News and information from Maggie Holben in Denver, Colorado. She posts good ideas and great reads (particularly concerning all things PR and interesting tidbits about Denver and Colorado). Plus links to client, family and friend news items. Follow her tweets at @MaggieHolben or @DenverPR or @AbsolutelyPR
"Metro Denver's robust economy and expanding infrastructure are making headlines nationally. Check out what the media has to say about our region."
Link to read items from these national news outlets:
AreaDevelopment Hartford Courant Wall Street Journal The Atlanta Journal-Constitution MSNBC The Huffington Post The New York Times NH Business Review BloombergBusiness Governing Skift Travel NationalJournal USA Today Bloomberg AP The Street
Toronto Star
Good work MDEDC and team (and our great city and state)!
Here's the 2015 rundown on the best burgers in Denver, according to Westword. Vegans, vegetarians, and those who avoid gluten (i.e. the bun and probably other ingredients in the top ten) can stop reading now.
For those keeping up on our demographic subgroups, here's an excellent overview about the "under 20-year-olds," called Generation Z (the new realists) by Stephen Dupont, APR.
Quoting from the introduction:
"Roughly defined as those born since 1996, Gen Z is the group of under-20-year-olds, the first generation born into a digital world. The next generation of trendsetters — representing more than 25 percent of the U.S. population (larger than the boomers or millennials, according to the U.S. Census Bureau) — is already beginning to put its stamp on the world."
Quoting from the May 1 posting by Steve Lazuka that originally appeared in PRNewswire's Small Business PR Toolkit:
"Every action you take on social media should add something to your marketing strategy as a whole. For this reason, you need an in-depth social media strategy to guide you through making the most of each channel."
Last week my husband and I drove to Kanab, Utah, to tour the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Our kitties Reggie and Rita had sponsored a fundraising brick for the new veterinary clinic and we wanted to find it in the clinic's garden area and tour the rest of the Best Friends sanctuary property.
My husband and I participated in the 8:30 a.m. orientation van tour and afterward saw additional areas and met with Best Friends Co-Founder Jana de Peyer (that's Jana and I pictured together in the lobby area of the Cat World HQ).
What delightful, gracious hosts everyone on the Best Friends team was. We are so appreciative for their hospitality. You can take a look at what we saw in this YouTube slideshow video:
The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab is simply huge... more than 3,300 acres located in the most beautiful terrain you can imagine. Some 1,700 animals...cats, dogs, bunnies, horses, pot-bellied pigs, goats, birds (and more) call the sanctuary home while they await adoption to their forever homes. Best Friends has partnerships with a network of shelters and rescues across the country to aid in forever home recruitment, plus runs adoption centers in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and New York.
What's amazing to me is that Best Friends is just a little over 30 years old and has done phenomenal work in a very short period of time. Their network boasts 1,220 organizations and they also make grants to network partners and rescues across the country. I'm personally in awe of Best Friends achievements in the animal welfare space.
I only learned about Best Friends in 2011. In my hometown, I've served on the board and advisory council for a local cats-only shelter called Cat Care Society. Back in 2011, Cat Care Society was under a foreclosure "black cloud" on a commercial building used to house its thrift shop. Long story short, Best Friends had agreed to take some of the CCS kitties if necessary, but good news, Cat Care Society negotiated with the lender and was able to accomplish as short sale that made the foreclosure nightmare go away. Nonetheless, we learned firsthand that Best Friends knows how to be a best friend to shelters and rescues across the nation, particularly in critical times of need.
Since the events of 2011, a trip to Kanab was always in the back of my mind, but it took until this year to make it happen.
One last thing.... yes we found Rita and Reggie's brick. Take a look:
Needless to say, we hope to go back again...next time spending more time and volunteering at Cat World.
Quoting the Best Friends website: "Located in the beautiful red-rock canyons of Southern Utah, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is home to about 1,700 animals and stands as a model for lifesaving programs that we share with others around the country." Link to the Best Friends website to learn more: http://bestfriends.org.
In honor of Earth Day - Wed, April 22, noon - 5:30 p.m. - Cat Care Society is having an adoption special! One day only! All cats age one year and older can be adopted for $4.22! Help us celebrate our wonderful planet, and help give a fine home to a feline companion. Whenever a cat is adopted from CCS, two cats are saved - the cat who is adopted, and a stray or abandoned cat who can come to CCS because of the space opened up by the adoption. Call our adoption team for more information: 303.239.9680. Click here for more information.
