INK PUBLIC RELATIONS

Last week my clean tech spirits were lifted.  While the slow economic recovery drags on and long-term investment in the sector seems to lag, there are bright spots—you just have to find the convergence of the right minds and intentions.  I had the opportunity to not only attend the Clean Energy Challenge in Chicago on Thursday, but also mentor one of the finalists, and it was so energizing to see the bright and innovative clean energy businesses coming out of the Midwest.

Brought to fruition by the Clean Energy Trust, the Clean Energy Challenge brings together early stage businesses and student-led university spin-outs to position some of the most meaningful clean tech advancements for market opportunities.  What’s really cool is that the Challenge aligns the best clean energy innovations from their pool of contenders with access to the investment community, in addition to industry experts and leaders.  The Challenge has been so successful at incubating quality businesses and innovations that the DOE sponsors $200,000 in grand prizes awarded to the panel-chosen winners.  Beyond that, many of the companies competing go on to raise millions in venture funding.

This is an example of how organizing around a mission: to foster the growth and market opportunities for clean energy advancement, can facilitate home-grown entrepreneurship and problem solving for one of the nations greatest growth opportunities for the future.

Oh, and I would be remiss if not to mention a job well done by Challenge finalist HEVT, an innovative electric motor platform, with which I had the pleasure to collaborate.  The INK team of Jessica Warren and myself conducted a messaging project for the HEVT team and helped prep CEO Heidi Lubin for her presentation at the Challenge. It was a rewarding experience all around, both to participate in the Challenge and have a positive effect on the development of the storyline for a company at its beginning.

We’re hiring! Do you have what it takes?

INK PR Job Opening: PR Account Supervisor/Director

Years of Experience: 7 – 10

We are looking for a PR account supervisor or director with seven to ten years of experience in PR and/or marketing in the high tech and clean energy industries. This person lives and breathes their clients’ industries, thrives on providing sound counsel and creative solutions, understands the dynamic media markets in which our clients play and how to tell a fresh, newsworthy story, demands excellence from a team and, at the same time, can have a beer with them at the end of the day.  If you are our candidate, you love what you do and you could never see yourself doing anything else. You play well with others.  You possibly have a war story that involves CES or Walt Mossberg; bonus points for both. You know what CSP stands for and have a hankering to visit a wind farm; added bonus points if you own steel-toed boots. Your friends know as much about your clients’ technology as you do, and they are still your friends. You are bored of social media talk and interested in social media results. You are respected by your team, your clients and the media, all at the same time.  Are we asking too much? We don’t think so.

There is a lot of love at INK PR – for what we do, for the clients we work with and for each other. We’re still a relatively young (in our 8th year) and small (you make 10) company with a growing reputation for personalized client service, top-notch media relations (800 journalists voted INK best small tech agency for PRSourceCode Top Communicators 2010 award) and PR programs that exhibit the perfect blend of strategic counsel, creativity and common sense (finalist for PR News’ 2011 Small Agency of the Year). We work hard – very hard – but we also value work/life balance and enjoy ourselves along the way. We’re looking for someone who can bring new insights, experience and relationships to the table. You will make an impact on INK and we will make an impact on you.

Job responsibilities include:

Management of multiple accounts and teams consisting of 2 – 5 people

Day-to-day client relations as the main point of contact to provide strategic counsel, convey status, set expectations, manage budget, anticipate needs and adjust plans accordingly, and find solutions to problems

Team management, utilizing team strengths and available time in a way that motivates and ensures excellence and results

Media relations including setting media strategy, leveraging key media relationships and continuing to build new and top-tier ones

Educates clients on social media tools and strategy; utilizes social media channels for effective campaigns

Writing and editing of plans, messaging documents, pitches, press releases, blogs and bylines

Maintains and demonstrates a deep understanding of clients and their industries; teaches others

Manages account budgets and makes staffing recommendations

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or higher with 7 – 10 years of experience in PR and/or marketing in the high-tech and/or clean energy fields. Please send cover letter, resume, references and salary requirements to Adrienne Huebner at work@ink-pr.com.

Working with clean energy clients, I stay up-to-speed with the latest news about the energy industry, particularly the U.S. renewable energy industry. And as a relatively recent college graduate, university life is still fresh in my mind. Considering this, I have come to realize:

U.S. colleges and universities are leading proponents of sustainability and renewable energy.

These days, American colleges are not only judged by prospective students on their acceptance rates, student-teacher ratios and tuitions, but also on their levels of green-ness. The Princeton Review, for example, has introduced Green Ratings, which “evaluate colleges and universities on their environmentally-related policies, practices and academic offerings.” The Princeton Review now annually releases a Guide to the 311 Green Colleges, as well as publishes each school’s Green Rating in the annual guide, The Best Colleges.

