Forget the "lucky duck" - he's one lucky dog!

One of the great benefits of working at GroundFloor Media is that dogs are a welcome part of the office environment. It's not unusual to see Maddie Love, Simba Tooley or Maxwell Wills running around our office space - so today when I felt a little guilty about leaving my dog, Otis, home for the next week while I'm off on vacation, it took only a second to realize that I'd simply bring him to work so we could spend the whole day together.

Little did I know that today is Take Your Dog to Work Day! Not only have Otis and I spent the day together, but he's already been the star of a photo shoot, eaten two cookies, received multiple belly rubs, chased a gingerbread girl toy, and had about three naps. Although there isn't much time at GroundFloor Media for chasing balls or squirrels, Otis is currently napping under my desk while I type away - just one more reason that GroundFloor Media qualifies as the best place to work in Denver!

Getting Grounded through AirLife

One of my favorite things about working at GroundFloor Media – besides the awesome people with whom I get to hang out every day – is our Get Grounded program. Through this program, I was recently able to support a charity near to my heart, Friends of AirLife. Each year, Friends of AirLife hosts the Annual AirLife Memorial Run/Walk and EMS Celebration in honor of the everyday heroes in EMS and those EMS providers who have lost their lives.

The race was created in memory of Pete Albplanalp, Beth Barber, Leslie Feldmann and Julie Olmstead, who died on Dec. 14, 1997, in an AirLife helicopter crash and related car accident. Since its inception, the race has evolved to include honoring the fallen heroes of air medical, EMS, fire and police, as well as the beloved Friends of AirLife founder and good friend of mine, Jim Ulrich, who lost his battle with leukemia in Dec. 2006.

Being able to take time to support this event each year as a committee volunteer is extremely important to me, as is the support I receive from GroundFloor Media in order to do so. Here’s how the Get Grounded program works in a nutshell… GroundFloor Media team members are able to volunteer for qualifying nonprofit organizations during normal business hours. And – if our volunteerism takes place after hours, GroundFloor Media donates funds to the nonprofit on behalf of our efforts at the end of each year. Not a bad way to support the charity of your choice!

Beyond the Get Grounded program, my friends at GroundFloor Media turn out to support the event and the Friends of AirLife, which truly means more than they ever know!

~Ramonna

Looking For Love?

If you've followed my blog posts, you know that I'm typically GroundFloor Media's resident foodie. But, if you've read my real story you'll know that another of my real passions is the health and well-being of animals. That's why it's my pleasure to break away from food for just a minute to remind you all that June is Adopt-a-Cat month. If you're looking for love in the form of a faithful, feisty, friendly or fearless companion like Salty Reilly (pictured here), a cat might just be the right fit for you! In Denver, you can visit the Dumb Friends League (www.ddfl.org) or any number of other area shelters to learn more about the many cats who are at just waiting to find the right family to call their own. GroundFloor Media is working with the Dumb Friends League and a handful of other feline-focused partners to launch an exciting cat-related campaign that we look forward to revealing later this summer. In the meantime, let us know if you add a feline family member to your home this month!

Tomatoes Create Headlines

As PR practitioners, we are always reminding our clients about the need for a crisis communications plan. No matter the industry – healthcare, technology, restaurant or education – you can never predict when a crisis will hit, or what the crisis will be. On June 4, in a move to ensure the health and safety of its customers, GroundFloor Media client Qdoba Mexican Grill pulled raw tomatoes from its menu in response to a reported salmonella outbreak among certain varieties of tomatoes.

Kudos to Qdoba for jumping on this issue before it became a media headliner! Together with the client, GroundFloor Media had time to help craft messaging and developed signage surrounding the preventative measure – and sure enough, the phones started ringing. Thanks to a fantastic partnership with our client and a willingness to drop everything and walk in lock-step, not only have we navigated a sea of nationwide media inquiries, the combined GroundFloor Media/Qdoba team actually maintained a sense of humor and, dare I say, is comfortably prepared to tackle the next crisis that comes our way.

If you’re contemplating adding a crisis communications plan to your “PR toolbox”, keep in mind these basic principles:

1. Develop your key message(s) and stick to them
2. Respond to the media as quickly as possible, but take time to gather the facts before answering
3. Follow through on commitments to answer additional questions the media may have
4. Utilize your corporate Web site to disseminate information to key audiences

Viral Video Done Right

I'm a big fan of the blog NewTeeVee.com. If you haven't visited it before, it offers a great perspective on the online video industry - part video critic, part industry reporter and almost always entertaining and newsworthy. Whenever a GroundFloor Media client mentions that they're interested in producing an online viral video, I always point them to NewTeeVee for a good dose of online video realism.

Last week, NewTeeVee blogger Liz Shannon Miller posted a great example of "Viral Marketing Done Right". The video shows an impromtu musical number at an airport and only briefly mentions the actual advertiser (lastminute.com).

"What makes it so effective?" asks Liz. In her own words..."Three things:

1. It doesn’t lie. While the video does not state up front what product it’s advertising, it doesn’t claim to be “found footage,” or an amateur recording, or anything other than what it is. In fact, it makes a big deal of mentioning up front that the production was put together by a large team of professionals. At the end, the lastminute.com text pops up, clear as anything. It isn’t exactly straightforward, but there’s no attempt at deception.
2. It’s really fun to watch. The performers are talented, the songwriting is tolerable and the hidden cameras do a great job of catching the surprised looks of those watching. I was more entertained by these three minutes than I was by the entirety of Chris Columbus’s Rent.
3. It’s relevant to the product being advertised. By capturing the looks on people’s faces as they’re ambushed by live performance, the ad is a poignant reminder of the joy of the theater. Lastminute.com is a ticket-selling service, and the swift URL drop at the end of the video connects the message to the product."

Social Media... In Plain English

Thanks to Scott Monty's Social Media blog, I just discovered Common Craft's "in plain English" digital shorts. If you haven't seen one yet, stop whatever you're doing and go check out their Web site. Using a format they call "Paperworks", the smarties at Common Craft explain subjects (mostly related to social media) "in plain English" using short, unique and understandable videos. For example, "Podcasting in plain English", "Twitter in plain English", etc. And the best part? They share them on YouTube for free. They also offer downloadable versions that are licensed for the workplace.

Here is one of my faves. "Social Media in Plain English"




Love it.

Generational Guessing?