Note: The Standard adoption screening process will still apply. Click to review CCS Adoption Standards. Further, the adoption process needs to be started one hour prior to shelter closing.
Saturday, April 25, from 10:30 a.m. - 12 (noon), Billie Reynolds, owner of Good Kitty Behavior Consulting and Training, will be presenting "The Benefits of Play with Your Kitty." In this seminar, you will learn:
*The physical and mental benefits of playing with your cat regularly.
* Which toys are best to engage your cat in play and how to get your kitty to play.
* How play can help you and your cat build a stronger bond.
* How play can decrease common behavioral issues.
ICYMI: Quoting from the Feb 20 "the Cannabist" posting:
"NBC might soon have a sitcom on its schedule set inside a Denver pot shop, according to multiple reports. And with the announcement of “Buds” — from creative team Adam Scott (from the network’s near-death “Parks and Recreation”) and Joe Mande (a comic, writer and Twitter phenom) — cannabis has broached a different aspect of mainstream media...
...'Buds' is a part of NBC’s 2015-16 development cycle, according to various outlets. Its executive producers are Adam and (his producer wife) Naomi Scott and Mande, and it’s the first sale since the Scotts’ production company Gettin’ Rad Productions signed a first-look deal with Universal TV in 2014."
"It may not be the open sea, but certified divers starving to get wet can dust off their cert cards and test their buoyancy control in the aquarium’s tanks," according to Lindsey B. Koehler's first person review included in 5280's April cover article.
Absolutely Public Relations is celebrating its 16th year in business, achieving key media placements for clients in both the traditional and social media spaces. The announcement is made by Absolutely PR Principal/Founder Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR, who says, "During the past year, Absolutely PR assisted Colorado BioScience Association, Galichia Hospital Group/Kentuckiana Medical Center, Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority, Boettcher Foundation, Colorado BioScience Institute and CID4, the Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostic Development.”
Holben has been providing pro bono PR and marketing communications counsel, plus board and advisory board service, to Denver’s Cat Care Society since 2011.
Absolutely PR specializes in media relations, the strategies and tactics necessary to achieve impactful editorial placements in the international, national, trade press, local and social/digital media space. Visit http://www.AbsolutelyPR.com.
"The best places to build a career and punch the clock include seven companies and organizations in Colorado in Forbes' inaugural "America's Best Employers" list released Tuesday.
Forbes' list includes 500 private- and public-sector employers in 25 industries across the nation that it says offer job seekers the best situations."
The seven Colorado companies showcased include: Cherry Creek School District, U.S. Air Force Academy, Arcadis, CH2M Hill, Level 3 Communications, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Sport Authority.
Quoting from Chris Meehan's posting yesterday in Confluence Denver:
"Last year, downtown Denver saw $1 billion in investments through completed projects. In 2015, that figure is expected to nearly double to $1.9 billion. That's just one key takeaway from the State of Downtown Denver 2015 event, hosted by the Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP) on March 24.
There was a host of data showing the recent successes of Denver and how the city is poised to keep growing -- for instance, residential population has grown 165 percent since 2010. "In order to ensure future success we need to understand what we did right to get us where we are today," explained DDP CEO Tami Door at the event."
"WalletHub studied 116 of the most populated cities, using seven key factors to determine the hardest workers. And two Colorado cities fall in the top 20.
Aurora, CO ranks as the 16th hardest working city in America. Its workweek hours average 38.5, and the labor force participation rate is 78.6%.
Still, Aurora isn’t working as hard as Denver, which ranked the 9th hardest-working out of 116 cities in the U.S.
The average workweek hours for those in Denver is 38.9 (New York City is 39.2), with a labor force participation rate of 78.5%."
Quoting WalletHub, "The modern-day American worker would no doubt seem unrecognizable to its mid-20th century predecessor. Back in 1950, Americans were 400 percent less productive than they are today, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Were we lazier then? Not at all."
Quoting the DBJ's Caitlin Hendee from yesterday's posting:
"If the acres of garden displays, numerous events, and rows of flowers and plants weren't enough to draw you to Denver Botanic Gardens in 2014, then perhaps the Dale Chihuly glass sculptures were.
They certainly were for the 1,411,116 visitors who made their way to the Denver attraction in 2014, setting the Botanic Gardens apart as the most-visited public garden in North America last year."
