Running with the Elvi (or is it Elvises?)

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

Poop Happens

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.

Religion, Politics and Burritos

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).

Communicating in Beijing

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.”

My favorite recent example of communication is the sweet cab driver who pulled out a book that listed several countries and pointed to United States of America, to which I nodded enthusiastically. He then did the breaststroke in the air to ask if I’d gone to see swimming at the Olympic venue. I had really gone to see gymnastics, but I didn’t know how to motion that in the air in the cab, so, I said that I had seen swimming.

Upon exiting the cab, I provided my new friend with a USA Basketball Olympic pin, which he seemed to really appreciate. He waved the whole way as I walked through security to go into the hotel. One more good thing on the first sunny day I’ve spent in China and the day I saw the Americans win gold and silver medals at the women’s gymnastics all-around competition!

PS – When I went to Blogger to post this, the Web site was in Mandarin and wouldn’t let me log in. That’s why I asked Ashley to post this for me. So much for communication!

YELP! (No I didn't just cut myself, I've joined a new online community!)

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!

Recent reviews by Carissa M.

What's this?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

What If GroundFloor Media Caught the Flu?

It’s not quite our nature to hold our tongue when there’s news to share, but we’ve been doing just that since spring – and we can’t keep it quiet any longer.

Earlier this year, GroundFloor Media was proud to be named the Agency of Record for a new campaign from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response.

The new statewide campaign, “What If? Colorado” (www.WhatIfColorado.com), launched July 19 with simultaneous launch events in Denver, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction. But before we could officially announce the campaign, GroundFloor Media was fast at work laying the groundwork by developing messaging, establishing partnerships and conducting a series of “summit” meetings with statewide local public health agencies – who will work to implement the campaign locally throughout the summer.

It all culminated with our first summit meeting with Western Slope local public health agencies on June 21 in Grand Junction. GroundFloor Media staffers Amy Moynihan and Jim Dissett traveled across the divide in a big rental truck filled with bottles of Eldorado Natural Spring Water (one of the campaign’s partners). The summit was the first semi-public unveiling of the six-month What If? campaign – which will leverage local events throughout the state to help spread the word about emergency preparedness and pandemic influenza. The focus of the campaign is threefold:

 To inform people about emergency preparedness and urge them to develop home emergency preparedness kits
 To inform Coloradans about pandemic influenza and how to protect yourself and your family during a public health emergency
 To encourage citizens to get influenza vaccinations this fall and winter

In order to engage citizens of the state, What If? Colorado is staging a Colorado-based reality competition open to residents across Colorado. Throughout the summer, local public health agencies across Colorado will hold live “auditions” for citizens 18 and older to solicit participants in the What If? Colorado reality competition. The auditions are simple, a person simply needs to state their name, age, where they live and answer the question: “In an emergency, what are the five things you could not live without?”). Coloradans can submit auditions three ways: at one of our live events, by U.S. mail and by direct upload to our YouTube What If? Colorado page. On Sept. 1, a panel of judges will critique each submission and select up to five auditions from each of nine state regions. These semi-finalist videos will be posted to our Web site and Coloradans will vote for one contestant from each region to live together in a house for three and a half days – where they will face a series of “emergency challenges” (each with an educational message). All house “residents” will receive a 30 gigabyte Apple iPod and one participant in the end will be crowned the winner and will receive $2,500 – the prizes are courtesy of our valued partner HealthONE.

As auditions are being collected, campaign partner King Soopers/City Market will conduct promotional activities in August and September, highlighting items throughout their 140 Colorado-based stores that residents can purchase to complete their home emergency preparedness kits. Specially priced items will be on sale each week during the promotion, with the idea of encouraging residents to purchase a few emergency kit items each week – allowing them a cost-efficient method of completing an emergency preparedness kit over time.

In addition, the entire campaign is being supported by public service announcements on our three TV media partner stations (KCNC in Denver, KKCO in Grand Junction and KOAA in Colorado Springs). And Eldorado Natural Spring Water has developed specially branded What If? Colorado water bottles that local public health agencies will be distributing at their events during the summer.

Residents of Colorado can keep up with the campaign by visiting www.WhatIfColorado.com, where campaign updates will be posted, audition videos will be viewable and finally, activities leading up to and during the competition will be available as streaming video.

