Blockbuster, Kombucha and some clean mountain air: connecting with colleagues and clients in Oregon
Like me, I’m sure there are people you’ve worked with for months and even years and never met in person. In a world that connects us so well digitally, the need for face-to-face interactions has taken a back seat. We have forgotten how vitally important it is to have this kind of rare time together. As part of a goal to have more of these personal connections in 2019, we have been traveling around both as a team and individuals to see our colleagues, clients and industry friends. Our latest trip to Oregon can be summed up in one word: Blockbuster. Yes, we stepped foot in the last remaining Blockbuster brick-and-mortar store in the world. While fascinating to us on many levels, there were – believe it or not- many other even better positives that came out of our foray up to the north.
We visited Humm Kombucha, one of our clients who has been experiencing exciting growth over the last few months. The company, headquartered in Bend, Oregon, began in one of the founders kitchens and followed an old fashioned “milk man” approach, refilling customers empty jugs left on the doorstep. After several stages of growth, the company rebranded, worked with Alter Agents to really understand its audience, and is now available across the country and internationally. We are proud to be a partner with them to support their growth and success!
Also in the small Central Oregon town is one of our MIPs “most inspiring persons”: Kristin Luck of Luck Collective. The founder of Women in Research (WIRe), an international networking group for women in market research, entrepreneur extraordinaire and growth consultant for a wide range of consumer insights companies, Kristin is a good friend and perfect to chat with when catching up on the industry. We visited some of Bend’s downtown hotspots, ate some great food and sipped bubbly to celebrate what’s turning out to be a wonderful year.
Next, we drove over the Cascade Mountain Range to help kick off our 2019 projects with the Oregon State Lottery. Run by the Oregon government and a member of the MUSL, funds raised through the Oregon State Lottery’s various initiatives support state programs ranging from public education to natural resource programs. Our deep experience and skills in this space will serve us well as we dive into some complex and exciting work for them this year.
It was so refreshing to breathe deeply in the clean mountain air of Oregon, where some places still have several feet of snow on the ground, and see the beautiful countryside. Best of all was connecting one human to another with the people we work with everyday!
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