News

Just released—Praxis Volume 14
January 25, 2011

The latest edition of Praxis, our annual, staff-produced literary journal, collects fiction, poetry and personal essays by talented writers throughout the agency. If you’d like a copy, just drop us an email with your name and address.

Thanks for the belly laughs!
December 28, 2011

We bring 2011 to a close with goodbyes and gratitude to Sue Sell, our executive creative director, who’s retiring after more than 14 years at AHA!. Always a champion for creativity and quality, Sue has been a friend, mentor and source of inspiration to all of us. Now that she has more time for her own creative writing, we can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Bikes welcome here
December 14, 2011

For the second time, the League of American Bicyclists has recognized AHA! as a bike-friendly business. We won the bronze designation from the league for our commitment to making our Bodacious Bikers’ green commutes as convenient (bike racks!) and comfortable (showers in the building!) as possible.

Wave One rolls in for lunch
November 7, 2011

As part of the AHA! Lunch & Learn series, Holly and Wayne Paige from Wave One Group shared their approach to video storytelling. We asked questions and shared ideas about how to help clients (theirs and ours) make the most of video communication.

More and merrier
October 24, 2011

Since the beginning of 2011, AHA! has grown by almost 20 people! These new team members bring fresh energy, diverse backgrounds, and a wealth of writing and strategic talents. Our newest addition, Greg Netzer, will be leading our corporate responsibility practice. Greg’s most recent gig before joining our team was as executive director of Wordstock, Portland’s annual literary festival. With this experience, plus his MFA in creative writing, he’s already scored some serious points with his fellow AHA!ians.

AHA! at Commit!
October 21, 2011

A team of four AHA!ians braved a humid few days in New York City to attend the CR Commit! Forum in September. Presentations ranged from a water-focused keynote by Charles Fishman, author of The Big Thirst, to lightning rounds of “big ideas,” such as a joint effort between Western Union and USAID to provide microloans to entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa. We left inspired, impressed and eager to help more organizations tell their own corporate responsibility stories to the world.

Mangoes revisited
October 18, 2011

A recent newsletter from the food-centric website Culinate featured our own Sona Pai’s recipe for mango lassi. The recipe—a perfect way to beat the summer heat—originally accompanied her story “Mangoes, memories—and motorcycles.” Other stories in the site’s “Sona Pai collection” include pieces on cilantro and chicken curry, both of which also come with some of Sona’s favorite (and easy!) family recipes.

Don’t miss Opportunity Green
September 26, 2011

AHA! CEO Betsy Henning will be speaking at the Opportunity Green conference in Los Angeles Thursday, November 10. Opportunity Green, which AHA! is proud to sponsor, brings together sustainability and business leaders to share ideas, generate discussion and encourage collaboration. The conference is open to the public and, based on our experience last year, lots of fun.

Award-winning writer in the house!
September 21, 2011

Our own Grant Byington recently returned from the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference with a second-place win in the nonfiction/memoir category for his story collection Smelter City Boy. Grant’s submission includes stories of his childhood in Anaconda, Montana—many of which were first published in the pages of Praxis, AHA!’s annual collection of staff writing. Read his 2010 Praxis story “Driving Lessons,” and you’ll see why his submission rose to the top.

AHA! featured on Triple Pundit
September 19, 2011

The website Triple Pundit, which focuses on sustainable business news, gave us a very nice shout out in a recent review of our sustainability report. One of our favorite lines: “In the process of telling its story, AHA! also demonstrates what such work for clients might look like, while at the same time providing added value to the reader.” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

AHA! Writers Retreat
September 16, 2011

We’re thrilled to announce that award-winning writer Sheri Joseph will lead the 2011 AHA! Writers Retreat on the Oregon coast later this month. The retreat is our opportunity to indulge in some personal writing and replenish our creative stores for the work we get to do in the office every day. It’s sure to spark some inspiration for this year’s edition of Praxis, so be sure to get your hands on a copy to see what we’ve been up to.

AHA!’s Easy Writers conquer Hood to Coast
September 7, 2011

AHA!’s Easy Writers ran their second Hood to Coast race August 26–27. The 200-mile all-day-all-night relay started at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood and ended in the beach town of Seaside, Oregon. The yearly event tests endurance, courage and—if you ask AHA!ians who aren’t avid runners—sanity. Thanks to Angel Mahon for wrangling, training and motivating this year’s participants!

5 things you need to know
April 12, 2011

AHA!'s Betsy Henning led a workshop yesterday at the 2011 Oregon Governor's Conference on Tourism. In it, she described five essential elements you need to understand to make a connection through effective marketing: yourself, your business, your audience, your craft and your medium. For attendees who'd like a refresher, or anyone else in search of some solid communications tips, here's a PDF of Betsy's presentation slides.

HP wins award for best CR report
March 28, 2011

HP's 2009 Global Citizenship Report won top honors last Thursday at Corporate Register's CR Reporting Awards ceremony at the Royal Society of London. The report was also runner-up for the Creativity in Communications award. AHA! writers and strategists teamed up with consultant David Hudson, the UK-based consultancy Context and Celery Design to produce the award-winning publication. We've helped develop HP's report for four years, and we're proud to be a part of HP's leading efforts in corporate responsibility.

AHA! International
March 18, 2011

Earlier this month, two of AHA!'s intrepid strategists traveled to Israel for a five-day messaging summit with HP Indigo clients in Rehovot (approximately 20 minutes south of Tel Aviv). Creative lead Grant Byington and writer/account manager Nicole Henderson toured printing facilities and met with HP content experts to craft messaging for the HP Graphics Solutions Business. A speedy one-day tour of Jerusalem capped off the weeklong adventure.

TrendWatch 2011
January 12, 2011

What does 2011 have in store for green business? Tune in to the TrendWatch 2011 webinar, hosted by Sustainable Industries and sponsored by yours truly, to find out who'll be moving, shaking and growing new business in the coming year.

TrendWatch 2011 webinar
Date: Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011
Time: 10:00 am PST

Learn more and register here!