Vote

Today's the day.

Regardless of which candidates you support, or what your opinion is on any number of ballot measures, today is the day when all of the talk, promises and rhetoric fades away, and you get to take action.

However you choose to do so, and whichever candidates you choose to do it for:

Vote.

REMINDER: Concert for the Cure

This is your friendly reminder that Think Pink's Concert for the Cure is coming up this Saturday, November 8th.

The doors open at 7:00pm and the concert kicks off at 8:00pm at the Visual Arts Collective.

Technorati tags: think pink, concert for the cure, visual arts collective

On Finding and Hiring the Right People

It's no secret that I think Bart Cleveland of McKee Wallwork Cleveland is one of the best writers contributing to the Ad Age Small Agency Diary.

His most recent piece is another winner:
Hiring the Right People Is a No-Brainer (Finding Them Is Like Brain Surgery)

A sample from the article:

Time allows you to get to know someone. Time reveals someone's subtle characteristics. Not just negatives, but positives too. I've hired people who I at first believed weren't really the right fit, but over time, I discovered the real person behind the first impression. You must be willing to take your time if you want a staff whose sum is greater than its parts.

Take the time to read the entire thing. As always, it's full of Bart's practical wisdom and a common sense that is too often overlooked.

Technorati tags: bart cleveland, mckee wallwork cleveland, ad age, ad age small agency diary

Job Opening - Wordpress Coder / Designer

From the Boise Craigslist:

A local online marketing firm is looking for a wordpress professional who is proficient in coding and designing for clients using wordpress to develop their websites and blogs.

The "online marketing firm" is not identified, but full details about the position can be found here.

Technorati tags: craigslist, wordpress coder job opening, wordpress designer job opening

New Hire at Carew Co

Following on the heels of their recent move into a larger office space, Carew Co. has added to their staff.

Ryan Lascano has joined the shop as a Graphic Designer. Ryan was previously with Noot Group in Boise, and will be working in both online and print environments at Carew Co. Ryan is a graduate of The Art Institute of California - Orange County.

Congratulations Ryan.

Technorati tags: carew co, ryan lascano, noot group, the art institute of california - orange county

REMINDER: Coffee Morning

It'll be here before you know it...

This month's Coffee Morning is scheduled for this Friday, October 24th, at Java on 6th and Main in Boise starting at (or around) 7:30 am.

See you there.

Technorati tags: coffee morning, java

Taking Action in an Uncertain Environment

There’s no way around it. The waters of today’s business environment are murky at best. You name it, it’s in turmoil – financial markets, housing markets, the list goes on and on. And yes, that impact is felt even here in Idaho.

Call it what you may – a slowdown, an economic downturn, or even the dreaded ‘r’ word that is recession – we’re in it. It affects agencies, their business, and their clients. Like it or not, that is the reality in which we live.

And facing up to that reality will make it that much easier to get through.

Oliver Russell found themselves in that very position. As an agency owner, this is the third recession that Russ Stoddard has been through, and in his own words, “I learned a few things from the first two and am trying to apply those lessons as best I can, sooner rather than later.”

Placed in this position, and given the business outlook for the next six months to a year, it became apparent that cuts were necessary in order to reshape Oliver Russell to be successful for the long term. So, painful as it was, cuts were made. The end result, as Russ described, is that “we’ve got a creative team here that is now engaged with plenty of work. That wasn’t the case before the layoffs, and I didn’t see the economic environment changing for the better in a significant way.”

For those who were affected by the layoffs at Oliver Russell, the agency provided assistance to them where possible – from severance pay to job finding and assistance with the launch of new business ventures.

In the marketing and advertising community, this is certainly unpleasant news. And chances are, similar scenarios will play out elsewhere – both inside and beyond the borders of Idaho. Those who are in leadership or ownership positions in these agencies face some very tough decisions over the coming months. Those who are able to take action, however, rather than be paralyzed by fear, will have greater control over the future success of their respective agencies.