As marketers, most of us understand the importance of identifying our target audiences BEFORE we actually begin our marketing campaigns. Ideally, these types of discovery sessions should take place before you even think about a campaign idea or strategy since the message or tactic can vary greatly depending on the audience. However, I'll be the first to admit that sometimes it can be a little tricky to actually narrow down your target demographic(s) - especially when so many demographics seem to overlap. Baby Boomers, Seniors, Generation X, Generation Y, Millennials... the list is endless.

This week, Ad Age's Kenneth Gronbach has a great primer on the top six U.S. generational markets and ideas for targeting them. If you're about to begin a audience discovery session (or even if you're in the midst of one), I'd highly recommend this article as a good place to start.

An Oscar-Worthy Promotion

Over the holiday weekend I was one of the millions of movie-goers who patiently waited in line to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Since I had been eagerly awaiting its release for months, I was all too happy to be consumed by all the pre-release hype... and there seemed to be no shortage of it. For the entire week leading up to its debut it was almost impossible to avoid Indy - reviews, sneak peeks, trailers, banner ads and countless appearances by the stars on every show from Good Morning America to SNL. It was obvious that Paramount was going to exhaust every possible marketing avenue and surprise, social media was no exception.

According to ClickZ, "Starting Wednesday morning, Paramount offered Facebook users a chance to send their friends a small digital version of Indy's iconic brown hat as a "virtual gift." While some gifts require a $1 fee, the Fedora was offered as a free sponsored gift from the studio. The Fedoras became available at 4:30am on Wednesday morning, the day before the movie hit theaters. By 3pm, all 250,000 had sold out."

And it didn't end there...

"Each Fedora gift provided a link to the movie's Facebook page, where fans could find local showings, read other users' reviews, post messages, download widgets and other applications, and view stills from the film's production. The page also included a space for users to upload videos and photos of their own, including an instructional video on "How to Crack a Whip Like Indy" and the infamous Annie Leibovitz Vanity Fair photos of Miley Cryus with a brown Fedora superimposed on her head. Paramount also ran a series of display ads on Facebook pointing users to the page. As of Thursday afternoon, the page had more than 62,000 fans."

Promoting movies on social networks is nothing new, but Paramount's campaign was impressive. They knew the buzz was building and did a great job cultivating it through the social networks with fairly straightforward viral tactics.

In my opinion, Indy came up a little short during this installment, but I still enjoyed seeing him crack his whip and make his trademark one-liners. Regardless, I have to commend Paramount on a great promotional performance. (Although I'm still waiting for my friend request from Indy to arrive.)

Struggling with measuring your online marketing initiatives?

In recent months, I've heard a number of marketers express frustration with the task of gathering solid and relevant metrics for measuring their online marketing initiatives. While it seems to be the most popular tool, Google Analytics is often times the target of our clients' ire. In a recent article in AdAge, Google's new 'Analytics Evangelist' offers up his own opinions about how marketers should be measuring their online programs. He's not shy about using the word "sucks" when referring to traditional measurement methods and he makes an interesting plea for marketers to focus more on the "why" of their online marketing campaigns. If you're one of the many who often find themselves cursing Google Analytics, it's worth the read.

The Future of Social Networking? Let's hear it for the ladies!

Pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about social networking (who uses it, why they use it and where the industry is headed) can be found in BusinessWeek's new special report on social networking. Perhaps the most interesting part of the report, is the article outlining social media's gender gap and how women are the driving force behind the increasing popularity of social networks. Quoting data from a Rapleaf study, the article states:

Among twentysomethings, women and men are just as likely to be members of social networks. Facebook, MySpace, and Flixster are extraordinarily popular. But we found that young women are much more active on these sites then young men. And men above 30—especially married men—aren't even joining social networks. With the notable exceptions of LinkedIn users and venture capitalists in the Bay Area "friending" everyone on Facebook, married men are not hanging out on social networks. Married women, however, are joining social networks in droves. In fact, women between ages 35 and 50 are the fastest-growing segment, especially on MySpace.

P.S. Don't forget to check out my favorite part of the report, the social media IQ quiz!

Reflecting on the Sabre Awards Dinner

As I traveled back from Manhattan, I had some time on the plane to write about some exciting GroundFloor Media news… GroundFloor Media is the “Best Boutique Agency to Work For,” and I was fortunate to accept this honor for the firm at the Holmes Report’s annual Sabre Awards dinner in NYC. Following a survey of close to 5,000 employees at approximately 80 of the leading public relations firms in the United States, four agencies were named the 2007 Best Agencies to Work For. We’re proud to be in the company of the best large agency, Fleishman-Hillard; the best midsize agency, Text 100; and the best small agency, Davies.

The press announcement from the Holmes Report cited GroundFloor Media’s low six percent attrition rate and high employee satisfaction, along with positive comments from our employees – who were surveyed for the award – stating that the atmosphere at GroundFloor Media is “very positive, empowering, supportive, flexible” and another citing “The people. GroundFloor Media has a team of only senior-level PR pros that respect each other, spend time with each other outside of work, encourage one another and deliver excellent client work.” It is truly an honor to receive such an award based on employee feedback, because GroundFloor Media strives to be THE agency top PR pros want to work for. Part of our culture is rooted in giving back to our community, so the fact that we won an Iron Sabre award for our Get Grounded community involvement program is also very exciting!

It was also an honor to meet other PR practitioners from agencies around the country and to hear about their best practices and challenges alike. I was fortunate to sit at a “winning” table with delightful colleagues from rbb Public Relations in Miami, 360 Public Relations in Boston and The Red Consultancy in San Francisco and New York. Each agency represented at our table won an award for their unique attributes, emphasizing how diverse the world of public relations has become. It was truly an inspiring event.

~Ramonna

Taking your investment cues from social media?

I attended the Finovate show a couple weeks ago (kind of a DEMO for innovative financial technology companies) and the main theme throughout every presentation was social media. Practically every company had figured out a way to incorporate some kind of social media element (e.g. blogging, social networking, widgets) into their product, although some did it much better than others. For many of the products, the integration of social media made sense, but I have to admit that I was a little puzzled when a few of the personal investment tools started evangelizing their own social networks. Even though I am a social media junkie, I am very cautious about where I gather my investment advice (probably because I don't have much money to actually invest with), so I tend to rely on the experts, namely my financial advisor and the guys at Barrons. Personally, I just don't feel super confident about taking stock advice from Joe Schmoe and his smiley face avatar, but apparently I'm one of the few.