If your blog headlines need a booster shot, make sure to read Larry Kim's article about Twelveskip's headline idea list. Quoting Kim, Twelvestep's list may not be the full solution:
"Seriously though, those types of headlines are incredibly effective, but they're not the be all that ends all. In fact, they work really well in social stories, but will just annoy people if you're blogging about your business and related topics.
So what's a run-of-the-mill blogger to do?
Develop a bank of catchy titles you can draw on to ensure you have lots of ideas to draw from and your titles aren't an afterthought."
Quoting from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation:
"A lot can happen in 20 years. In Metro Denver, we’ve seen it all – a massive light rail expansion, a growing Millennial population that is attracting companies and expansive mixed-use developments, four new professional sports stadiums, the revitalization of countless neighborhoods, and the diversification of the region’s industry base with eight major clusters.
And today, Denver International Airport (DIA) is a glowing example of just how good two decades can look. Established in 1995 as the largest airport in the United States by total area, this regional economic engine is now consistently ranked as one of the busiest airports in the world. It now houses 109 gates and 42 regional aircraft positions, and served a record 53 million passengers last year, a massive growth from figures seen on its first birthday.
Now, as we collectively celebrate the 20th anniversary of this important pillar of Metro Denver’s growth, on Saturday, Feb. 28, we are also excited to embrace a rapidly evolving DIA into the future and the further growth anticipated on the immediate horizon."
Quoting from the Jan 29th Intermountain Jewish News article by Andrea Jacobs:
"AT THE Denver Press Club, which has graced 1330 Glenarm Place since 1925, time is compatibly contradictory. New business strategies have positioned the club for solid growth in the 21st-century, but the past haunts each nook, cranny and caricature.
Denver editors and reporters first met as an informal club in 1867 and incorporated as the Denver Press Club in 1877, one year after Colorado earned statehood.
It was the first press club in the United States."
"Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation released its annual Industry Cluster Study, a year-over-year and five-year analysis of our region’s leading industry clusters. These clusters are our primary targets for national business recruitment as well as economic development retention and expansion efforts to grow Metro Denver’s economy.
Our nine-county region has come a long way in recovering jobs since the recession, as Colorado finished off 2014 strong with a 4 percent unemployment rate, the lowest since October 2007. A total of 4,700 new jobs were added to the state in December alone.
Our leading job growth can be attributed to Metro Denver’s eight primary industry clusters, which include aerospace, aviation, bioscience, broadcasting & telecommunications, energy, financial services, healthcare & wellness and IT-Software."
Lastly, Holben's favorite image was Katy Perry's shooting star "lifter upper device." It reminded her of an old friend in Wichita, the Wichita Children's Theatre and Dance Center logo. Holben served a three-year board term there in the late 80's and has the fondest of memories of Monica Flynn and her amazing program that's going stronger than ever - http://wctdc.com/.
Absolutely Public Relations completed ten years of consulting the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) last month, retiring from the contractual commitment. The announcement is made by Absolutely PR Principal/Founder Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR, who says, “I proactively ended this long, productive and valuable client relationship after a decade in order to redefine how I deliver PR consulting services to clients going forward. Absolutely PR, founded in April 1999, remains open, and I will be taking on projects of a lesser scope than in the past to allow more personal time for travel and relaxation with my family.” Absolutely PR also remains a CBSA member company.
Since April 2005 when CBSA began its proactive media relations program with Absolutely PR's assistance, there have been 1,588 recorded print editorial media placements featuring Colorado Bioscience Association, which is the equivalent of $1,037,078.72 if the same of space was purchased as advertising. This exposure totals 61,588,714 in circulation and is in addition to those same articles also appearing in online versions of the various publications. Online exposure (reported starting in 2009, totals 1,128,221,316). Geographic readership focus of the placement outlets (international, national/trade and regional/local) to date breaks out accordingly: 2% have been international; 47% national/trade; and 51% regional/local since we began monitoring.
