Projects
An in-depth insight into some of the major projects I've worked on over the past few years. Don't worry there's a "Too Long; Didn't Read" section at the end of each project for a much shorter synopsis.
CU Buffs RAV4 Giveaway
After the on-field competition, Hazel's Store Manager and I posed with the finalists and their prizes.
Photo Credit: Lam Creative Solutions
To cross-promote and gather more entries, we drove the car to CU's campus for the CU Kickoff Luncheon at the start of football season.
Project Objective: This project had two objectives, generate leads and increase foot traffic in-store by providing a large, promotional prize; and increase brand awareness on the larger stage of one of our major sponsorships (CU Buffs Athletics/Buffalo Sports Properties) by rewarding a customer with the prize of a new vehicle.
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My Role & Responsibilities: This was an entirely new project, to be planned and executed from scratch. I began by developing the project charter with internal stakeholders and the project sponsor. I collected requirements from all stakeholders and immediately reached out to vendor contacts to establish possible vendor sponsors. Once we received confirmation from CU Athletics, I signed on Avery Brewing as a partnering sponsor. Their product (Stampede) was targeted toward CU students and was a great partnering product to be a part of this giveaway. With that, I rounded out the prize package to include Avery products, snowboards, a tailgating grill, and the custom-wrapped vehicle. In meetings with stakeholders, we determined the logistics of the finalist giveaway once the initial promotion was being executed. Controlling quality, conducting procurements, and managing communications were very front-end heavy as the remaining scope was dependent on the quality production of the giveaway item (the vehicle), early in the project.
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Giveaway/contest day priorities included implementing risk responses as we ran into issues with one external stakeholder’s inability to deliver on contracted details as negotiated. Working through the change control process with that stakeholder required monitoring communications and quality, heavily. The rest of the competition went off well, the finalists competed in a football toss. With the winner being able to choose one of two huge boxes on the field. One had a giant key, representing the Toyota, the other had a giant gift card, representing the runner-up prize of "Beer for a Year." Andrew (playing on behalf of his dad) won the vehicle and we still see it driving around Boulder, frequently.
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Deliverables: A custom-wrapped Toyota Rav4, consolation prize ("Beer for a Year"), small additional prizes from external stakeholders, generated leads, event materials, and prize acceptance documentation.
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Outcome: Gained leads and rounded out customer profiles; increased community relations and brand awareness. Publicly awarded a brand new, custom wrapped Toyota Rav4 to a customer.
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TL;DR: I gave away a car, was on the field for the finalist competition, took Hazel's social media followers behind the scenes and developed the whole campaign from scratch. It was one of the major highlights of my career.
The vehicle was parked on the floor just inside the entrance doors of the store. Shown with a few of the additional prizes in the prize package and merchandised with a sponsor's product.
10 Year Anniversary Campaign
Project Objective: The objective was not only to give thanks to the community and customers who've made Hazel's a staple in Boulder, but to drive foot-traffic to the store in the weekends leading up to the Fourth of July holiday (when sales can be a bit slower).
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My Role & Responsibilities: This project two main elements, I'll break out my responsibilities out by each section.
Advertising Campaign: The advertising campaign was also broken up into two pieces, the first was a customer-focused campaign that asked our customers "Why do you 💛 Hazel's?" I gathered these responses via CTA ads, utilizing a QR code or social media links (in post or in bio), resulting in over 100+ responses from customers. After that initial phase of CTA ads to gather the testimonials, I directed our graphic designer to create a templated ad (early on in the process) where she would then take the testimonials I selected and have ready to publish ads in newsprint, digital, and magazine sizes.
In addition to the customer-centric campaign, was our general 10 year anniversary ad campaign, which included advertising for the anniversary event. The earliest ad iteration we created was for the RTD (Regional Transportation) buses, third image to the right. I'm very proud to say that with a tough template to work with, I came up with the idea for the sort of 'word scramble' background and that is the wonderful execution of the concept by our graphic designer (with lots of feedback from myself and other stakeholders). Other advertising included general awareness anniversary and event anniversary ads in newsprint, digital, and magazine sizes. A lot of social media and email advertising helped bolster the attendance of this event, both organic and paid posting.