Topping the 2011 Princeton Review Green Honor Roll are well-known schools like Harvard College, UC Berkeley and Yale, but being green isn’t limited to prestige. The list is saturated with lesser-known schools, such as Unity College in Maine. Unity College has adopted the moniker “America’s Environmental College,” boasting a Center for Environmental Education, using only Green Seal-certified cleaning products and, most notably, deriving 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources.

Unity College is among a vast network of colleges and universities pioneering the sustainability and renewable energy fronts. For example:

Dartmouth College in New Hampshire built a grid storage system that uses tanks of compressed air to store energy—and sparked SustainX, a company that recently received $14.4 million in funding from GE;

Wesleyan University in Connecticut generates its own energy from sources like wind, solar, geothermal, biogas and biomass;

American University in Washington, D.C. (my Alma Mater) recently opened a campus building that has been designated LEED Gold Certified—“the benchmark for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”—based on sustainable design and efficiency. Schools around the country are rushing to LEED certify their newest buildings;

Drexel University in Pennsylvania has arranged for cardio machines in its recreation center to produce 50 watt hours of energy over a 30-minute workout.

Colleges and universities throughout the U.S. are placing extreme importance on their green initiatives. Is it to bump up the schools’ rating on another prestigious list? To work toward states’ Renewable Energy Standards? To appease outspoken, environmentally-minded students? No matter the motive, these schools have become pioneers for sustainable practices and renewable energy. The renewable energy industry would be smart to look to these institutions for support. After all, they have the motivation, financial backing and innovative bright minds equipped to advance the industry.

We’re 7! Hard to believe. Good things come in 7s:

I have 7 amazingly smart and dedicated colleagues. And we’re looking for someone else to join our team – if you’re smart and dedicated too, send a note to info@ink-pr.com, attention Adrienne.

We have 7 wicked cool clients who are doing exciting things in the areas of clean and high tech. Looking forward to a strong year with ACCIONA, the Bluetooth SIG, Broadwind Energy, Create with Context, Gemalto, and Nuventix. Already in Q1 we’ve done media and event work at CES, we’re working on a customer relations program, a media training, a messaging matrix project, a product launch, a dedication event, a messaging rollout in conjunction with an employee communications program and of course media and analyst relations.

And we’re looking forward to multiples of 7 more years. Go INK – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

INK founders, the day we moved into first office.

Last week, Joe Baker, the CEO of ACCIONA Windpower, was invited to speak at the Windpower Manufacturing & Supply Chain Summit as the keynote speaker. This summit was a chance for leaders to convene and discuss in a 2-day conference the wind industry forecast for the next few years. As 2010 closes, everyone involved in the wind industry knows that it was not a year for bragging.

At the close of 2009, there was a record-breaking 10MW of wind energy installed in the United States. While that only accumulates for less than three percent of the nation’s total energy capacity, it was a huge step for wind, unprecedented to say the least. New projects were coming on the grid, investors were not holding back and large energy utilities were taking advantage of numerous tax credits and incentives. So why was 2010 so different?

To be brief, the lack of national energy policy and an extension of Recovery Act incentives were the deadweight for 2010. However, in the words of Joe Baker, “this fight is not over.”  Our CEO was calm, cool and collected when he insisted that wind energy is on the upward slant of a bathtub curve. Yes, we had a slow year, but we are slowly moving back up. The only way to do this, he stated, is to adapt to the current market.  As a producer of both 1.5MW and 3MW turbines, ACCIONA Windpower is focusing its efforts on customizing its product directly for its customers. Listen to what they want, and adapt. It’s that simple.

What the wind market holds in store for 2011 is still unknown, but it’s refreshing to hear a positive approach for next year towards an industry that has taken quite the beating recently. We may not be able to create a booming wind market, but we can surely adapt.

It is no surprise that Austin prides itself on being a leader in the green industry. We are often topping the charts of U.S. cities doing their part to reduce the national carbon footprint. So when 75,000 music-lovers pack into Zilker Park for a 3-day festival each year, the city of Austin really has to step up their game. I have to say, this year I think they did a fantastic job.

Walking into the park grounds, it was hard to not be impressed with the amount of bikes lining the roads. I’m lucky enough to live within walking distance of the grounds, but was slightly jealous of those cruising past me on my trek to Barton Springs. With thousands of bike rack spaces available, it was pretty awesome to see the entire lot full. Green power at its finest…and a great way to burn those calories from the Imperials and Mighty Cones.

How else did ACL go green?