An April 2008 survey by Cogent Research found that US investors are highly engaged in social media, and their investment decisions are influenced accordingly. The study found that 25% of US online adults are engaged in social media specifically related to personal finance and investing. Furthermore, almost two-thirds of high-net-worth investors - defined as those with $100,000 or more in investable assets - claimed online peer-generated content about personal investing and finance has an influence on their financial purchasing behaviors and decisions. You can read more about the study on eMarketer.

This might spell confusion for the likes of Chuck (i.e. Charles Schwab), but it definitely helps clear up my Finovate puzzlement. I guess I'm going to have to start paying closer attention to those recommendations from Joe and his smiley face after all.

A Wine Tasting for Two Outstanding Causes

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.

The wine was flowing, the food was spectacular and some of Denver’s brightest stars were in attendance, including Bob and Claudia Beauprez, LaFawn Biddle, Bill and Julie Clark (of Baby Einstein fame), former first lady Frances Owens and her daughter Monica, and our very own Katherine Davis and Laura Love (see photo).

The event, which included both a silent and a live auction, featured fabulous wines from a dozen exclusive vintners along with Morton's premium fare. Items up for auction included a winery visit and tasting for four at the Joseph Phelps Vineyards, an in-home three-course dinner for eight prepared by Morton’s executive chef, a 3-liter bottle of wine autographed by Avalanche and Nuggets players, as well as jewelry, vacations, wines, spa packages and more.

The event raised more than $72,000 for the two centers. An outstanding sum, no doubt, but the organizations can always use more. With that in mind, here comes the unabashed plug for your support – please take a minute to visit their Web sites at http://www.childabuse.org/ and http://www.thirdwaycenter.org/.

The event coincided with National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. But to make sure that Colorado’s kids are top priority every month of the year, check out the Children’s Action Agenda on Tennyson Center’s Web site – http://www.childabuse.org/ecm-caa.html. Tennyson Center and the Every Child Matters Education Fund have partnered to present this legislative agenda prepared by a coalition of children’s organizations and advocates. By signing it, you can help Colorado take a giant step toward improving the lives of all of its children.

Is your target audience using social media?

Most marketers I speak to are really excited by the prospect of using social media to create brand awareness or publicize a new product. The inherent viral nature that social media offers companies makes it impossible not to be excited, however, it's also important to know WHO you're hoping to reach with social media before you start tossing budget dollars at Facebook.

There is a great article in AdAge today that asks "Is your consumer using social media?". While this may seem like a natural question for marketers who are thinking about executing a social media campaign, you'd be surprised by how many neglect to ask themselves (or their marketing/PR firm) that simple question from the get-go. After all, if you're marketing the latest version of the Jitterbug phone (a cell phone designed specifically for seniors; my Nana loves hers), perhaps a Twitter campaign isn't the best use of your budget, right?

So if you have a few minutes, I'd encourage you to read AdAge's article. The author includes profiles of specific demographics (i.e. divorcees, stay-at-home moms, first-time home buyers, etc.) and how much they actually use social media. While your target audience may not be included in their list, don't be dismayed. Just take this as a friendly reminder to do a little of your own social media due diligence before you take that leap into social media marketing.

I admit it... I am a taco.

It's Cinco de Mayo and nearing lunch time, so it's the perfect time to come out of the closet and admit that I am a taco through and through. I'm conscientious and a perfectionist and sometimes I tend to take over projects (although I prefer the term "leading" to "taking over")... I can become pretty engrossed in my work - but that makes me an ideal worker, at least according to Dr. Alan Hirsch.

Together with Qdoba Mexican Grill, Dr. Hirsch completed a fun new study to help people realize their Q-dentity, also known as what your Mexican food preferences say about your personality. GroundFloor Media dreamed up the Q-dentity concept and worked together with Dr. Hirsch and our great clients at Qdoba to bring this fun concept to life. Wonder what your Q-dentity is? Simply follow this link and all will be revealed: www.qdoba.com/qdentity.

For the record, GroundFloor Media's office is filled with a blend of burritos (they crave excitement), quesadillas (dependable), chips & salsa (achievement oriented), taco salad (easy going), nachos (self sufficient) and us tacos. Be sure to ask your GroundFloor Media friends about their Q-dentity next time you talk to them! You'll be surprised how revealing their Mexican food personalities and yours can be!

Social Media for Non-Profits

Attention all non-profits... If you've ever wondered how you can harness the power of social media to help promote your cause, increase membership or aid fundraising, I highly recommend this article in yesterday's Chicago Tribune. The author, Wailin Wong, offers some great case studies that might get your own social media minds a-churning.

Today is Teach Children to Save Day

I find it interesting that John McCain recently made a comment about “financially irresponsible citizens” and the Colorado’s Governor Ritter proposed legislation last month to revamp the school system with more rigorous classes and assessment tools. It is evident that financial education for children is top of mind among leaders and it is definitely a necessity. With an unstable economy, the current mortgage crisis and America’s consumer debt now exceeding $2.4 trillion there must be something done to teach our children, the next generation of leaders, how to be fiscally responsible.

April is designated as Financial Literacy month and April 29 is Teach Children to Save Day. One GroundFloor Media client, Young Americans Center for Financial Education, is dedicated to the financial education of young people in Colorado, the United States and around the world. In celebration of Teach Children to Save Day, Young Americans Center for Financial Education conducted a survey of more than 600 local children between the ages of seven and 13 to find out more about allowance and spending habits. Why did they choose allowance as the survey topic? Because financial literacy begins with allowance. Financial skills can be taught as early as age four and allowance is usually the first introduction of money to kids.

The survey found that nearly 75 percent of kids receive an allowance and only 42 percent save a percentage of their allowance money. Not a great finding when it comes to saving. The key is to teach children how to manage and save money at an early age so their successful spending and saving habits will continue into adulthood. Young Americans Center for Financial Education teaches kids about saving, spending, donating and investing money. There is also an entire program dedicated to entrepreneurial ventures.

Young Americans Bank is the only FDIC-insured bank in the world for kids under the age of 22. Clients are children from all 50 states and 12 foreign countries. Kids can open an account two different ways: by mail or by visiting the bank in Denver. Young Americans Center for Financial Education is the nonprofit arm of Young Americans Bank. Since 1987, more than 360,000 kids have participated in financial literacy courses held by the center.