We never felt so good to catch the flu!

Caffeinated and Adult Beverages -- All in a Day's Work at GroundFloor Media

What do 25 blue & white models and 500+ volunteers have in common? They all helped GroundFloor Media execute two major client events last week.

Friday, May 19 was Cold Activated Bottle Activation Day nationwide, and GroundFloor Media helped Coors Light promote the new, innovative bottle in Denver through a unique consumer promotion, in which models -- painted white and blue -- informed adult consumers around Downtown Denver about the new bottles. Special ink on the label of Coors Light’s new Cold Activated Bottle turns the mountains from white to blue when the beer is cold enough to drink, preventing adult consumers from ever drinking a warm beer again!

As if that weren’t enough excitement, we executed and celebrated the second annual Starbucks Passion for Parks event on Saturday, May 19. More than 500 volunteers turned out to help revitalize the Burns and Sopris Gardens of City Park in Downtown Denver. Starbucks made a $100,000 contribution to Denver Parks & Rec to make the revitalization possible, and nearly half of the 500+ volunteers were Starbucks partners (employees). Several GroundFloor Media team members worked and volunteered at this great event, making us very proud to work with a community-minded client like Starbucks.

The highlight of the Passion for Parks event was the unveiling of a mosaic designed by East High School student Megan Carlson. It will be permanently placed in a historic fountain that had previously been filled with concrete because the plumbing no longer works. Megan’s artwork is absolutely breathtaking and brings the fountain back to life!

It was amazing and gratifying to see so much being undertaken at once over such a short period of time! Thanks to everyone who made it happen.

GroundHog Day at Gold Lake

If Punxsutawney Phil spotted his shadow this year in the annual Groundhog Day ritual, the news didn’t make it to Gold Lake Spa & Resort, where GroundFloor Media staffers celebrated GroundHog Day with revelry and camaraderie on Feb. 3rd. Although the mood was warm, the wine inviting and the company, well…fabulous, the weather was decidedly un-spring like. Arctic gusts topping 40 mph kept everyone on their toes (barely) as they scuttled their way from the parking lot to the resort’s dining room and bar as the night began – and a few hardy GFM-ers even arrived early to take advantage of the OUTDOOR hot pools (hello, Linda, Phil, Stephen and Laura – what were you thinking?).

Once safely ensconced in the warm glow and embrace of the lodge and their fellow teammates, the GroundFloor team did what PR people do best: talked, laughed, shared secrets, laughed, gossiped and mingled. Oh, and did I mention that we laughed?

Laura and Ramonna took to center stage during a break in dinner to hand out statuettes to each team member signifying a “contribution” they had made during the past year. The good-natured ribbing (mine referenced Carl Lewis because I always seem to be racing to get to meetings on time) drew cajoles from the crowd – but perhaps that was mainly because the wine glasses had been happily clinking for some time prior to dinner. We even learned a few things over the course of the evening, too. For example:

**Regan needs a little more practice following the birth of her baby boy to get back up to speed on the party circuit (here’s to spring training)
**Ramonna has her sign language skills down pat (can you say, “read between the lines?”)
**Stephen looks dashing in a bathrobe (not that there’s anything wrong with that)
**The bar closing at 1 a.m. is a very, very good thing (did I say VERY good thing?)

In the morning, we awoke to a healthy continental breakfast – most of which was consumed by Stephen – and enjoyed a hearty wrap-up with each other of the previous night’s events (again, another trait of the PR crowd – we LOVE to re-cap, review and re-evaluate!). Here’s to next year’s GroundHog Day event – and let’s hope that there is a spring in between now and then sometime.

GroundFloor Media Summits Ice Mountain for Coors Light

What a day! Working with Coors Light, GroundFloor Media commissioned a 15-ton "ice mountain" prior to the big football game on Sunday, October 15. Fans were able to come by and pick up a free bag of ice (or two) to fill their coolers for pre-game celebrations. 7NEWS started the day with us, as Chef Mick broadcast his cooking segments from the ice mountain. Later in the day, fans were also able to tour the one-of-a-kind Silver Bullet Train. A good time was had by all!
~Ramonna

Another Great Day at the Park!