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Anniversary Event: This was one of the first events I planned in several years that was on this scale (thanks to the pandemic) and did not have a partnering beverage sponsor. Because there was no sponsor, I was responsible for booking every vendor myself, thankfully I found some wonderful partners to bring in for this event that worked within my budget. For tent activation, we gave away several RTIC coolers, this also served as a teaser on social media prior to the event and an incentive to attend. Limited edition anniversary prizes (t-shirts, koozies, etc. with the I💛HZ logo) were given away based on a corn-hole toss. I booked an 11-piece swing band - on brand with Hazel's WWII theme. They were a huge hit and I had the idea to set up the conference room with refreshments for the band to enjoy on their breaks between sets. I also secured a custom-balloon company to create large balloon displays at the entrance, exit, and tasting bar - including a five-foot tall '10' mosaic in Hazel's colors. Finally, I booked a food truck that had worked with us before and understood how we would set up payment for servings to offer our customers a free meal and he was wonderful to work with, allowing us to select the menu, giving a great deal to include drinks and stay within my budget. Finally, I secured a huge cupcake order to serve at the tasting bar from a local bakery that we cross-promoted to show our appreciation for the discount they gave me as a fellow locally-owned Boulder business. This was the last event I planned for Hazel's and celebrating the 10 year anniversary felt like a great send off for me as well.
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Deliverables: Advertising files, customer testimonials, free food, live music, custom anniversary giveaway general merchandise, and custom balloons.
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Outcome: A wonderful event attended by hundreds of customers, enjoying free food, cupcakes, prizes, and live music!
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TL;DR: The last campaign and event I planned for Hazel's was the most in-depth and rewarding, it was a great send-off and I'm extremely proud of how much work I put into it while also training my replacement.
An example of an "I💛HZ" Love Letter.
Design Credit: Sue Hauser
During the 10 year Anniversary event, guests take in the 11-piece live swing band amid custom balloons from Party Poppers (Denver).
Hazel's tent and table setup with raffle entry and prizes.
RTD Bus Back campaign as part of the 10 year anniversary.
Design was my brainstorm and Sue Hauser's execution.
Marshall Fire Relief: Whiskey Auction
The lineup of auctioned bottles, taking the individual bottle shots was nerve-wracking as I knew how much value I had on one desk.
Screenshot of the Galabid Auction site, I customized for Hazel's branding look and feel. Click the image to view the site.
Instagram post, directing users to the bottle auction site via QR code, URL, and link in bio, detailing auction dates and info.
Design Credit: Sue Hauser
Project Objective: Raise funds to support the relief efforts from the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado.
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My Role & Responsibilities: On December 30, 2021 I was road tripping back to Colorado (from Wisconsin - home for the holidays) when my husband and I were about a half an hour away from our home and saw a massive dust cloud. At least, that's what we thought it was at first because the winds were so strong they were hard to drive through. We quickly learned our home was a few miles away from a wildfire that was quickly tearing through residential areas.
Returning to work a few days later, every employee wanted to know what Hazel's was going to do to help, a credit that I am still humbled by. The fact that my friends and coworkers were asking me what we were going to do meant that I had done well in my role of making the community a top priority. A few days later, a few senior managers and myself determined we would raise funds by holding an allocated whiskey bottle auction. These whiskies are highly coveted and are often resold for hundreds (or thousands) more than their suggested retail price. Unfortunately, the idea of the auction was more easily come to than the execution.
Both Hazel's and The Community Foundation (the main organization gathering fundraised dollars for the wildfire relief) had legal restrictions on how controlled substances (alcohol) could be distributed, bought, or accepted. After several calls between myself, the Community Foundation's contact, and their legal team, we thought we had a solution. But each time we brainstormed another way to get permission or work around the legal requirements, it would be blocked by their legal team or ours not wanting to jeopardize the potential dollars raised to any workaround.