Young Americans Center for Financial Education offers Saturday classes for customers, with topics ranging from Savings Smarts to Budgeting to International Currency. These free classes are age appropriate and include hands-on activities. Weeklong summer camps for 2nd – 7th graders are also available. Classes and camps are held at the Cherry Creek location, 3550 E. First Avenue in Denver, or at the Belmar location, 401 S. Pierce Street in Lakewood.

For more information, visit yacenter.org or call 303-321-BANK.


- Alexandre

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

I was skimming The Aurora Sentinel last week when I came across an impactful article written by Boyd Fletcher on the topic of child abuse. Boyd and I have worked together for the past two years on multiple stories about The Children’s Hospital and it did not come as a surprise to me to see his most recent coverage of a topic that is so important to the folks at The Children’s Hospital.

Unlike many of the other articles Boyd has written, this one was more serious in nature and certainly touched my heart as I am expecting my first baby in July. In all honesty, it is quite difficult to think or even read about the topic of child abuse. It is even more unfathomable to imagine an individual shaking a baby so violently that it could cause permanent brain damage to the baby. I can’t tell you how many of my mommy friends have shared with me all the joys of being a new parent, however, they have certainly been honest and told me it is hard work. Just like my friends have told me, the Web site (dontshakeababy.com) agrees that as a parent, you have limited energy, patience and tolerance, and it's normal to feel overwhelmed, helpless and angry by the constant demands of your baby.

However, it is important for all moms to know that is normal to ask for help. In all my parenting classes, all the instructors can’t stress the importance of seeking advice, friends and family support, and just taking a five minute break from the stressful situation. As a mom-to-be, I was thrilled to find the following five tips for consoling a crying baby and already printed off the document and posted it on my frig. A friendly reminder can’t hurt any of us!

· Talk to your child's doctor. There may be a medical reason why the baby is crying so much · Seek parenting support - Families First offers a 24-hour family support line at 1-877-695-7996 OR call free child abuse hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). These hotlines are free and they will listen to you, offer emergency help, then direct you to local agencies that can help you and answer your questions.
· Call a friend and talk about it
· Let the baby cry it out if you have tried to calm him, but nothing seems to work
· Call the doctor if you think the baby may be sick

For the past three years, The Children’s Hospital, in partnership with The Kempe Foundation for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect and Kohl’s Department Stores, has implemented a Colorado campaign to educate the community about the dangers of shaking a baby and to offer solutions for how to calm a crying baby. A severe form of Child Abuse, about one child per week was admitted to The Children’s Hospital with signs of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) in 2003.

To learn more about The Children’s Hospital’s efforts to prevent child abuse, visit www.thechildrenhospital.org or read Boyd’s article.

Good Crisis Communications Article for Other Adrenaline Junkies

I’ve earned the reputation as GroundFloor Media’s “crisis communications queen,” and I take that as a compliment. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and I do enjoy guiding clients through challenging situations ~ although I don’t wish such challenging situations on anyone.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review highlights some good reminders for those of us who deal with crisis communications on regular basis. From communicating sincerely, right away and from the top to communicating with your customers wherever they are, the article touches on things we’ve all probably learned in the past, but that we may forget in the heat of the crisis.

I hope you enjoy the article:
http://conversationstarter.hbsp.com/2008/04/american_airlines_communicatio.html

~Ramonna

Investing in Colorado’s Green Future

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.

Happy Earth Day!

After living in Boulder for close to ten years, it’s hard to not pick up a few green habits. For example, I recycle everything I can, I use reusable canvas bags for all my shopping and I switched out all my old light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs. However, I still have significant room for improvement and I’m committed to really amping up my efforts this Spring and Summer (bring on the Hybrid!). From the conversations I’ve had lately, it sounds like a lot of you guys are too. So in honor of Earth Day, and in hopes of giving everyone a little greening motivation (myself included), I thought it would be fun to highlight what a few of our clients are doing to make their own worlds a little greener.

Rally Software: Rally’s commitment to sustainability was built into their company from day one. Rally’s use of a Software-as-a-Service delivery model eliminates much of the waste that is traditionally associated with software products (boxes, cds, special server hardware, etc.). Rally’s founder and CTO Ryan Martens has worked tirelessly to spread the concept of “Greening the Software Industry” by speaking on the topic at several major industry conferences and authoring numerous articles and white papers.

Internally, the company has formed a “Green Team” that meets once a month to define company-wide green objectives and make specific commitments towards their achieving them. This month, the focus is on implementing an internal composting program, next month the focus will be on reducing its employees’ commuting emissions. Rally also participates in Boulder’s “Be Climate Smart” initiative, a countywide effort to help individuals, families and businesses increase their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint. As part of this program, Rally buys Renewable Energy Credits to cover the energy used to power and cool their production servers with 100% carbon free wind energy.

You can read more about Rally’s sustainability efforts by visiting the Green Brainstorm hive in their Web 2.0 community, Agile Commons.

Corporate Express: Corporate Express is one of the world’s largest business-to-business suppliers of essential office and computer products and services and a great example of a large corporation making a significant commitment to sustainability. The company’s new line of Sustainable Earth cleaning products includes naturally-derived active ingredients and no harsh chemicals like carcinogens, nervous system toxins, harsh acids or reproductive toxins. Corporate Express made sure these products also met or exceeded the stringent sustainability certifications of Green Seal, the most widely recognized name in environmental cleaning products standards, and the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program, which seeks to promote the use of institutional cleaners with improved environmental and human health characteristics.

Internally, Corporate Express is doing their part to decrease fuel usage and truck emissions by using an advanced delivering routing technology that helps reduce idling, among other factors. The company is also planning to convert a portion of their fleet to biodiesel, which they hope to pilot by mid-2008. And they’re currently testing hybrid diesel-electric delivery trucks for future expansion into their fleet.

You can learn more about what Corporate Express is doing on the sustainability front here.

Colorado Garden Show: One organization that is really putting their green thumb to good use this Earth Day is Colorado Garden Show Inc., a nonprofit corporation that provides funds for horticultural-related grants, scholarships and events. This year, Colorado Garden Show will provide grants around the state to support programs such as a major grant to Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado for planting 1,000 trees on Arbor Day; a children’s garden for Advocates Against Domestic Assault; native plants and signage for Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo; and a gathering garden for Montrose Botanical Society.

