Tag: oliver russell

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Liebenthal returns to Boise as Creative Director at CLM

John LiebenthalJohn Liebenthal has returned to Boise, this time as Creative Director at CLM Marketing & Advertising.

Prior to joining CLM, John was associate creative director at Young & Rubicam Group Seattle, and also served briefly as ACD at Draftfcb/Hacker Group, also in Seattle.

Diving further back into the history books, John spent about five years as associate creative director at Oliver Russell, and a couple of years as senior copywriter. He also spent about five years with Publicis in Boise, as senior copywriter and creative director.

Welcome back to Boise John.

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So that explains the early season snow

We’re pretty sure the folks at Oliver Russell have been doing some form of a snow dance since, oh, mid-September. That’s when they announced that they were selected to lead public relations efforts for Tamarack Resort.

From their press release (that’s been sitting in the inbox for far too long):

Tamarack has been operated since 2010 by the Tamarack Municipal Association, which currently manages the ski mountain and golf course.  Several other companies operate lodging, real estate resale, and other guest amenities.  The resort is under the new ownership of New TR Acquisition Co LLC (NEWTRAC). NEWTRAC has hired Replay Resorts of Vancouver, B.C., to oversee operations at the resort.

“Oliver Russell brings creativity to our story and a longstanding commitment of investing in its community, which align well with how we intend to market and operate Tamarack Resort,” said Mariana Ishida of Replay Resorts.

Congratulations to Oliver Russell on the win.

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From the ‘Things we missed in our inbox’ file

This one came through back in June, but… well, summer.

Oliver Russell announced that they have assumed management and marketing of Think Boise First.

From the press release about the change:

Think Boise First co-founder Beth Geagan said the organization achieved great success over the past six years in branding and highlighting the importance of local business to the community. Earlier this year, Geagan began looking for viable options to take the branded effort to the next level in Boise.

“We talked to several interested parties. In the end, Oliver Russell made the most sense and provided the best option to keep Think Boise First alive and thriving in our community,” she said.

Think Boise First was founded in 2008 by a small group of business owners and community advocates who believed that local businesses are the core of sustainable local living in Boise and Garden City. Its mission is to connect and promote locally owned and independently operated businesses, while educating the community on local products and services and the economic benefits of buying local.

Think Boise First was originally managed under the nonprofit umbrella of Sustainable Community Connections, however Oliver Russell will now operate it as a social enterprise using commercial strategies to promote the local movement.

Read more about the acquisition on Oliver Russell’s site.

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People on the Move

We’ve been…let’s just say lax…about keeping up on new hires and such around the state lately. That being said, here’s what’s been happening lately:

Wire Stone
[wire] stoneIn February, Wire Stone announced the formalization of practice areas for Client Engagement and Delivery Management to complement the existing Creative, Technology and Strategy disciplines. With that, they also announced that Bill Coffey has been promoted to Chief of Delivery Management.

Coffey brings more than 20 years of experience in enterprise technology, channel marketing, project management and business strategy to this role. Having previously served as Director of Operations, he spent the last several years providing business intelligence and internal reporting insights while elevating project management practices.

In addition, Chad Brusse has been promoted from Senior Copywriter to Copy Director and Functional Manager of the Boise office’s copy team.

Oliver Russell
Mike StevensIn March, Oliver Russell added art director Mike Stevens to its staff.

As an art director, Stevens will develop engaging visual solutions for interactive, print, and motion graphics projects. A self-professed ski bum, prior to Oliver Russell he worked for Scott USA, Sun Valley Magazine, and Wood River Technologies in Sun Valley, Idaho. He is experienced in a broad range of design, from print to interactive, from textiles to tradeshow exhibits. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Whitworth University, majoring in business administration with a minor in design.

Foerstel Design
Cody GaeckAlso in March, Foerstel Design added to their staff, with Cody Gacek joining their team as a web designer and developer.

Cody comes with eight years of experience and most recently has worked as a contract agent for Foerstel. He moved to Boise about two years ago from Phoenix, in part because of its positive vibe and variety of outdoor activities such as mountain biking.

Congratulations to all.

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Something’s brewing with the ITD

Woodland Empire Ale Craft Sign

Imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery. – Charles Caleb Colton

It appears that the Idaho Transportation Department isn’t a fan of craft brew. Or, more specifically, a billboard about craft brew that looks too similar to their highway signs.

So they’ve requested that Woodland Empire Ale Craft take theirs down.

The billboard, created by Oliver Russell, was meant to leverage the environment at the intersection of 11th and Front streets on the connector. As westbound vehicles approach the intersection, they are presented with a row of existing highway directional signs. The Woodland Empire billboard emulates the colors and graphics of these directional signs, but with a headline that reads “Craft Beer–Right Here.”

Woodland Empire contacted the City of Boise prior to erecting the sign, and was told it had no regulations governing design requirements for an on-premise billboard atop a private business’s roof. Turns out, according to Dusty Schmidt, one of the brewery’s partners, this is a very special case. “Because we sit within the city limits, we thought we were in the good, but our brewery also happens to be near the connector, which is actually a state highway with different rules.”

It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission. – Grace Hopper

By no means is this the first time that a business has gone the ‘ask forgiveness’ route with signage, names, or other identifying marks. In recent memory, Boise Fry Company originally opened as Idaho Fry Company, but was forced to change their name after the Idaho Potato Commission determined it infringed on IPC’s certification mark on the use of the word Idaho with anything related to potatoes.

As for Woodland Empire Ale Craft’s sign, Schmidt said the brewery never intended to create a traffic issue, and that the brewery is now in discussions with ITD. “We just wanted to let the 37,000 daily commuters know where they could get a delicious, hand-crafted beer,” he said.

And true to character, Dave Cook, Oliver Russell’s creative director, questions whether it constitutes a true safety hazard given the many other signs and billboards along Front Street. “All billboards distract drivers,” he said. “Especially the good ones.”