Here is a sampling of placement highlights from the past decade of CBSA’s PR program lead by Absolutely PR:
In 2006, Absolutely PR was named CBSA Partner of the Year during the annual Awards Dinner. During the presentation Emcee Rob Reuteman, business editor of the now shuttered Rocky Mountain News, shared these comments on behalf of CBSA: “Holben, founder of Absolutely Public Relations, has worked tirelessly to promote the Colorado bioscience industry message to local and national media. Holben works her public relations magic to promote coverage of Colorado events and industry news. Moreover, she chairs the CBSA Communications Committee, serves on the CBSA Board of Directors, and helps to organize incoming press delegations. She coordinates the industry’s media initiatives with CBSA partners, such as the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. As a media consultant, Holben represents several of Colorado’s leading bioscience companies. Due to Holben’s professionalism and effort, Colorado’s bioscience industry isn’t such a secret anymore.”
Quoting from the January 21 posting by Freda Moon:
"The signs of Denver’s economic high times as a pot boomtown and bastion of progressive urban policies are everywhere. There is the B-cycle bike-share program, among the most affordable and best-run systems in the country, and the newly renovated Union Station, which has taken a still-in-use 1881 train station and made it the focal point of the thriving LoDo neighborhood. And there are the inconspicuous marijuana dispensaries that dot nearly every neighborhood, and more stunning public spaces — from Washington Park to the Cherry Creek bike path — than one city has a right to."
Last week a Guy Kawasaki e-mail arrived offering a free Kindle copy of his (and Peg Fitzpatrick's) new book, "The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users." I'd received review copies of his books in the past. He said this was a thank you for my help in the past.
I partook and thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated it. When PR people aren't PRing these days, quite often they're pondering and carrying out social media tactics. This book feeds that beast.
Link to read my Amazon review: "This is the glove box manual for social media. The perfect guide to help we socializes work smarter. Thank you, Guy and Peg, for your insight. I expect I'll be returning frequently for ideas and suggestions, like I turn to my favorite cook books. Appreciate the review copy very much. @MaggieHolben "
"The Primavera Group has taken over media relations and strategic public relations contract for the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) from Absolutely PR’s Owner/Principal Maggie Holben, who is retiring as CBSA’s PR consultant after more than ten years of service to the organization."
“I’ve worked with Sarah over the years and I’m simply thrilled to be able to pass CBSA’s PR baton to her and her team. I’m confident Sarah’s business and PR acumen is exactly what CBSA needs to take our organization to the next level in its awareness growth curve. While I’m retiring as CBSA’s PR consultant, I’m only semi-retiring from the PR business. I’ll continue to keep my Absolutely PR consulting firm open in the future, but will be taking on projects of a lesser scope than the CBSA contract to allow for more travel and time with my family,” Holben explains.
Absolutely Public Relations celebrated its 15th year in business in 2014 and achieved key media placement results for clients in both the traditional and social media spaces. This yearend review is shared by Absolutely PR Principal/Founder Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR, who says, "Absolutely PR assisted Colorado BioScience Association, Galichia Hospital Group/Kentuckiana Medical Center, Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority, Boettcher Foundation, Colorado BioScience Institute, Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostic Development and Cat Care Society in 2014.” Holben has been providing pro bono PR and marketing communications counsel, plus board service, to Cat Care Society since 2011.
Concluding the year, Absolutely PR assisted Colorado BioScience Association in announcing that Colorado-based Primavera Group will assume the media relations and strategic public relations contract for the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) beginning January 5, 2015.
CBSA President and CEO April Giles said: "We’re thrilled to welcome Sarah Eder and her associates at the Primavera Group to our CBSA team. They will be taking over from Absolutely PR’s Owner/Principal Maggie Holben who is retiring as CBSA's PR Consultant after more than ten years of service to the organization as a board member, contract PR resource and volunteer.”
Holben served two three-year terms on the CBSA Board of Directors and retires as an ex officio member of the board. In 2006, Absolutely PR was named CBSA Partner of the Year during the annual Awards Dinner (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/09/prweb431691.htm). Absolutely PR will continue as a member company of the CBSA in 2015, and Holben will continue to serve on the CBSA Communications Committee, providing for a smooth transition to the Primavera Group.
“I’ve worked with Sarah over the years and I’m simply thrilled to be able to pass CBSA’s PR baton to her and her team. I’m confident Sarah’s business and PR acumen is exactly what CBSA needs to take our organization to the next level in its awareness growth curve. While I’m retiring as CBSA’s PR consultant, I’m only semi-retiring from the PR business. I’ll continue to keep my Absolutely PR consulting firm open in the future, but will be taking on projects of a lesser scope than the CBSA contract to allow for more travel and time with my family,” Holben concluded.
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