Since the program launched, Colorado Garden Show has awarded more than $2.5 million for horticultural projects and scholarships throughout the state. You can learn more about the Colorado Garden Show here.

Finally, if you’re feeling a little inadequate now after reading about these impressive green initiatives, don’t. There are a number of green ideas that are quick and easy to implement at home or at the office that can really make a difference. For example, the Fuser.com team up in Boulder has a few suggestions:

• Recycle paper, cans and bottles


• Set your office lights on timers, so they are shut off at night even if someone forgets and leaves them on


• Set up your offices and bathrooms with motion detector light switches (so they go on when you walk in a room)

I know I’m now way past my word-limit for this post, but I hope these examples have been able to inspire you (even a little) to go forth and be green.

Happy Earth Day!

GFsM takes flight

Unless you've been living completely off the grid, it has become impossible to dispute the dramatic impact that social media has had on the public relations industry during recent years. Initially many of us in the PR world dismissed social media as just an outlet for blatantly biased rants or boring personal narratives. However, as we've watched the popularity of social media mediums like blogs, social networking sites, podcasts and social tagging grow during recent years, their importance to marketers has become undeniable.

In essence, social media has transformed consumers from content readers to content publishers. This shift requires not only a new line of thinking for PR teams, but a new set of strategies, tactics and metrics. We've already had the pleasure of working with a few of our existing clients to help them leverage the social media universe to their benefit and now we're excited to expand on that experience.

Today, we're very excited to officially unveil the GroundFloor Social Media program (GFsM). We developed this program to provide companies with creative and intelligent recommendations for utilizing the social media universe to help further their marketing and PR goals. Ever wondered if you should launch your own corporate blog or how you could leverage the popularity of Facebook to reach a new audience? Our GFsM team will work with you to develop and implement a customized social media outreach program that can help you:

· Build a blogosphere presence
· Spread your message through social networks and online communities
· Socialize, share and extend the shelf-life of your news and thought leadership content
· Add viral and visual components to enhance your existing marketing and PR campaigns

We're also going to start really practicing what we preach here at GFM, so be sure to check back here often as we offer insightful commentary and real world tips for marketers in a Web 2.0 world. You can also check us out on Facebook (http://groundfloormedia.blogspot.com/) and follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com//groundfloorpr.

So buckle up social media marketers! It's already been a wild ride and I don't expect it slow down anytime soon!

He’s my Brad Pitt of the News Media

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.

Spring is abuzz with change for a GFM client

It’s the end of the ski season and I’m jumping up and down that spring is here, bringing pink blooms on my trees, weekend camping trips, and margs on the patio. But, I also have a tinge of regret at seeing the last runs close down and an epic season wrap up. I have similar feelings about the news that Umbria was acquired by J.D. Power on April 2nd.

A GroundFloor Media client for three years, Umbria is one of those rare companies that you talk up even when you’re off the clock. It’s just plain cool and stocked with smart people. It’s on the cutting edge of Web 2.0, but still reeks of Boulder…in a good way.

For those who follow the social media research industry (Umbria’s milieu), the acquisition was hardly a surprise – the news was more about who was doing the acquiring. That’s because Umbria is one of many new-school research companies that has been paired with an older-school counterpart in recent years. BuzzMetrics, Intelliseek and Cymfony met similar fates, and we’re all guessing who’s next.

A big congrats goes out to the Umbria team, as well as to the brains at J.D. Power who are keeping Umbria’s talent and Boulder location in tact! It’s been awesome to watch them move fast and furiously from the startup cradle to “graduation,” and we’ve been proud to be associated with them along the way.

Buzz analysis is mind-blowing stuff and it’s just now moving up the bell curve. It’ll be fun to take stock of the industry after making my last runs on next year’s spring slush.

~Rebecca S.

Advice on "Punk Marketing"

GroundFloor Media has the honor of working with Qdoba Mexican Grill as their public relations agency of record, and Carissa and I had the opportunity to attend Qdoba’s annual “Mind Meld” marketing meetings in Phoenix last week. The biggest “industry trend” tackled during the conference was non-traditional marketing, and attendees were asked to read the book “Punk Marketing” by Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons in advance. Richard and Mark were also the guest speakers on the first day of the Mind Meld.

I found “Punk Marketing” to be an interesting read. My favorite part is that the authors give you permission – even encourage you – to read the book in whatever order most interests you (not from front to back). I was able to skip around and pull out the pieces most relevant to me, which was very helpful. A couple of things stuck out that I’d like to share.

First, the stats on page 134 about consumer distrust of marketing are staggering. The authors share that “less than a quarter of consumers think companies tell the truth when they market” and that only “10 percent think advertising practitioners are honest.” This points us to what the authors surmise and what Seth Godin continually shares: marketing efforts must be honest. Messages and claims must be truthful. As a PR practitioner, I’m fortunate that GroundFloor Media is based on the principle of partnering with clients who have great stories to tell. Being honest is easy for me. I wish the same for my colleagues in the industry because it sure makes the job rewarding!

The other tidbit I’d like to share from “Punk Marketing” isn’t brain surgery, but it’s an “ah ha” that I think we all need to be reminded of in this busy, multi-task-driven society in which we live. As the authors aptly note, in age when we’re all connected through mobile phones and BlackBerries and e-mail and social networks, “no one is communicating anymore.” They provide some very simple, valid tips on page nine that I think we could all benefit from. My three favorites are:-#3 “During dinner, just sit there. Put down the device and pay attention to the person you’re with…”-#7 “If you’re asked a question, put everything down! Give undivided attention…”and-#4 “Do yourself a favor and don’t prove yourself a bad speller…” (those who know me will not be surprised that this one landed on my list)

If you’re looking for a good read, I can recommend “Punk Marketing,” and if you only have limited time to read, like most of us, I recommend starting with the tips on page nine. And for my fellow PR practitioners, I’d then skip to chapter nine. The rest is up to you.

~Ramonna

Thinking about launching a corporate blog?

If you've been pondering the idea of launching a corporate blog, you should check out a great article on Ad Age's Web site today: http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=126326.

According to the article, just more than 11% of Fortune 500 companies have corporate blogs and only a handful have a designated chief blogger. The number of corporate blogs has risen slowly and steadily since the end of 2005, when 4% had any kind of blog.

Here at GFM, we've been working with a number of clients on developing a corporate blog strategy. While consistency and transparency still reign supreme in our opinion, this article makes a good point about fleshing out your reasoning for blogging (e.g. humanize the company) before the blogging begins.