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We finally determined a process that would work which involved Hazel's holding the online auction and releasing the bottles to the winning bidder only after proof of donation was shown from the Community Foundation for the total bid amount. It was a long, arduous process to get to that point but during that negotiation I was still operating as if the auction were going to go ahead. I researched online auction software, determining which had the exact features we needed, and purchasing a software to address another roadblock that appeared. With that settled I began gathering and preparing the bottles, taking photos of each, gathering descriptions, and data for minimum bids and reserve prices. I had created an ad asset list that I gave to our graphic designer and we tirelessly worked together to create ad content that would pique the interest of customers. I created an Instagram reel highlighting the bottles featured in the auction and had a full-court press of a campaign in a little more than a week (once logistics were approved). Advertising assets were distributed through social media, email blasts, in-app messaging, website notifications, etc. I kept management stakeholders up to date on the logistics of the software, large bids, and advertising engagement. By the end of the auction, the automated messages I drafted were sent out to winners with instructions for redemption and donation, and the front-end staff knew where to find and how to distribute these highly-allocated bottles. One bottle was sold after the auction ended (to a well-known customer) so even though it says it did not meet the reserve on the auction site, it sold for $10,000 - going directly to benefit those impacted by the Marshall Fire, $33k raised in total.
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Deliverables: Several rare and coveted bottles of whiskey and over $33,000 raised.
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Outcome: $33,000 total raised from thirteen total bottles that went directly to The Wildfire Fund at Community Foundation (relief fund designated for Marshall Fire).
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TL;DR: An extremely difficult campaign (due to legal restrictions) that ended up being hugely successful and bringing much needed funds to families who lost everything in the December 30th Marshall Fire.
A thank you posted with the results of the auction displayed in a poster stand near the whiskey section of the store.
Design Credit: Sue Hauser
Hazel's Annual Car Show
Project Objective: Increase foot traffic by providing on-brand entertainment to customers and the community.
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My Role & Responsibilities: I planned and worked five of Hazel's Annual Show & Shine Car Shows during my tenure. Scheduled for a Sunday on or around Father's Day in June, it's a staple, signature Hazel's event. Typically, we partner with a beer vendor to sponsor. They would either come to us or I would solicit their involvement and what is required of an event sponsor (food, prizes, and a game). The advertising leading up to the car show is two-fold, the first round of advertisement is to attract the attention of participants who will bring their cars to show. I target paid social media advertising to audiences with an interest in vintage cars, car shows, muscle cars, etc. I print and put out flyers (2-up on 8.5x11) on the backs of registers for those interested to take, in addition to email blasts, social posts, in-store posters, FB/website event listings, newsprint/digital ads, and the in-store directory. Once the car show participants are advertised to, a new round of ads with a slightly different message is published to appeal to customers and the community to attend. Throughout the planning process I work with department stakeholders to order supplies (water through the Grocery Manager and keg buckets through the Beer Manager) and keep up to date with parking lot layout plans.
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Event execution includes tent/table/parking lot setup, coning off traffic from a few entrances and exits, and directing vendor setup for the food, DJ, and sponsor. I assign scheduled staff assistants to be in charge of registering vehicles as they arrive, either directing them to the Hazel's tent for registration or going to them. If car show participants stay at least two hours, they receive a Hazel's gift card. Those are tracked via the registration form and kept in a lock-box with one of the assisting employees for the duration of the event. I developed a registration form that allows for Hazel's team members to discreetly track the distribution of gift cards while collecting contact information to reach out to participants for the following year's show. During the event, I'm continuously monitoring vendor and customer needs, making sure beverages and prizes are stocked, questions answered, etc. Some years I would have hourly raffle prizes for all in attendance, anyone stopping by the Hazel's tent would be given a few raffle tickets to be entered into the prizes and on the hour, the DJ and I would select and announce the winner. Other years it would be one grand prize, with the winner drawn near the end of the event. From beginning to end, I help direct traffic, allowing show cars through the coned off sections, assist with parking directions, running from one of end of the parking lot to the other, and being the main point of contact for any questions. Because I improved targeted ads, added advertising avenues, and included more activities and prizes, the attendance of both car showing participants and attendees increased every year by at least 20%.
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Deliverables: Free food, drinks, games, prizes, and entertainment for customers, gift cards for car show participants, and ad assets.
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Outcome: An enjoyable event for all!
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TL;DR: A staple Hazel's signature event that went on even during COVID (always outdoors), highlights the community participation and appreciation for Hazel's events.
2020 Car Show with record turnout, four full rows of the lot were full of show cars, and Truly (sponsor) gave away great prizes!