It was great to see everyone come together Saturday, Aug. 12 – Starbucks partners, Denver Parks & Rec workers, City officials and community members – as we celebrated all of the great improvement projects undertaken during Starbucks’ Passion for Parks volunteer day at Garfield Lake Park on Friday, Aug. 11.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and City Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez joined Denver Parks & Rec Manager Kim Bailey and Starbucks Regional Marketing Manager Phil Smith for thank you remarks and a ribbon cutting ceremony. And then they joined kids from The Bridge Project and the Metro Denver Boys & Girls Club and community members as they placed their handprints in cement to commemorate the event. The plaque and surrounding handprints are really look awesome!

Nearly 200 people enjoyed a great lunch provided by Starbucks and some Cold Stone ice cream. And everyone enjoyed the new trees, repaved basketball court, freshly painted pool house and trash-free park – complete with new recycle bins, which represent the first public-park-based recycling program in Denver.

It was certainly a day to enjoy and be proud! Thanks to everyone who played a part.

~Ramonna

Starbucks Passion for Parks

I have to take a minute to brag on our Starbucks team. Led by Carissa’s attention to detail, the team coordinated Starbucks’ inaugural Passion for Parks event in Denver, a dream of our client’s since the RFP process last October. It was a huge success, with more than 200 volunteers coming together to refurbish Garfield Lake Park. More than 50 new tress were planted, existing trees were mulched, the pool house was repainted, the picnic benches were repainted and new gravel was spread around them, new sand was spread throughout the playground and everyone had a lot of fun! Additionally, thanks to Starbucks’ $75,000 donation, improvements to Garfield Lake Park also included initiating the first public-park-based recycling program in Denver, laying down new asphalt for the basketball court, installing new backboards and rims on the basketball court, replacing the baseball backstop and installing much-needed benches and picnic tables in key locations around the park.

We will host a community celebration Saturday, Aug. 12 from 10am to 2pm to enjoy the improvements to the park and celebrate the success of the program. Bring your family and enjoy sports challenges and complimentary lunch!

Hope to see you there!
~Ramonnna

From Special Olympics to Starbucks...

So - by now you've figured out that our amazing Special Olympics experience was fueled in large part by Starbucks. Trust me, it's hard to keep long hours and keep up with 3,000 athletes, 30,000 spectators and 200+ media on a continental breakfast alone... The beauty about our love affair with Starbucks is that it doesn't end with morning coffees and afternoon pick-me-ups, the company is a GFM client!

I have the pleasure of working on the Starbucks team and believe me, it really is a pleasure (and no, they don't bribe me with free grande soy chai lattes to say that... hint, hint.) I continue to be amazed at the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility. Having a long background in nonprofit work, believe me that I can sniff out a real philanthropist quickly - and Starbucks is the real deal.

Yesterday (Thursday, July 13) we held a press conference to announce a $75,000 gift from Starbucks to Denver Parks and Recreation to revitalize Garfield Lake Park in southwest Denver. One-third of the residents in the area around Garfield Lake Park are under the age of 18, so the park is a real community gathering place for these young kids and their families. Yet, this park that's so beautiful on the surface really needs a facelift. At the conference we announced revitalization projects that will include resurfacing the basketball court, planting more than 50 trees, installing the first public park-based recycling program, replacing the backstop and many, many more amazing projects that will really make an impact. Volunteers will help us complete many of these projects on August 11 and we'll "reveal" all the updates to the community with a big park-based celebration on August 12.

With more than 20 Starbucks store managers in attendance we had a great and enthusiastic crowd. On a surprisingly busy news day (that included breaking news in the middle east and a visit to Denver by Katie Couric that coincided with our event), we were able to draw print, radio and broadcast reporters which also made us pretty excited to get the ball rolling!

Special thanks to Kim Bailey from Denver Parks & Recreation and to Rosemary Rodriguez who is current City Council President and District 3 Representative for proving to be amazing and inspirational spokeswomen. Phil Smith, regional marketing manager for Starbucks, did a great job, too. Phil and I shared a laugh about my attention to detail (okay - so it's more of an obsession...) but I think in the end it all paid off. (Oh, Phil, for the record I had Total cereal with sliced strawberries and soy milk for breakfast. I promised to keep you in the loop!)