Savings Meets Web 2.0

When my husband and I were knee-deep in wedding planning a couple years ago we were constantly getting asked where we were registered. We had both lived as single adults for a number of years before getting engaged, so we didn’t need another toaster oven or a new set of dishes. What we really wanted was cash for our honeymoon trip to Brazil, but wedding etiquette prevented us from mentioning this to most of our guests. I had heard of honeymoon gift sites that would allow guests to contribute to a couple’s trip, but the couple sites that I found offered very limited options and didn’t seem very reliable.

Fast forward two years and now I’m working with a company that I sorely wish was around when I was still alter bound. Launched earlier this week, SmartyPig (www.smartypig.com) is goal-oriented savings meets Web 2.0. It combines social networking with savings to help people save for a specific goal (e.g. honeymoon, new HD TV, baby furniture, family vacation) – but with three unique twists that actually help users reach their savings goals faster. First, SmartyPig is the only online savings tool that leverages Web 2.0 technologies to allow account holders to make their savings accounts public – so family and friends can securely contribute to a savings goal. Second, SmartyPig currently offers the highest (4.30 % APY) interest rate and will always maintain a competitive interest rate for account holders. Finally, SmartyPig gives consumers even more for their money by offering additional cash boosts (up to five percent of total savings) from best-in-class retailer partners like Amazon.com, Royal Caribbean, Pottery Barn, Best Buy and Home Depot once they reach their savings goal.

The response to SmartyPig so far has been tremendous. Consumers, personal financial pundits and technologists are all loving SmartyPig for taking such a simple and smart idea and making it a reality. (You can read what folks are saying at http://www.smartypig.com/press.) For me, I’m so excited that a company has developed a way to actually keep me interested in saving by adding elements that appeal directly to my social networking addiction. I only wish they’d been around before I got married – maybe I’d have one less waffle maker and wouldn’t still be paying off my honeymoon debt.

PR and software development may have more in common than you might think...

As one of GFM's "technology specialists" and a self-proclaimed nerd, I take a lot of pleasure in sharing my technology-related loves with my fellow GFMers. While they may not always share my passion for the latest Web 2.0 technology or sympathize with me when I'm trying to kick my Twitter habit, they're always open to learning more and willing to try new things. It's one of the things I love about working at GFM.

A few months ago, GFM began working with Rally Software, a provider of on-demand Agile software lifecycle management solutions. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Agile development practices, it's a type of software engineering that promotes development iterations throughout the life-cycle of the project. In other words, it makes better software faster in a more people-centric way. There are numerous principles, methodologies and processes behind Agile, but one of the more well known is the daily scrum or daily stand-up. Stand-ups are short team meetings (team members stand in order to keep the meetings short - usually under 15 minutes) where each member shares their work commitments for that day, schedule updates and identifies any obstacles that might prevent them from reaching their daily goals. The goal of the stand-up is to foster team building and - for lack of better words - get things done quicker.

Having worked with multiple software companies through the years, I've been exposed to Agile on a number of different levels. (If you've ever noticed a wall full of insanely organized post-it notes while walking through a cube farm, chances are you have too.) However, my recent tenure with Rally, where every team - including the marketing team - does stand-ups, has been my first experience of being able to actually participate in daily stand-ups. And I have to confess, I've become a big fan. It's like making yourself publicly accountable for your daily to-do list while also hearing about all the cool things your other team members are working on. After most stand-ups I walk back to my computer thinking "I'm up-to-speed, I'm committed for the day... and it's only 9:15." Love it.

After witnessing the virtues of stand-ups first hand, Laura and Ramonna had the brilliant idea to replace our bi-monthly staff meeting with our own semi-weekly stand-ups at GFM. Yes, we're a PR firm, but it's a good idea and who ever said that software developers had the monopoly on good ideas? We're calling them the :19 @ 9 and we're starting them next week.

I'm very excited to share my fondness for stand-ups with my GFM friends and for them to have their own Agile experience. I'll keep you posted on our stand-up success!

Tasty Tips

GroundFloor Media has a number of restaurant clients and, as someone who loves to eat I am lucky enough to help dream up delicious PR tactics to help keep these clients in the news! I recently came across an article from the AP about how other food lovers have leveraged the internet to share critiques of their favorite foods through food-related blogs. Even more interesting, the food companies whose food these bloggers review are finding unique ways to put their offerings in front of these online critics - who aren't afraid to start food fights if the food items aren't up to snuff.

Enjoy this article - it's deliciously interesting and I guarantee you'll find yourself bookmarking some of these sites and coming back for seconds! http://tinyurl.com/3bnpzv

Great Q&A Primer on Social Media for Marketers

AdAge just published a great Q&A article for marketers who might be afraid they've missed (or are about to miss) the social media marketing train. It answers a few basic questions about core social media elements like blogging and also provides a handy case study and industry stats. It's worth a read, especially if you've always wondered what SMO stands for (don't worry, you're not alone).

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=125708

"Best of" for Boards

A fellow EO member, Bob Arciniaga, Managing Partner of Advisory Board Architects just launched his long-awaited blog. If you get a chance, check out www.boardbestpractices.com . There is some great content around board best practices and issues surrounding board effectiveness. If you manage a board or serve on a board, this is a great resource. They are also looking for guest contributors for subject matter expertise.

GFM Cooks Up a Good Time at Cook Street

In the heart of Denver’s historic LoDo district, sits a cutting edge 3,000-square foot kitchen where we all gathered Monday night to try our hand whipping up a Tuscan dinner. After a few glasses of wine, we all gathered around a custom, white maple butcher block bench, and the lessons are executed on commercial-grade gas cook-tops, in a professional Combi oven and a granite demonstration island equipped with halogen burners. A small team gathered to learn the art of creating a delicious red pepper risotto with Frico. Frico? Yes, the formation of these beautiful parmesan cheese crisps became second nature to our own Kristina Reilly. She ended up taking over the lesson and showing all of us how to throw cheese in a pan, heat it up and pour it over a small glass to create a beautiful cheese cup. I could be wrong, but I think she may have been auditioning for Top Chef and hoping for the next open spot in the cooking school. My team was busy learning the fine art of grilling by practicing our hand with a Grilled T-Bone slathered with garlic, lemon and olive oil. Anyone care to know what Dry-Aged beef actually means? Don’t ask Ramonna. She will throw her hands up over her ears and run screaming back to the Risotto team. S-C-A-B.