Photo Credit: Sean Oliver
Another view of the 2020 show, with four rows of show cars.
Photo Credit: Sean Oliver
Header image asset for social media and website event listings.
Design Credit: Sue Hauser
Curbside Pickup Update
Proof showing the correct dimensions and artwork.
The map graphic that announced and informed customers of the change, posted to Hazel's Instagram account during the relaunch.
Design Credit: Sue Hauser
Project Objective: Change the location and improve the efficiency of Curbside Pickup for both customers and employees.
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My Role & Responsibilities: This project had several high interest and high power stakeholders as it was not just a marketing campaign but a large rebranding and relocation of a customer service. With the input of these internal stakeholders, I kept them informed and managed their expectations closely to make sure the logistics of the project were correct based on restrictions and features of the fulfillment process. For example, I wouldn't want to direct the graphic designer to add a specific phrase if it didn't make sense with the options the customer would see. After leading several meetings and recording requirements, drafting proofs, and requesting changes, we had a final design. I submitted this to the sign production company for proofing and quoting based on a rerun of a former print job. Unfortunately, this time, despite the proof (on the left) clearly outlining the dimensions the signs were produced much smaller than quoted and proofed (after my approval based on the correct specs). The misprinted signs were used for about a week as the contingency plan until the printer produced and installed the signs correctly at no cost to Hazel's for their proofing mistake. While the mishap was being corrected, my major part of the campaign began. This major aspect was communicating the change to the customer since the Curbside Pick Up changed from one side of the parking lot to the other, brought with it new signs, and new features through the website for the ordering and fulfillment process.
I requested the original blueprints from the GM for the parking lot redesign that had taken place a few years prior. I used those to provide a starting point for our graphic designer to create a stylized map graphic for easier customer direction. The resulting map is what was born from that brainstorm and was a tremendous help in communicating the change. That map was published directly to social media accounts, blasted in weekly emails for several weeks leading up to and after the scheduled changeover. The map was also featured on a small flyer (3-up on an 8.5x11) inserted into every pickup order for weeks before the changeover to prepare regular customers for the updated process and location. I used our usual printer to produce these and directed our graphic designer on the content needed based on the original stakeholder brainstorms. This was my most thorough customer communication plan as it directly impacted sales and customer satisfaction at the order-level. The fulfillment team received no negative feedback regarding miscommunication or concern over the change from customers!
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Deliverables: Customer communication assets, Curbside Pickup signage and relocation.
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Outcome: Relocated and rebranded Curbside Pickup as another fulfilment option for orders.
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TL;DR: Successfully relaunched the Curbside Pickup location and process with successful customer communication and no negative feedback on a critical order fulfillment method.
The reason for the switch: needing to update verbiage, location, and make the program permanent. Pictured are the former signs.
Website Switchover & App Creation
Project Objective: The objective of the website project was to upgrade security, user experience, and increase online sales. It happened to culminate when Hazel's was closed to in-store shopping (by choice, not by regulation) at the start of the pandemic. Online orders were the only mode of executing business at this point in time, so the project became critical.
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My Role & Responsibilities: This project required working closely with a new team and operating in a hybrid structure to complete this project cohesively with the new website host company. The internal portion of this project was conducted as a traditional workflow, but the external team operated in agile, combining both in the project for a hybrid method. I began by getting buy-in and input from stakeholders on features and design elements that were necessary. With the internal team members, I planned the schedule by estimating activity durations, guiding design decisions and deadlines. Moving into a scrum framework, I worked with the host on of two sprints - the first covering UX/UI design. The second sprint involved the operation updates and stakeholder reviews. Immediately following that section sprint was implementation due to the now critical timeline to have a better online ordering system. Simultaneously I worked on logistics of creating an Apple App Store account to host the development team's app. I conducted daily meetings to check on remaining tasks in the sprint, keeping the burndown chart up-to-date.
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Deliverables: Deliverables of this project included a new website design and hosting software, mobile application, and back-end training to sync accounting and internal workflow processes.
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Outcome: Online sales increased substantially due to this project along with the shift in buying patterns and consumer habits during the pandemic. The user experience and upgrade opportunities were also positive outcomes of the website host provider switch.
