The website Triple Pundit, which focuses on sustainable business news, gave us a very nice shout out in a recent review of our sustainability report. One of our favorite lines: “In the process of telling its story, AHA! also demonstrates what such work for clients might look like, while at the same time providing added value to the reader.” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves!
We’re thrilled to announce that award-winning writer Sheri Joseph will lead the 2011 AHA! Writers Retreat on the Oregon coast later this month. The retreat is our opportunity to indulge in some personal writing and replenish our creative stores for the work we get to do in the office every day. It’s sure to spark some inspiration for this year’s edition of Praxis, so be sure to get your hands on a copy to see what we’ve been up to.
AHA!’s Easy Writers ran their second Hood to Coast race August 26–27. The 200-mile all-day-all-night relay started at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood and ended in the beach town of Seaside, Oregon. The yearly event tests endurance, courage and—if you ask AHA!ians who aren’t avid runners—sanity. Thanks to Angel Mahon for wrangling, training and motivating this year’s participants!
AHA!’s Betsy Henning led a workshop yesterday at the 2011 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism. In it, she described five essential elements you need to understand to make a connection through effective marketing: yourself, your business, your audience, your craft and your medium. For attendees who’d like a refresher, or anyone else in search of some solid communications tips, here’s a PDF of Betsy’s presentation slides.
HP’s 2009 Global Citizenship Report won top honors last Thursday at Corporate Register’s CR Reporting Awards ceremony at the Royal Society of London. The report was also runner-up for the Creativity in Communications award. AHA! writers and strategists teamed up with consultant David Hudson, the UK-based consultancy Context and Celery Design to produce the award-winning publication. We’ve helped develop HP’s report for four years, and we’re proud to be a part of HP’s leading efforts in corporate responsibility.
Earlier this month, two of AHA!’s intrepid strategists traveled to Israel for a five-day messaging summit with HP Indigo clients in Rehovot (approximately 20 minutes south of Tel Aviv). Creative lead Grant Byington and writer/account manager Nicole Henderson toured printing facilities and met with HP content experts to craft messaging for the HP Graphics Solutions Business. A speedy one-day tour of Jerusalem capped off the weeklong adventure.
What does 2011 have in store for green business? Tune in to the TrendWatch 2011 webinar, hosted by Sustainable Industries and sponsored by yours truly, to find out who’ll be moving, shaking and growing new business in the coming year.
TrendWatch 2011 webinar
Date: Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011
Time: 10:00 am PST
It’s time again to celebrate a treasured holiday tradition here at AHA!—the unveiling of Praxis! Every year AHA! gives clients and friends this handcrafted, not-your-ordinary gift—a book of short stories, poems and memoirs written by our staff. The newly released Praxis, volume 13, is ready to be shared and enjoyed. Happy holidays!
Want a copy for yourself? Just let us know.
We help companies tell their sustainability stories. So naturally, we’re honored to be able to share our own in The Portland Bottom Line: Practices for Your Small Business from America’s Hotbed of Sustainability, released today. The crowdsourced book explores how small businesses can “put people before profit, help restore the ecosystem, and prosper,” and features essays from 51 businesses in the Portland area. In ours, we share the story behind our innovative sustainability report. Get your own copy of the book today!
Within the next 24 hours, hundreds of corporate responsibility leaders will convene in Chicago for the 2010 CRO Summit. This meeting of the minds will tackle the most pressing social and environmental issues facing businesses today. We’re excited to be part of this vital conversation and proud to be official sponsors of the event!
We’re excited to announce that AHA! CEO, Betsy Henning, is taking our message to Boston! She’s been invited to share her branding know-how at IMPACT 2010, Charles Schwab’s annual conference for financial advisors. Her presentation, “Building Your Brand into a Powerful Business Tool” will lay out the four essential steps to a great brand. One key takeaway: Your brand strategy is about what you want clients to think and feel. Your business strategy is about getting them to act.
What do you get when you put 26 AHA!ians and one veteran novelist in a room for two days? We found out last weekend, when writer Karen Karbo (The Gospel According to Coco: Life Lessons from the World’s Most Elegant Woman) led us in a memoir workshop for the annual AHA! writers workshop weekend. We wrote, shared, laughed, cried and learned more about each other and the creative process. Stay tuned for some of our finished pieces in the 2010 issue of Praxis.