GFM Mixes with Fairies and Goblins at the 49th Annual Colorado Garden & Home Show

4 a.m. is awfully early in the morning to be getting up for an event, especially when the local coffee shop isn’t even open. Then try walking into the Colorado Garden & Home Show’s Enchanted Garden and running into fairies, goblins and trolls when the lights aren’t all the way up…oh my! These life-like creatures, in addition to a 10-foot-tall moving tree, bursting bridge and rolling sod were created by LaFondFX Special Effects. Lou LaFond and Town & Country Landscaping created a spectacular visual display for the media and lots of fun for our team to pitch. Our early mornings meeting up with news crews were only the icing on the cake.


Alexandre and I walked the show floor the day before opening to check out more than 16 inspiring landscaped gardens with rich colors, fragrances and textures. The gardens contain more than 15,000 blooming flowers comprised of 75 varieties of annuals, perennials and bulbs, and hundreds of flowering trees and shrubs. More than 100 tons of boulders and rocks, 2,000 truckloads of fresh recycled mulch, waterfalls, ponds and streams, paths and elevated walkways and bridges all add to the gardens’ living nature. The gardens that impressed me the most were the student gardens and Cowpolk’s Hangout themed garden. It is nice to see a bit of Texas in Colorado now and then. All the while I kept thinking, please, please come over and dig up my pathetic backyard. If they can move in and create these gardens in less than 72 hours, just think of what my yard could look like in one weekend!

On a serious note, the ladies from the Flower Competition mean business. We hung out and watched the Colorado Federation of Garden Club members create their designs around the theme of “It’s About Time” with creative displays, floral arrangements with titles such as “Light Years Away,” “Time Marches On,” “Time in a Bottle,” “The Minute Waltz,” and “Frozen in Time.” The competition is so fierce that Avalonne Kosanke (that's her in the picture on the right) wouldn’t even stop more than 60 seconds to tell us about her design. Eye on the prize, baby. We learned it is all about the ribbon and gloating rights.

The show transforms 400,000 square feet of the Convention Center into a virtual marketplace of ideas. It’s a one-stop shopping and learning event on all things related to plants, gardens, gracious outdoor living, and the hottest new gardening and home improvement products and services. More than 600 companies from 25 states and Canada will introduce new technologies in energy-efficient heating and cooling products, window treatments, siding, flooring, lighting, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, patio furniture, gutters, sound systems, storage systems, greenhouses, decks, spas and more.

And if I ever won the Lotto? I’d have my kitchen remodeled by Homestead Cabinet & Furniture. The company specializes in creating custom cabinetry out of lumber recovered from old barns, buildings, & bridges. This green product is unique, creative and second to none in originality--although the armoire on display came with a hefty price tag of $20,000.Yes, 20 Gs.

~Amy M.

2nd Annual Ground Hog Day Bash

Our team celebrated our 2nd Annual Ground Hog Day Bash at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colorado. If you have the opportunity to spend a weekend there, you should definitely take advantage of it.(http://www.devilsthumbranch.com/). They are located in the Colorado Rocky Mountains – just ten minutes from Winter Park. If you love the outdoors, know that the Ranch encompasses 5000 acres at the foot of the Continental Divide. Without coming off sounding like an ad for the Ranch, it has a world-renowned cross-country ski center, 5,000 acres of meadow, forest, fishing streams and ponds and has a barn full of not-so-wild horses, mules and cattle for the kids. The new lodge had just opened a few weeks before our arrival. Although there were some new construction kinks that were yet to be ironed out, it was beautiful. There is a three-story, six-sided fireplace in the new restaurant that was created entirely from stones found at a nearby rockslide. Much of the interior trim finish wood is reclaimed beetle kill pine. The kids loved the game room and miniature bowling alley.

The adults liked the hot tub and the food. You can tell that the Men of GFM loved their new hoodies!

Thanks to everyone who spent the weekend celebrating our 6th year in business!

Happy New Year...

As we celebrate the New Year, it is always refreshing and energizing to look back and realize just how much happened in a mere 365 days. Together our team managed to find new office space and make a massive move, pull off a great concert at Red Rocks, run a ½ marathon together, survive our first Ground Hog Day party, spruce up City Park, move The Children’s Hospital across town, make a reality competition come to life, increased our Web design capabilities and social marketing expertise, win a few awards, bring some new babies into the GFM family and help celebrate a wedding and celebrate an engagement.

We were lucky enough to work with America on the Move again, and have a first-time opportunity to partner with Fuser, Rally, Qdoba, Corporate Express, Colorado Garden Show, Point B and VICORP (just to name a few). As we look back on this year, we have much to be thankful for. I can’t imagine what we will be able to look back and say at the end of this coming Leap Year!

Happy New Year - Laura

Our Get Grounded Program Goes Global

While my colleagues were busy settling into our new office, helping The Children’s Hospital move across town and producing and directing a reality show competition, I had the opportunity to experience a different kind of reality. In early September, I joined 22 other volunteers from across the country in Ladakh, India as part of the dZi Foundation’s (www.dzifoundation.org) dental and vision clinic. During the course of a week, we partnered with The Himalayan Dental Relief Project (HDRP) to bring dental care to 484 children in that region -- ages 3 to 18. We also screened more than 700 kids in the vision clinic. If the child required glasses, we measured the refraction of their eyes and assembled prescription glasses immediately, on a no-fee basis. How did we do this on the spot? The fabulous Foco-Meter. The Foco-Meter is an amazing instrument, the size of a soda can, and does not use electricity. Once we measure the refraction of the child’s eyes, we can create a pair of prescription glasses by using generic frames and interchangeable lenses. Additionally, when a child has more than a refractive correction and needs a lens specifically ground, the team would e-mail the prescription to Delhi. The prescription lenses are then ground and put on the plane and flown up to Ladakh within the week. The glasses are distributed to the child by dZi’s in-country staff and then the child is re-tested to make sure the glasses are perfect.

People often ask if I had training in either field. Truth is, I have an incredible fear of dentists and I am blinder than a bat. Fortunately, the program directors were wonderful and worked with each one of us so we felt confident in our respective roles prior to ‘suiting up’ the first day of the clinic. I was given the role of registering each child as they entered the clinic as well as teaching them about dental hygiene while they waited to see the doctors. My new friend, Patti Cogswell, and I spent hours singing songs (quite comical given the language barrier) and holding a giant plastic mouth and enormous toothbrush as we demonstrated the best way to properly brush their teeth.