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TL;DR: Led a hybrid project with little assistance and lots of ambiguity that resulted in a complete website redesign, app design, and integration during a critical time-period.
The new website design, featuring an app download in the upper left-hand corner to drive customers to Hazel's mobile experience.
A graphic I created and published on Hazel's social media accounts and email to incentivize app downloads in spring 2020.
Public Relations
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After the Boulder King Sooper's shooting (March 2021), I stayed home with a migraine the next day but poured my heart into the statement above to post on Hazel's social media channels.
Design Credit: Hayley Boreen
One of the many digitally/social media sized assets to communicate the store's ever-changing COVID procedures in 2020.
Design Credit: Sue Hauser
Project Objective: To maintain Hazel's reputation within the Boulder community via regular communication.
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My Role & Responsibilities: Be constantly aware of global, regional, and local current events and bring them to the attention of the Store and General Managers, with pros and cons of Hazel's making a statement regarding the event(s). At the start of the pandemic, Hazel's closed for in-store shopping, despite being one of the few industries allowed to continue operating during the initial shut-down. Because we didn't know what we were dealing with, the GM made the choice to close and move to online ordering only for the month of April. (You can learn more about the online ordering during this time in the project section above, "Website Switchover and App Creation"). This meant that all of our communication would be done through strictly digital channels and had to be concise, clear, and consistent so customer's knew exactly how to place and receive their orders. While working remotely, I managed our graphic designer's workload and extremely tight deadlines with regulations changing sometimes daily. It was a time of extreme communication and required a lot of organization, but I thrived in that unknown and constant change, anticipating the next need with templates and pre-planning.
An even more tragic PR statement came the day after the Boulder King Sooper's shooting in March of 2021, which claimed the life of many, including Officer Talley who called on Hazel's for years. In addition to the statement, I used a portion of my donation budget to provide assistance to several funds offering support after the shooting. One was to Officer Talley's Memorial Fund and another to the community fund established to help the families and people directly effected.
On a lighter note, I was the Hazel's manager to decide how and where we would announce new store programs or announcements, helping to sort out the logistics, manage the creation of design assets and vendors to schedule the publication of all customer communications.
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Deliverables: Publicly shared statements in Hazel's brand-voice.
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Outcome: Goodwill within the community, appreciation for clear, concise, and consistent communication.
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TL;DR: The pandemic brought a new level of PR and customer-communication to my role that I hadn't required before. While working remotely, with a closed store, and freelance graphic designer, we created same-day turnaround for vital customer communication. Boulder tragedies invoked my heart-felt statement to the community, representing Hazel's.
Scratch Off Giveaways
Project Objective: Increase orders during the typically slower first quarter (each year).
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My Role & Responsibilities: There are several parts to this project each year, and I've had the privilege of leading this project for five years, featuring the following trips: (2017) Trip to Napa Valley, (2018) Trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, (2019) Trip to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany(!), (2020) Trip to Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland, and (2022) Trip to Jalisco, Mexico with Don Julio.
The Scratch Off Game Play: At the end of each year, I begin by working with internal department managers/stakeholders to source the destination of the trip and potential beverage company partners. Once the partner and location are determined, I start researching design directions to help kickstart our graphic designer's direction for the scratch-card design. The proofing and production of the cards is usually finalized right around Christmas and they arrive just in time for a February launch. Once returned from the holiday, the graphic designer will have a complete list of content and size requirements for all ads in this first phase of the campaign. Those are completed about two weeks prior to the launch and published in print, email, and social media channels (paid and organic). During this time, I am also sourcing and gathering the instant-win prizes that I planned the card quantities on. These instant-win prizes are recorded in my master program document that helps me keep organized during the planning and proofing stages of this process. Instant-win prizes include: Hazel's $50 gift card, Hazel's hat, [vendor] hat, t-shirts, glassware, sunglasses, $5 off your purchase coupons, coolers, koozies, grills, etc. Prizes change each year, depending on the final destination prize and beverage sponsor.