We need volunteers to help revitalize the Park on Friday, August 11 - so if you'd like to sign up please call 303.331.4061 or e-mail dprvolunteers@ci.denver.co.us. You can also learn more about Starbucks' overall commitment to parks by visiting www.starbuckslovesparks.com.

Stay tuned for more updates! And, so you all know all the details, I'll be having chicken breasts and steamed broccoli for dinner - but I'm still deciding between grilling or baking the chicken. I'll update you on the next blog entry!
- Carissa

Wendy's Top Ten List for Ames Iowa

Like usual, I'm the last one to get around to doing something........but I've finally managed to find a little time to post my thoughts on the Special Olympics event we were so fortunate to be a part of. After 10 days in Ames, there is plenty I could write about. But, to keep you from falling asleep, I've decided to give a quick Top Ten list of my favorite things from Ames.

Here goes.....

10 - Witnessing how a simple case of the flu was transformed to a major health outbreak involving "quarantines" within a matter of minutes.

9 - Watching Shors crawl back to the media center after being in a "crisis bullpen" for four hours and missing Closing Ceremonies and saying......"I need a drink!"

8 - Thai Spice. The new Ames restaurant, which was previoulsy located in Boulder, where we ate dinner almost every night (or at least when we had time to eat dinner!)

7 - Drinking a 12 dollar bottle of beer with the folks from Farmer's Almanac TV while watching fireworks on the 4th of July.

6 - Watching the New York vs. Florida men's basketball game. Watch out Shack! These guys were TOUGH and it was the best game I've ever seen!

5 - Hearing a story from spectators about Tawnee Castillo, a swimmer from Arizona. Tawney competed one day and won a gold medal. The next day, she swam against the same person she beat the previous day. On day two of her competition, she slowed down during the race so the girl who was in second could take first place and win a gold medal too. According to Tawney, she "already had one and everyone deserves a gold medal here!"

4 - Meeting a team of deaf soccer players from South Carolina and getting their incredible story on the news for everyone to see/hear!

3 - Meeting Mark Heffner from Merced, California. I met Mark at the Cessna Airlift. When he found out what I do, he told me "I want to go full court press while in Ames" and gave me a list of papers and TV stations he wanted to be in/on. The next day, Mark was on the front page of the Des Moines Register.

2 - How during the National Games, Ames became "a microcosm of how the world should be." This was borrowed from a writer at the Ames Tribune. As the writer noted, if you stuck around at any of the venues long enough, "You'll find countless examples of simple human kindness at work."

1 - Ronald Weintraub, the Special Olympics athlete from New York who volunteered in our media center for the week. Ronnie was an entertaining and wonderful addition to the "red room" where we all spent way too much time while in Ames. He made the trip seriously worth-while and I hope he becomes a life-long friend!

I hate to brag....but that was seriously the ten most rewarding days of my professional career! I've already called Special Olympics Maryland to find out what I can do to get involved permanently!!

Wendy

Let The Games Begin...

Carissa and I made an executive decision this morning. We are quitting our day jobs at GFM and going to volunteer for the Special Olympics. However, when we started exploring what that really looked like, we decided that neither one of us was any good at a particular sport (with the exception of speed walking and ‘power’ lifting up to 35 pounds) so we might have to actually take up a sport in order to be able to volunteer anywhere near an athletic facility. I may have to stick with my day job for a bit longer...

We actually ended up getting about six hours of sleep last night. It was much needed. After watching the Today Show piece Debbie pitched about the Bass family from North Carolina, we spent the day touring the different venues and watching athletes compete in power lifting, swimming, gymnastics and track and field. There isn’t anything quite like a competition where a young athlete, 18, is getting ready to lift and stops to turn around and yell from the stage, “I love you dad”… it sort of blows you away. Many of the swimmers finished their competition and instead of seeing how they did, would just turn around and ‘high five’ the other competitors.


We are off to the Olympic Village to meet some more athletes and then it is back to Des Moines in uur faithful white chariot so Debbie, Carissa and I can catch our flight. I am a bit jealous that John and Wendy get to stay for the week and see the Closing Ceremonies. They will definitely need a long vacation when this is all said and done. My appreciation for the work they have put into this event continues to grow as I begin to get a better understanding of the nuances and logistics that went into planning and executing an event of this magnitude.

Off to trade some more pins - Laura