Creative director Grant Byington is back from his sabbatical, our gift to employees who have been with AHA! for 10 years. Grant used his time away to finish up his book, Smelter City Boy, a collection of autobiographical stories about growing up in Anaconda, Montana—some of which have appeared in Praxis over the years. Keep up with Grant’s work on his blog.
We’re thrilled to welcome new client Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). With our deep experience working with companies that offer technically complex products and services, we’re finding engaging new ways to reach CSC’s multiple audiences. Our first step: core messaging and internal communications.
AHA! ranks No. 7 on Portland Business Journal’s 2011 list of top marketing firms in the region—up nine slots from 2010. We’re poised for even more growth, so look for us near the top of next year’s list.
The latest edition of Praxis, our annual, staff-produced literary journal, collects fiction, poetry and personal essays by talented writers throughout the agency. If you’d like a copy, just let us know.
We bring 2011 to a close with goodbyes and gratitude to Sue Sell, our executive creative director, who’s retiring after more than 14 years at AHA!. Always a champion for creativity and quality, Sue has been a friend, mentor and source of inspiration to all of us. Now that she has more time for her own creative writing, we can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
For the second time, the League of American Bicyclists has recognized AHA! as a bike-friendly business. We won the bronze designation from the league for our commitment to making our Bodacious Bikers’ green commutes as convenient (bike racks!) and comfortable (showers in the building!) as possible.
As part of the AHA! Lunch & Learn series, Holly and Wayne Paige from Wave One Group shared their approach to video storytelling. We asked questions and shared ideas about how to help clients (theirs and ours) make the most of video communication.
Since the beginning of 2011, AHA! has grown by almost 20 people! These new team members bring fresh energy, diverse backgrounds, and a wealth of writing and strategic talents. Our newest addition, Greg Netzer, will be leading our corporate responsibility practice. Greg’s most recent gig before joining our team was as executive director of Wordstock, Portland’s annual literary festival. With this experience, plus his MFA in creative writing, he’s already scored some serious points with his fellow AHA!ians.
A team of four AHA!ians braved a humid few days in New York City to attend the CR Commit! Forum in September. Presentations ranged from a water-focused keynote by Charles Fishman, author of The Big Thirst, to lightning rounds of “big ideas,” such as a joint effort between Western Union and USAID to provide microloans to entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa. We left inspired, impressed and eager to help more organizations tell their own corporate responsibility stories to the world.
A recent newsletter from the food-centric website Culinate featured our own Sona Pai’s recipe for mango lassi. The recipe—a perfect way to beat the summer heat—originally accompanied her story “Mangoes, memories—and motorcycles.” Other stories in the site’s “Sona Pai collection” include pieces on cilantro and chicken curry, both of which also come with some of Sona’s favorite (and easy!) family recipes.
AHA! CEO Betsy Henning will be speaking at the Opportunity Green conference in Los Angeles Thursday, November 10. Opportunity Green, which AHA! is proud to sponsor, brings together sustainability and business leaders to share ideas, generate discussion and encourage collaboration. The conference is open to the public and, based on our experience last year, lots of fun.
Our own Grant Byington recently returned from the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference with a second-place win in the nonfiction/memoir category for his story collection Smelter City Boy. Grant’s submission includes stories of his childhood in Anaconda, Montana—many of which were first published in the pages of Praxis, AHA!’s annual collection of staff writing.