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Second Chance Entries: If we make it through the entire scratch off game play until about May, and no one has come forward to spell the winning word then we hold a second-chance drawing. One of my greatest improvements on this campaign year-over-year was implementing a second chance entry form on the physical card for easier submission. You can see this in the 2020 and 2022 game pieces to the right. This created a huge increase in second-chance submissions and interaction during the gameplay section as customer's were far more likely to retain their earned cards and participate in hopes of winning the second-chance drawing. The entry period for this drawing was about one month, but I had already created the advertising with our graphic designer during the game play portion of the campaign, just in case no one came forward. All five years that I ran this campaign, we always had a second-chance drawing so it was an easy bet to make. With the second-chance entry period being heavily advertised and the date of the drawing being published, I would gather the entries and add them to a very large raffle drum. In recent years, I worked with our freelance videographer to live-stream the second-chance drawing at the date and time advertised for a better customer experience. You can view the last few videos by clicking on the videos to the right (links to Instagram).
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Winner Trip: Once we have selected the winner, we are sure to thank everyone for their participation and evaluate foot-traffic numbers year-over-year, acknowledging different promotion dates and timelines. In 2021, we skipped this promotion due to not seeing a worthwhile uptick in orders and scratch-card redemption, but resumed in 2022 once the pandemic had become more stabilized. I would meet with the winner (and their guest), gathering a W-9 for my accounting department and have the winner sign a Prize Acceptance Agreement allowing Hazel's to use their name and likeness in advertising. This would allow us to move into taking a few winner photos for future advertisements and announcements on social media, only ever posting their first name and last initial for privacy reasons (another PR/brand standard I implemented based off of industry best practices). From this meeting we would begin planning the trip based off the winner's availability and any partnering brand's requirements. Managing the partnering brand's stakeholders and our winner's expectations and communication through myself to make it the most seamless experience with little work required of the winner. Once I'd finalized plans with the partnering brand, I would secure accommodations, transportation, and gather small prizes to make the experience as positive as possible, providing Hazel's swag, bottle bubble sleeves for transporting any beverage souvenirs, and a stipend for food and any miscellaneous travel expenses from my marketing budget account for this program. There were no requirements for winners to share photos or posts from their trip but by the end of our time together they were always happy to take me along via their memories. I have a great relationship with several of these winners, even years later as I was the person they saw from beginning to end of this process, booked their entire trip, and could answer any question they had regarding the campaign or prize.
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Deliverables: 80k+ scratch off cards per year, instant win prizes, grand prize winners and trip.
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Outcome: Sending one winner and their guest on a beverage themed trip while cultivating good-will and loyalty in customers with the instant-win and interactive nature of the game.
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TL;DR: To boost sales in Q1 we stage a scratch-and-win giveaway where customers need to collect game pieces to spell the winning word, receiving a card with each purchase. One lucky winner and their guest get to go on the trip of a lifetime! I was able to fine-tune this campaign for greater ease and more participation with small improvements each year.
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The scratch-off cards from each trip and campaign I planned.
Design Credit: Sue Hauser
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Scratch-off planning spreadsheets, with all details regarding production of game pieces to instant prizes and important dates, and an example of a Prize Acceptance Agreement and proof.
A photo in-store of the winners of the California Dreamin' Napa Valley trip in 2017.
Second
Chance Drawing
Videos
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Our winners of the Oktoberfest trip to Munich, Germany sent us the surprise of a lifetime when they discovered that a rollercoaster on the grounds of Oktoberfest was using a copyrighted Hazel image without permission. However, international copyright law was a big undertaking so we let it be and were pretty floored that we would have never known had we not sent two customers to Munich that year!
October Register Fundraiser
Doctors and the Executive Director of BCH with Hazel's donation check. Photo credit: Boulder Community Health
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Call to action design asset displayed in-store and online.
Design Credit: Sue Hauser
Project Objective: Raise funds through in-store register transactions to benefit a local, independent healthcare non-profit during the height of the pandemic (when most services were shut down except critical COVID care).