If you ever have the opportunity to get away and volunteer, be sure to consider the dZi Foundation. The organization was founded nearly a decade ago with the desire to give back to the people of Nepal, a society which had so openly accepted the dZi founders into their culture. In 1997, founders Kim Reynolds and Jim Nowak, on one of their many trekking and climbing trips to Nepal, were inspired to support a small Kathmandu safe house for girls at risk, called The Friendship House. Following successful fundraising for the safe house, and several more climbing and trekking trips in Nepal, the decision was made to expand the foundations efforts.

When I started GroundFloor Media nearly six and a half years ago, I told myself I would take some time off after I hit the five-year mark. As you can imagine, time off while growing a business is hard to come by. Fortunately, I am now surrounded by an incredible team who I trust with my life. I feel blessed by all that we have and wanted to give back to those who have not been as fortunate. My time in India is really difficult to describe. Suffice it to say, the friendships I developed and the children I was privileged enough to work with, changed my life.

Namaste - Laura

What do a magician, a palm reader and an elf have in common? GroundFloor Media of course!

Yep, you read that right. Last Thursday we officially unveiled our new office to friends, family and clients with a Holiday Open House that included a magician, a pair of face-painting elves, a palm reader and, of course, plenty of fabulous food and drink (thank you Whirled Peas catering). While it might sound a bit more like a carnival than a holiday party, no one can say they didn’t have a great time!

The appropriately named magician, Magic Rob, was by far the favorite of the kids – providing them an endless supply of balloon animals, flowers and weaponry (I’m still waiting for my sword). For the adult guests, the palm reader kept everyone entertained with fortunes that were a mixture of eerily spot-on and downright hilarious. Whether the fortunes were right or wrong - and I guess we’ll have to wait a while longer before we know for sure - they were definitely entertaining and offered guests a great way to break the ice and get to know each other a little better.


Thanks to everyone who helped make our open house a success (shout out to Carrie and Kristina) and to all our friends, family, clients and business partners who took the time to come share a cup of eggnog with us all. We are truly blessed.

Happy Holidays!!!

GFM's Flu Team Strikes Again!

The bad news: It’s flu season again (groan). The good news: Last Saturday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment provided the public with free flu vaccines as part of the largest mass vaccination exercise in the country. And GroundFloor Media was there – at the Denver County “dispensing site” in a parking lot near Coors Field and at the state health department’s command center – to lend a helping hand.

About 12,000 people in Colorado received a free flu vaccination as every public health agency in the state tested its plans to vaccinate a large number of people in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza. The National Guard and Blackhawk helicopters helped deliver some of the vaccine stockpile to the southern-most corners of the state. (Ramonna tried to hitch a ride, but she couldn’t pass security clearance.) It was a well-oiled, three-day event that was three years in the making.

Amy and Katherine were on hand to facilitate media interview requests with Dr. Ned Calonge, the state’s chief medical officer – and ODd on peanut butter cookies.

The good news: Coloradoans rose to the challenge and came out in droves to help emergency workers prepare for a health pandemic. The bad news: We don’t know where to find more of those good cookies!

The Real World - GFM Style!

Nine strangers. Picked to live in a house in downtown Denver. And have their lives taped for three days. To find out what happens when an emergency strikes – and you’re not properly prepared.

“Reality TV producer” is another title GroundFloor Media can now tout. Don’t believe us? Check out www.WhatIfColorado.com/episodes.asp to watch all the fun – and meet Bob, Cameron, James, Julia, Kary, Ken, Matthew, Michael and Sophie, our good-spirited contestants!

The reality competition was part of “What If? Colorado,” a statewide campaign launched in July 2007 to educate Coloradoans about the need for emergency preparedness. Sponsored by the Emergency Preparedness and Response Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the campaign invited Colorado residents to submit an audition video to participate in the “What If?” reality competition. We asked applicants to answer one question in their video: “In an emergency, what five items could you not live without and why?”

Boy, did we get some interesting (and in some cases, entertaining) answers! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3BrbU_TfpQ] More than 120 adventurous people from across the state auditioned for the show, and after our team of experts at the health department helped whittle down the contestant pool to 31 semi-finalists, the public voted online for their favorite finalists – and the rest is history!

Do you know what items belong in a home emergency preparedness kit? Could you rustle up a tasty and nutritious meal if you couldn’t go to the grocery store for several days or weeks? Could you survive a night without power, water or outside communication? What would you need to bring in the event of an evacuation? How can you help prevent the spread of influenza? We put our contestants to the test, and without spoiling the surprise, the overall winner received a cash grand prize of $2,500.

And how did GroundFloor Media fare? Well, after a week of hauling props and designing “emergencies,” we all felt a bit like walking disasters ourselves! But the competition turned out better than any of us ever anticipated – and the laughs we shared throughout the process made all those sleepless nights worthwhile. Now, we’re excited and ready for the sequel!

The Best Place to Work!

What an awesome honor to have our employees exclaim that GroundFloor Media is the best small company in Denver to work for! That’s what happened this morning when GroundFloor Media accepted the #1 Best Place to Work honor (small company category) at the Denver Business Journal’s annual awards breakfast.

The award is based on a confidential “Employee Engagement” survey that measures items across 10 different themes including team effectiveness, people practices and trust. And the survey was conducted during September 2007 – the busiest month yet in our growing company’s history!

We’re proud to have survived five new baby boys, the media relations surrounding the move of one of the nation’s most prestigious children’s hospitals, the launch of a reality competition for the State of Colorado and several new product and service launches throughout the past year. Our team members are truly amazing, and their hard work, dedication and penchant for laughter really do make GroundFloor Media the best place to work!

~Ramonna

Thanksgiving is in the air…

There is a great a deal to give thanks for this holiday season so today we celebrated with an early Thanksgiving lunch. I personally give thanks for my great group of co-workers who collectively survived a reality competition, an Ancho Chile Barbeque Sauce launch, a massive hospital move, a client product launch that was rescheduled twice, several pancake pitches “on the fly,” and an office move in 48 hours – all within 30 days. Now we can move into the holiday season and celebrate new arrivals, new engagements, new clients and a new office that is starting to feel a lot like home.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone - Laura