The eternal optimist, Russ signed off with a fitting conclusion to our exchange: “And for anyone out there in the ad/design/digital community who’s wondering, watch out – yeah, we’re alive, and we’re breathing fire.”

As for other agencies in and around Boise that are being called on by those who were impacted – take the meeting. They are all extremely talented people in their own right, and will be outstanding additions to any team.

Technorati tags: oliver russell, russ stoddard

New Hire and Other Activity at Michell + Palmer

Mitchell + Palmer in Boise has quietly busy since opening their doors in April.

Among other things, they've done a little hiring: Hollis Welsh has joined the agency to "assist with project management, strategic research and development, copywriting, community and vendor relations, and account services support."

They've also moved their offices -- they're now in The Muse Building at 1317 W. Jefferson St.

On the client front, they're current client list includes the likes of Home Federal Bank, Pro-Team, SquareConnect and FameFifteen, among others.

Updated with correct URL for Home Federal.

Technorati tags: mitchell palmer, hollis welsh, muse building, home federal bank, pro-team, squareconnect, famefifteen

Job Openings at Wirestone

Wirestone in Boise has a few job openings these days:

Junior Web Analyst
Java / Solutions Architect
.Net Technical Developer

Full details about each position can be found by clicking on the respective title.

Technorati tags: wirestone, junior web analyst job opening, java architect job opening, .net technical developer job opening

Think Pink: The Concert for the Cure

As some of you may have noticed, there is a new banner hanging on the upper right side of the Idaho Ad Agencies blog.

Think Pink's Concert for the Cure is a benefit concert to educate the community about breast cancer, and to raise funds for the Boise Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The concert is scheduled for Saturday, November 8th, and full details are available below.

Think Pink Inc. was founded in October 2004 in Coeur d'Alene by Jen Henriksen, Crissie McDowell, Melanie Adams and Katie Shamberg, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Boise chapter of Think Pink was started in August 2008 by Lindzee Frei, Kate Holgate, Michelle Caster and Crissie McDowell. From Think Pink's Our Story:

Our goal is to educate our community about breast cancer and aid in the fight to find a cure in our lifetime through various fundraising activities. 100% of funds raised are directly donated to the Boise Affiliate of The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and are used to provide research grants and uninsured women in our area with mammograms, an essential tool in early detection.

To date, Think Pink Inc. has raised nearly $40,000 through events and t-shirt sales. More details about Think Pink are available on the fact sheet from their website.

Now, about the concert:

Think Pink’s Concert for the Cure
WHERE: VAC Visual Arts Collective, 3638 Osage St., Garden City ID
DATE: November 8th
TIME: Doors open at 7 Music at 8
TICKETS: $20 ahead of time at http://www.visualartscollective.com/ $25 at the door ($20 at the door if wearing pink)
LINEUP: Dan Costello
Ned Evett and Bill Coffey
Smooth Old-Fashioned High

The Boise Advertising Federation has also selected this event as their public service event for the year.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for this event at the Sapphire ($750) or Pearl ($500) levels, and anyone interested should contact the Think Pink chapter via email, or by telephone at 208.861.8097. They'll be able to provide more details about everything included in the individual sponsorship packages.

Finally, for anyone who would like to add the Concert for the Cure banner to their own website, here's a little snippet of code to help you along the way:

<div align="center"><object height="250" width="110"><param name="movie" value="ribbon.swf"><embed allowscriptaccess="always" width="110" src="http://www.fuzeit.com/ribbon.swf" height="250" wmode="transparent"></embed></object></div>

Special thanks to Stuart Walsh for the Flash banner.

Technorati tags: idaho ad agencies, think pink, concert for the cure, susan g komen for the cure, think pink inc, jen henriksen, chrissie mcdowell, melanie adams, katie shamberg, lindzee frei, kate holgate, michelle caster, visual arts collective, dan costello, ned evett, bill coffey, smooth old fashioned high, boise advertising federation, stuart walsh