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My Role & Responsibilities: I had the pleasure of helping develop the idea and partnering with our Operations Manager to carry this one through to completion. We based this project off of similar campaigns in previous years, however those had been lead by a vendor partner (Coors Beverage Company) and we had minor oversight during those campaigns. With this promotion, we were the main player. I solicited different vendor partners to match our contributions (Hazel's decided to match all funds raised). Our contributing vendor partners for this event were: Tito's Vodka, Ska Brewing, Flying Embers Brewing, Chandon, and Bulleit Bourbon. With their contributions, Hazel's matched the total raised at the register for a total of $52,000 raised for Boulder Community Health. Most expenses for this project were off-site with additional donations from vendors, who donated swag items to be incentive prizes for customers to donate at the register. Items like hats, t-shirts, stickers, and koozies from various brands (beyond the partners mentioned above). There was a second part of this campaign that was our 'Thank You' tour-of sorts. We asked the infectious disease team to take a few photos with the giant check I directed our designer to create, then had printed. You'll see them taking a break from their vital work to take that photo to the left. As an additional thank you to all the customers who donated, I had the idea to hang the check in-store and any customer who took a photo with it, tagged Hazel's, and used a certain hashtag would be entered to win a $250 Hazel's gift card. This extended the goodwill branding we received from this campaign beyond October and got Hazel's the opportunity to have a spotlight article written about the contribution.
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Deliverables: $52,000 of funds donated to BCH’s COVID-19 Response Fund, additionally the giant check for presentation purposes, in-store and digital signage, and prizes awarded to donating customers.
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Outcome: Hazel’s customers and company match raised a total of $52,000 for Boulder Community Health Foundation, the only remaining non-profit healthcare network in Boulder, CO. Because of this early partnership, Hazel's is now positioned to be a Gold Tier sponsor for BCH's Centennial Celebration Year in 2022 and the GM of Hazel's now serves on their board.
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TL;DR: I modified a previous campaign to provide the most impact for brand goodwill to Hazel's while directly benefitting the community hospital system resulting in greater partnership opportunities and an elevated reputation in the community.
'Thank You' tour of the BCH check for Hazel customers to have ownership over their part in the donation.
Sponsorships
Project Objective: Less of a project and more of a few ongoing partnerships to elevate Hazel's brand awareness and advertising reach to connect with the community.
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My Role & Responsibilities: For some sponsorships I was responsible for finalizing the sponsorship contract, determining deliverables, assets, and elements to the agreement. For others I was part of a team (typically including the GM, CFO, and Store Manager to determine what worked best for several departments of the store). A few highlights include:
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CU Athletics/Buffalo Sports Properties - Hazel's is "The Official Pre- and Post-Game Headquarters of the Buffs!" and as such was a major athletic sponsor for the Football and Basketball seasons. Deliverables ranged from game-day programs, season pass-holder only coupons, on-field signage, radio spots, sponsor tickets, and more. This is Hazel's largest single sponsorship and requires an in-depth renewal process each year with evaluation of deliverables and performance.
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Winter Craft Beer Festival - As a sponsor since the beginning, Hazel's has had a tent at every WCBF, 2020 was the most recent event just before the pandemic in March 2020. I created a booth activation my first year that I thought would be a hit since Hazel's did not have the ability (liquor license limitations) to serve alcoholic beverages at this event. So while attendees got to sample from the numerous tents of local breweries (of which, there are plenty in Boulder!) they would come to Hazel's tent to play "Snowball Toss." Which was essentially fancy beer pong with blue solo cups, Hazel's branded ping-pong balls, tea lights, and mason jars decorated like snowmen. Turned out I was correct and it was a huge hit, Hazel's tent was the only one to have a line of at least 20-30 people waiting for the entire duration of the festival. Working with a team to assist me with the event, we doled out prizes based on each person's Snowball Toss performance. Giving away t-shirts, koozies, stickers, bracelets, bottle openers, coupons, and more.
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Colorado Shakespeare Festival - This organization was one beloved by our CFO so she and I would coordinate the terms of the annual contract. Each year one of the deliverables was a half-page program ad that was distributed for each show. Myself, the GM, and graphic designer would scour the internet for great Shakespearean quotes and create an ad that tied those words to Hazel's. We also were able to attend the sponsor kick-off event and show at the beginning of the season each summer. It was my official summer kick-off
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Deliverables: Varied by sponsorship.
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Outcome: High value brand exposure, access to new customer bases, exclusivity deals, etc.
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TL;DR: I oversaw or completed contract negotiations for several major sponsorships annually, verifying deliverable fulfillment, executing sponsorship events and more to elevate Hazel's brand awareness in Boulder.
