Meet Molly & Ali - Our newest R/West PR girls!

In the last few weeks the R/West PR team has experienced some major changes - some very sad (Kendall - we miss you every day...and are still trying to dry our eyes!) and some exciting (new, awesome PR minds like Molly and Ali).

Our department's founder, Kendall, decided that teaching history was her true calling and has decided to go back to school and learn how to shape young minds. (Yes, Kendall graduated college as a history major, but ended up becoming the founding member of the R/West PR team as we now know it, and a PR rockstar!) Here we are celebrating her new life/crying about her leaving...

So because of Kendall's new career path, we did many interviews, searching high and low for someone to fill her big shoes. Then we came across Molly, who we'd love to introduce you to - I'll let her take it from here:

Hi loyal PR Girls’ Followers!

I thought it was only right to make a formal introduction to our readers as the newest member of the R/West PR team. I started working at R/West on April 28th and haven’t looked back since. Here’s a little background on where I’ve been, what I’ve done and my plans for the future…

I am originally from Woodinville, WA, a small town on the eastside of Seattle where I grew up from diapers to prom dresses. After 13 years of playing soccer I decided to continue in college and moved to Montana to play for the Grizzlies in Missoula. I spent the next four years learning all about wonderful things to do in Big Sky Country- hiking, fly fishing, camping, kayaking and floating the rivers. It was in Montana that I fell in love with the outdoors.

While in college I interned one summer in Juneau, Alaska at the Alaska Brewing Company as part of the summer six-pack. Six total strangers bought in from the “lower 48” to help bring some outside insight into the launch of their new IPA. We gave our opinion on logo design, name choices and strategies for the launch. While there the six of us got to experience Juneau from a whale watching boat, helicopter and dog sled.

After college I worked at a couple of marketing firms with clients ranging anywhere from an assisted living facility at an old Masonic Temple to a beautiful day spa in downtown Seattle.

I was browsing jobs at ski hills one day thinking to myself, “I like marketing and I love skiing, maybe I can find a job that takes that into account.” It was then that I came across a communications coordinator position for Snowbird Ski Resort in the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah. I had a phone interview and then drove down for a second interview and was hooked on my first drive up the canyon. I worked there last winter, skiing a few times a week and learning the ins-and-outs of marketing a resort.

And now? Well, I’m in Portland! I decided to move here to be closer to my family and to open the door for more opportunities in marketing and public relations. Some of my interests also include good food, good beer and good music - so what better place than PDX?

The clients I will be working on at R/West include: BridgePort Brewing Company, Franz Bakery, Marquis and Consonus Companies, The Portland Clinic and Feld Entertainment (including Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey when they're in Portland). It is great to look forward to coming into work everyday and I could not be more excited about my clients and my coworkers!
Cheers!

Molly

So there you have it - straight from the horse's mouth! :) We are looking forward to getting to know Molly a little better, and teaching her all about life at R/West!

Also, I wanted to share a post where you can learn all about our semi-new (sorry we didn't introduce you earlier!) intern Ali. She is part of the Senior Portland Experience program through the University of Oregon (go ducks!), and we have really enjoyed working with her over the past few weeks! During her program, she is also working on the Portland Fair Trade blog - check it out!

Ok, and on a little more personal PR department note - did we tell you JulieAnna is engaged and getting married in Cabo this November?? And Heather is pregnant with a little girl!! She is due this fall, and we are so excited to have a little one running around the PR department (ok maybe not running for a while, but you know what I mean!)

So, I think that about covers our updates for now...I'll let you know if anything else comes to mind!

-B

Can you eat a five pound burrito??

Did you do anything fun for Cinco de Mayo? Maybe you munched on nachos, listened to a miriachi band, or sipped on a yummy margarita? Well, that is all good and well, but if that's all you did - you missed out!


For one day only, Cinco de Mayo, Taco Del Mar was offering up a 5 pound burrito, called the Cinco de Mondo! If you could finish the burrito in 30 minutes or less you won gift certificates, SWAG and some major bragging rights! Many thought they were up for the challenge, but you should have seen their faces when that HUGE burrito was placed in their hands (the thing was the size of baby!)


So the day before the big event, May 4th, Joe V. from KPTV's "On the Go with Joe" came out to the Hillsboro Taco Del Mar and learned how to make the 5 pounder. Throughout the morning, Joe was hoping someone would be brave enough to come down and try and eat the burrito in 30 minutes - his biggest fear was that no one would come and that he would have to try to eat that massive thing on his own!


But luckily Sye showed up - in pants with an elastic waist - to take on the 5 pounder! Keep in mind he was eating 5 pounds of beans, rice, cheese, chicken and pico de gallo on live TV, at 8 a.m. on a Monday! When he was reminded of this, he got quite nervous, and even took a little walk around the block to get fired up. (He recently got engaged, and didn't tell his finacee he was doing this...his biggest fear was that she and his future mother and father-in-law would be watching, and see him stuffing his face with beans and rice.)


Here's a video of the morning, so you can see just exactly how Sye did against the Cinco de Mondo.

So in the end, Sye was victorious, and won catering for 10 people - we told him to have a party with his finacee and her parents, so that if they did see the show that morning, maybe yummy food would help their embarassment. :)

Then fast-forward to May 5th, Cinco de Mayo and time for all big eaters to venture out in their sweatpants and belly up to the burrito bar for 5 pounds of burrito-ey goodness. And many did! These two went head-to-head at the Taco Del Mar on MLK, but neither of them made it to the finish line...

And these two guys walked out of the restaurant groaning, with their pants unbuttoned!


All-in-all, Taco Del Mar's Cinco de Mayo celebration - Cinco de Mondo, was a HUGE success, like 5 pounds worth...


So make sure your eating pants are nice and stretchy for May 5, 2010 - now that you know what to expect, there are no excuses for not being able to take that baby down!