New Hire at Drake Cooper

That seems to be a familiar headline on the Idaho Ad Agencies blog, but once again, Drake Cooper in Boise is growing.

Their most recent addition is Mona Teffeteller as a Brand Manager. She will work primary with the United Dairymen of Idaho account, and has previous experience in consumer food and beverage brand management.

Congratulations Mona.

Technorati tags: idaho ad agencies, drake cooper, mona teffeteller, united dairymen of idaho

Upcoming Event - The Broken Barker Benefit

Well, I'm horribly late to the game with this one, but still...

As some of you may know, Jeff Barker, a designer at Wirestone in Boise, was critically injured in a motorcycle accident caused by a suspected drunk driver trying to evade police. While the news media reported the injuries as non life-threatening, they were serious nonetheless. Here's a quick rundown:

• Broken Scapula
• Broken Collar Bone
• Broken Mandible
• Several teeth were damaged
• 10 Broken Ribs and punctured lung
• 3 broken vertebrae
• Extensive abrasions and bruising

The folks at Wirestone have been organizing a benefit party to help pay expenses that were not covered by insurance, but more importantly to celebrate the fact that Jeff is alive. And as such, the Broken Barker Benefit was born.

While the details are still sketchy, the date has been confirmed: November 14th.

As soon as I know more, I'll share those details here.

Technorati tags: jeff barker, wirestone, broken barker benefit

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