We’re honored to be named one of The Oregonian’s 2012 Top Workplaces in Oregon and Southwest Washington, based on survey results from our employees. In fact, we were in the top 20 of small employers (fewer than 150 people). As one (anonymous) AHA!ian said, “The people and attitude make all the difference … I feel appreciated in my position and take great pride in the success of AHA!.”

Betsy is quite the hot ticket on the speakers circuit this fall. On September 12, she presented at an event hosted by the Oregon Columbia International Association of Business Communicators. On the 27th, she’ll regale an audience of 600 at the Greater Portland, Inc 5th Annual Economic Summit. Finally, she’ll deliver a 10-minute lightning round presentation about tricky transparency at the Commit!Forum in New York, October 2. Phew, get the throat spray ready.

We’re once again packing our bags for a flurry of conferences this October. We start the month at the Commit!Forum in New York. AHA! is proud to sponsor this gathering of corporate responsibility officers for the third year. Then we’re off to SXSW Eco in Austin. After a visit to our own backyard for GoGreen Portland, we’ll wrap up October at Net Impact in Baltimore.

We’ve been certified by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to write corporate responsibility reports, a distinction that underscores our commitment to corporate responsibility for the long term. To date, we’ve developed CR reports for Hewlett-Packard and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Up next: Microsoft.

Microsoft recently hired us to write its 2012 Citizenship Report. Our charge: to report on the year’s performance while highlighting the human stories and real-world impact of Microsoft’s corporate responsibility efforts. Stay tuned for the results.

We are thrilled to announce that we have promoted Kristi Koebke to director of creative services! Kristi has worn many hats (and sweaters) since she started at AHA! more than a decade ago—writer, editor, account manager and, most recently, senior creative director. She’s served as a member of the strategic leadership team, helped develop our first internal green team and created a robust learning and development plan for all AHA! employees. We can’t wait to see where Kristi’s deep knowledge, client-pleasing creativity and fantastic sense of humor take us!

Our office expansion is near complete. To keep it local, we’ve worked with architects and builders from right down the street. We’re adding 3,418 square feet for a total of 15,324. With details like a walnut slab counter and a quiet room with a river view, the new space is not only functional—it’s beautiful.

As you can tell by our ever-expanding People page, our business has been growing steadily over the past couple of years, despite the ongoing recession. The Vancouver Columbian noticed too. Read all about it.

In June, we’re off to San Diego for the Sustainable Brands conference, which has become one of our favorite annual events. This year’s conference, dubbed “The Revolution Will Be Branded,” brings together business leaders, NGOs, brand strategists and communications experts to explore the role brands play in shaping a more sustainable economy.

We headed to Laguna Niguel, California, April 16–18, for Fortune Brainstorm Green, the nation’s leading conference on business and the environment. A few of the many discussions attended include a session about new media and the green consumer, a roundtable about small companies who are using sustainability to grab market share, and a look at how to keep sustainability top of mind for CEOs.

HP has once again been recognized by Corporate Register’s CR Reporting Awards, receiving runner-up in the Creative Communications category for their 2010 Global Citizenship Report, which AHA! helped develop. We’re proud to help HP tell their sustainability story to the world!

AHA! CEO Betsy Henning has been traveling lately, sharing insights about how powerful stories can help build successful brands. Most recently, she’s presented at financial industry conferences in Scottsdale, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and San Francisco.