A gameday still from Folsom Field showing Hazel's banner at TV-visible level as part of their ongoing sponsorship.
Photo Credit/Copyright: Buffalo Sports Properties
Social media photo showing the setup of Hazel's tent at the 2020 Winter Craft Beer Festival - where the tent always has a line.
A smaller partnership with Anheuser-Busch brought an appearance by the Denver Bronco's Cheer Team to Hazel's in October 2017.
Donation Process Optimization
I would occasionally attend donation or sponsored events on behalf of Hazel's. At this event, you can see one of the deliverables that was a part of Hazel's sponsorship. It was a great fundraiser!
The last iteration of the Donation Application and policy that I created for ease on both my end and the non-profits'.
Project Objective: Maximize efficiency of the donations, employing automation wherever possible to reduce the amount of time repeating similar information in the application and fulfillment process.
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My Role & Responsibilities: Donations are a process I oversaw almost independently, I brought all requests to my weekly status meeting and got any insight or concerns from store stakeholders. Once an application was approved, the entire process was in my hands. A request usually originated in an email to me or inquiry to the website. From there I would need to correspond with each contact team for the event/non-profit, gather information about their request, bring the request for review, then coordinate the donated product. Once the in-kind product, auction item, or cash sponsorship was set, I would coordinate pickup, ring through to account for it being removed from inventory and create an invoice to provide the non-profit organization for their records.
This process became much easier with the implementation of a few processes to drastically improve efficiency. Beginning with Quick Parts in Outlook with variables to edit for each response bolded in red. They outlined standard responses so I could push a button instead of typing out the same message five times per day. I optimized the donation application, restructuring and refining the questions required to find the information I needed at a glance. Each year I would make small changes to the application based on any confusion or observations based on the usage of the application. I created a template and worked with the Wine Manager to better utilize the inventory of wine for donations based on quantities and specific varietal requests. In the Excel spreadsheet that kept record of upcoming donations, I outlined a table of equations to have an up-to-date record of remaining and allocated donation budget to always know how much had been spent and eliminate the risk of going over budget. All of this was completed while still prioritizing excellent customer service and connection with these community organizations.
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Deliverables: Equations in Excel spreadsheet to track donation spending and available budget values, seamless and efficient communication systems with non-profits, updated donation application.
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Outcome: Ease in processing a very large number of donation requests, tracking spending, and scheduling my remaining priorities.
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TL;DR: Used Outlook Quick Parts, Excel equations, Adobe Acrobat to increase the efficiency of the donation application process and make more time for other marketing priorities.
Yellow Scene Marketing Seminar
Project Objective: Plan and host an educational and informative event for local, small business owners to learn from successful area businesses about marketing patterns and share ideas. Guest speakers representing successful local businesses provided a presentation about their businesses' success. Yellow Scene created a networking environment to share ideas, make connections, and position YS as a valuable community resource.
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My Role & Responsibilities: My role was fully planning the seminar from beginning to end, including producing all necessary deliverables, selling tickets, and day-of execution. Public speaking is not my favorite, I can lead a meeting but the second I have to stand in front of a crowd, adrenaline starts pumping. Because this event had a bare-bones budget, I approached and proposed a trade agreement with a local printer for the workbook printing, providing them sponsorship deliverables for their services. The day prior to the event I picked up those copies that included the print company's logo as a sponsorship term. Other costs included the venue, menu options, advertising, speaker 'thank you' gifts, and employee time. Communication with stakeholders (department heads) was established between scheduled daily or weekly check-ins. The project completed with gathering attendee feedback, a retrospective, and acceptance of the videographer’s deliverable.
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Deliverables: Ticket sale profits, educational resource workbook for attendees, and the professionally produced video of the seminar to share with prospects who were not able to attend the event in-person.
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Outcome: Selling out attendee seats available at the seminar venue.
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TL;DR: I hosted a marketing seminar for small businesses, planned the event from beginning to end and was the on-stage MC.
Myself at the podium, introducing the first guest speaker.
Photo credit: Jennifer Ho (YS Magazine)
Attendee Resource Workbook
Copyright: Yellow Scene Magazine