Malen Yantis Public Relations is seeking a full-time account coordinator. The position is based in the Vail Valley and reports directly to the principal of the company. This is an excellent entry-level opportunity in a fast-paced small agency environment. The person who is selected for this position has an opportunity to be exposed to every facet of the agency including clients from Maui to Vail.

This position is responsible for managing and supporting MYPR client strategies and programs to further company objectives. The successful candidate must employ strategic communications tools through traditional and social media platforms to effectively engage media and consumers. Read more…

In Vail there is a popular phrase, “people come for the winter but stay for the summer.” Anyone who has spent a summer in the mountains understands this concept. I love to ski, but there’s nothing like ski turns becoming kayak rolls as the snow melts into whitewater or hiking up a mountain with my two yellow labs in tow.

When I look back, some of my favorite times in life are summers in Vail with friends hiking, whitewater kayaking and camping. There’s my favorite hike up Cross Creek in the Holy Cross Wilderness area, exploring Lake Constantine or my “go to” hike West Lake Creek. When people come to visit I love taking them to Piney River Ranch because there’s nothing like seeing the Gore Range with a beautiful mountain lake at its base.

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I’ll never forget the day I was looking through the Public Relations Society of America directory and noticed there were public relations people listed for Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail, etc.  As a newly graduated pr major, it had never dawned on me that ski resorts needed pr people – didn’t they sell themselves since skiing was so awesome and everyone loved the resorts? Little did I know!

I immediately set out to get a pr position at a ski resort. I sent cover letter after cover letter trying to get someone’s attention. Why wouldn’t they want to hire me? I love to ski and travel, which I’m sure where two requirements of the job. I put my dream of working for a ski resort on the back burner and starting working for various agencies in Denver. Then, one day I was fortunate enough to sit next to Gary Dutmers at an International Association of Business Communicators banquet. I looked at his name tag – he was the pr manager for Keystone and Breckenridge. I’d hit the jackpot!

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Over the years, I’ve had many people ask how I got from St. Joseph, Mo. to Vail, Colo. The answer to that question starts in college when I was an impressionable student at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Some call CU, “SKI U” and I certainly understand where that nickname comes from.

In the late 1980s, Vail Associates offered an amazing pass to college students. It was an unlimited pass, with holiday restrictions, to Vail and Beaver Creek for $189. Single day lift tickets were in the $50 range at that time and any college student who passed Math 101 could figure out this was a great deal.

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This week on the MYPR blog we are counting down to Vail’s 50th Anniversary celebration, which kicks off on Thursday with Snow Daze concerts, the local premier of the Vail documentary and much more. Vail has been a pivotal part of the development of MYPR as well as the career of its principal Kristin Yantis. Account Coordinator Haley McNeill brings a different perspective to the table as someone who was born and raised in the community.

In honor of a place that has affected our lives and business for more than 20 years, we’ll be sharing some of our memories and special stories about Vail throughout the week. We hope you’ll enjoy this special series of blog postings!

For many clients, the Holy Grail of media placements is the cover shot. Securing that coveted, four-color, iconic placement takes a great relationship, targeted pitch and, most importantly, amazing photography.

“Great photography is, first and foremost, what makes the perfect cover shot,” said Alison Roth, associate editor of Denver Life magazine. “Vibrant colors and a strong model or subject make a difference.”

Working with a photographer who understands the difference between shooting for marketing purposes versus editorial also is important.

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This week we’ve got an idea that truly takes the cake – a soccer ball that generates energy. Imagine that the hoards of children you see on the field every weekend kicking around a soccer ball are creating energy every time they make contact and move the ball – fascinating! But, it’s also a reality thanks to the team at Uncharted Play and their product called the SOCCKET.

The SOCCKET is a modified soccer ball with an eco-friendly generator inside. The gyroscopic mechanism inside the ball captures the energy of motion and converts it into clean energy. The six-watt power outlet on the SOCCKET can power a variety of small appliances such as fans, hot plates, water sterilizers and more. Imagine the implications this can have for underdeveloped parts of the world.

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Today, I am so excited to welcome Haley McNeill to the Malen Yantis Public Relations team as an account coordinator. I’ve known Haley personally for a year now and always thought so highly of her – her upbeat style and passion for Vail was always infectious.

As I contemplated bringing on an account coordinator a few months ago, a friend suggested I hire Haley, so I did some digging. Little did I know that Haley’s background was perfect for my company. She’s worked for a minor league hockey team handling media relations, a Web development company that gives her a unique online marketing perspective and, most importantly, she recently worked for a local radio station. So, in essence, she’s been “the media” and understands pr from their perspective.

Haley grew up in the valley, so I’m excited to see the personal touch she brings to showcasing Vail to media who visit this summer. From tales of hiking her favorite trails to what it was like to interview Vail’s own celebrity bachelor Ryan Sutter for the high school newspaper, there’s an authenticity to Haley that only comes from being a local.

Welcome Haley, I’m excited to have you on board!

Haley may be reached at hmcneill@myprco.com or (970) 949-7919.

There is a cake that sets the standard by which I judge all others. In my book, all  frostings, fillings and cakes are compared to an amazing white cake produced by the team at Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Ariz., which is managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts. For a special occasion years ago, they created a white cake with buttercream frosting and the surprise – a crème brulee and strawberry filling.

Other than splurging and eating two pieces, I was caught eating the top layer with my hands before it went bad. I couldn’t let any morsel of the sweet goodness go to waste. It was the epitome of my weakness!

Why was the cake so good?   Read more…

It seems very fitting that I’m currently reading National Parks: The American Experience by Alfred Runte. This week is National Park Week where travelers can experience our country’s national park system for free through April 29.  For many of us, visiting a national park was a right of passage during summer vacation as a kid. I vividly remember trips to Yellowstone National Park where I had the dubious honor of catching more fish than anyone in my family to a trip to Grand Teton National Park where we camped out at Jenny Lake.

As an adult, I’ve had the pleasure of hiking numerous trails in Yosemite, watching the sunset over the Grand Canyon and viewing the wonder of nature erupt at Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii. There’s a romance about our national parks and this is most evident in the rustic lines, hewn wood, stone and natural materials found in the grand lodges of the national park system. When opening The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, which is modeled after the grand lodges, I read about architect Robert Reamer whose rustic naturalism of “parkitecture” set the stage for classic lodging experiences. Today, travelers can see how Reamer’s vision came to life when visiting the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, the Awahnee in Yosemite and El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, to name a few.

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Every Friday the MYPR blog will be themed the "Friday Frosting" - musings about all things batter, butter cream and ideas that take the cake.

For those of you who know me well, you know that cake is my favorite food group. Of course I know that ‘cake’ isn’t a food group but it certainly should be. I grew up surrounded by candy with my family running the Chase Candy Company, however my weakness has always been cake.

With this in mind, I wanted to set aside one day every week to get off topic a bit, focus on something that isn’t only pr or marketing communications oriented. The Friday Frosting will critique or review some of our favorite bakeries, cupcake trucks and sweet spots we’ve found in Colorado or on our travels.

The Friday Frosting also is our opportunity to be a bit more whimsical and if we’ve not been able to get out and try the latest butter cream in the area, we’lll simply share some musings and observations about happenings throughout the week that ‘take the cake.’