly disheveled look, his love of the Buffalo Bills, his ability to ask hard questions at exactly the right time, or the twinkle in his eye that he gets when talking about the enormous respect he has for his father Big Russ; but I always thought that it would be great to have dinner with Tim Russert. 
I finally got the opportunity to dine with him, along with 755 other people, as the Denver Press Club honored Russert with the Damon Runyon Award. I really wanted to show up with a white board, or a poster of red and blue states that I could hold up in American Idol fashion, but instead, I kept myself in check and sat quietly in the back as Adam Schrager of 9News emceed the event. Lots of exciting things were announced that evening—scholarships given to several journalism students, the Press Club announced positive financial news, the Colorado chapter of PRSA celebrated its 50th Anniversary, the Mayor proclaimed April 13 Tim Russert Day (I have added to my calendar to celebrate moving forward), and finally, the moment I had been waiting for, Tim Russert received the Damon Runyon Award. Granted, part of my dinner fantasy is to be sitting there as Tim Russert tells me his personal political views, but true to Russert form, he was the consummate professional. He told some funny stories, expressed gratitude for the award, and made his excitement known surrounding this historic election, but most importantly he discussed why it is his job to make sure that he asks the questions to get the answers Americans need to know to make informed decisions. His speech was wonderful, he was exactly the person I hoped he would be, but unfortunately time ran out and he wrapped up his comments for the evening. As most of the guests filed out of the ballroom, I bee lined for Russert’s table in the hopes of getting a memento from my “dinner date” with Tim Russert. Giddy with excitement, I got my picture taken with Tim Russert, a moment that will go down in my own personal history.
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