Rock and Recycle: Fill one green plastic bag with cans and water cartons and receive a free ACL souvenir t-shirt. This was the trade-in at Rock and Recycle, a program aimed at keeping this year’s ACL show 100% carbon neutral.

Refillable Water Stations: Free water refilling stations were available for attendees to refill their own bottles (or purchase an ACL aluminum container), keeping piles of plastic bottles from collecting all over ACL Festival grounds, AND keeping music fans hydrated.

Chip in and Offset: For those wanting to go that extra mile, a $3 ACLMF Green Mountain Energy fan tag could be purchased to offset your travel to/from the show. This $3 gets you 300 kWh of renewable energy credits which offsets 339 pounds of CO2 emissions that contribute to global warming. Putting that into perspective – the equivalent of:

- Not driving a car 433 miles, or

- Not flying 1375 miles, or

- The annual eco-benefit of 24 trees

Jamming out for 3 days while helping to keep our city green? Rock on, Austin.

When I was in third grade I played softball. I was the catcher, and I couldn’t catch a thing. My father, mortified at my inability to be a baller, thought surely I must just need glasses. And I did! I remember walking out of the store with my new glasses and I couldn’t believe that trees didn’t have clouds of green stuff at the tops of them, but rather individual leaves. I still couldn’t catch a ball – and I remain one of the least graceful people I know – but I can see, by the grace of some very thick glasses (or very innocuous contacts, depending on when you catch me).

Sight is one of those things most of us take for granted. Folks in Africa, well, not so much. When making a choice of necessity between food or frames, the belly wins out. It bothers me that anyone has to make that choice so at INK we’re doing our part to take the choice out of the matter. Over the next month, we’re gathering up our old glasses and sending them to Africa. Inspired by the story of Terry Nichols and a group of kids in Kansas taking part in the SHARE program, we encourage you to do the same – SHARE, and give the gift of sight.

To take part, leave a comment here with your email address and I’ll get in touch re mailing instructions (sending to Kansas, not Africa, so shouldn’t be cost prohibitive). Deadline for donations is November 1. Thanks.

Show us your glasses! My daughter, Georgia, plays with her daddy's.

INK Public Relations Takes Home PR’s “People’s Choice” Award

Journalists Vote INK Tops; INK’s Starr Baker Receives Individual Shout Out

AUSTIN, Texas, September 21, 2010 – Chants of “We’re number one! We’re number one!” echoed through the halls of the Whitney Building here in Austin this morning as news of INK PR’s top agency award win spread throughout the company. The boutique PR agency is the best small tech agency in the nation according to PRSourceCode’s fifth annual survey of over 800 journalists.

“For the reporters we work with every day to say they like how we do what we do – well, that’s reason to celebrate,” said Starr Million Baker, president and co-founder of INK PR.

Baker had cause for a second glass of champagne: the winning agency’s leader also received individual honors for her work with the media community.

Vice President and Co-founder Kari Hernandez said: “Starr and I started INK to provide PR with a personal touch and do it better than anyone else. These awards are confirmation that we’re doing just that. Thanks to our clients for the privilege of telling their stories and to our journalist friends for listening. Congratulations to our talented staff and to Starr especially for this well-deserved honor.”

Founded in 2004, INK PR has flourished over the past two years despite the economic downturn, with a 60 percent growth in staff, near perfect client retention and the addition of several new clients and a clean energy practice. INK clients consist of leaders in the technology and clean energy industries including the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), Austin-based Gemalto and Nuventix, and ACCIONA Energy North America to name a few.

About the Awards

PRSourceCode, an IT-focused content service provider connecting the public relations, journalism, conference and industry accolade communities, based the results of its Top Tech Communicators awards on a nationwide survey of more than 800 journalists and bloggers from IT and business publications, including eWEEK, Wired, PCWorld and more. The 5th annual survey, conducted in Q2 2010, asked editors to name their “top” PR agency and individual PR professional, based on responsiveness, knowledge of the industry, knowledge of the journalist’s individual preferences and more. INK PR was named the nation’s number one agency in the small size category; Starr Million Baker was voted as one of the nation’s Top 20 Tech Communicators for her individual efforts. More information about this year’s Top Tech Communicators can be found at http://www.prsourcecode.com/page/2010-top-tech-communicators.

About INK Public Relations

INK PR is the boutique agency of choice for brands big and small in the technology and clean energy industries. INK’s PR specialists bring energy, efficiency and effectiveness to every campaign, along with a desire and ability to understand our clients’ business goals and the industries in which they compete. By combining strategic planning, creativity, and common sense, INK gets clients what they’re really after – the right kind of “ink” that positively impacts business. INK PR: turning ideas into INK.