Projects

An in-depth insight into some of the major projects (and processes)

I've worked on over the past few years.

Check out the TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read) section at the end of each project for a brief synopsis.

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Process Improvement: Gift Card Ordering & Fulfillment

Project Objective: Update processes for Gift Card ordering and fulfillment based on needed features and current system shortcomings (orders being late, forgotten, incorrect, etc.).

My Role & Responsibilities: In my Operations Manager position, I had two main roles: Project Manager and Operations Engineer-of-sorts.

As the project manager, I planned and managed the project from beginning to end, developing and maintaining a project plan, communicating with stakeholders, monitoring status, anticipating risks and delays and adjusting the project plan as needed.
In the Ops engineering role, I conducted process discoveries, brought that info into detailed process maps, identified opportunities for improvement based on pain points and system capabilities. From there I would present the possibilities to stakeholders and key users to know what was going to be most beneficial and fit their needs. Then I’d move into the development phase which involved building a system to support the needed improvements, testing formulas, automations, and integrations to get the smartest solution. I would present a detailed walk through of the improved system for feedback. After receiving approval and any additional feedback, I’d make any necessary changes and then write/develop the training materials to prep for implementation. Implementation then became part of my Project Manager workflow.

Deliverables:

Written, mapped, and video walk through trainual materials
Three interconnected monday.com boards that featured the following elements (numbered) to address user needs and requests (listed as sub-bullet points):

Form entry for the person(s) requesting a new gift card order (”Requester”)
Notification of a new item to the “Orderer” when “Requester” submits
Preset monthly recurring gift card orders that were batched to push (to the “To Order” group) three months at a time
- Need to place three months of orders for recurring gift cards at one time
After “Orderer” updated a line's status to Ordering Complete, the board sent daily notifications to check the status with the production company
- Production company had an issue with orders dropping through their system for no given reason and our team not realizing until we were tight on time for subsequent procedures in the process
Automatically formulated the recommended Order Shipping and Fulfillment Shipping methods based on the final due date and today’s date
- Addressed newer “Fulfillers” not being familiar with ship times and selecting the best option by their own judgement or driven only by the required due date
Integration that triggered via a button push to automatically generate a Quality Check sheet with order data, generated in a form column and sent the generated PDF to the email of the person who pushed the button
- Ensured the correct order was sent to client, also provided a secondary manager verification of order quantity before final shipment during fulfilling
Integration that triggered via a status change to automatically generate an Inventory Receipt with order data, generated in a form column and sent the generated PDF to the email of the person who changed the status
- Organized and labelled loose gift cards in inventory to reduce error potential in misplacing or selecting the wrong cards for an order's fulfillment
Connected orders (through formula and mirrored columns) to a stock/inventory board for stickers that are applied during fulfillment procedure so when a sticker’s QOH dropped below a certain threshold, it triggered a reorder and notification to alert the person needing to reorder and replenish the sticker supply

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Screenshot of the Spotnik Superform (integration) for entering a new gift card order (completed by "Requestor")

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Example Gift Card Quality Check slip (automatically generated in column and emailed to "Fulfiller")

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Screenshot showcasing the recurring orders that will automatically be pushed to be ordered by the

Order Trigger date column (on right).

Screenshot of an integration recipe that utilizes mirrored and formula columns to orders and supply quantities.

Results: Fully automated recurring quarterly orders completely eliminated any missed orders! Additional notification automations reduced fulfillment schedule conflicts and issues meeting due dates because of supplier mistakes. The automatically generated Inventory Receipts and Quality Check sheets provided a clearer record for Accounting and eliminated all time spent by "Fulfillers" finding the correct cards for an order.

TL;DR: Built an intricate (on the back-end) but simple (for the user) multi-board monday system to directly address pain points and drastically reduce the amount of time every person involved in Gift Card ordering or fulfillment processes spent on their gift card-related responsibilities.

Explore the Miro SOP for this Process

Process Improvement: Print Media

Project Objective: Begin overhauling Media department’s project/task management system with improved monday boards, file organization, and solidified communication channels to better funnel information from Media Assistants up the chain to Clients. While this process improvement project focused on print media type, it included building the foundation for more media type processes (digital, broadcast, etc.) to be easily plugged into the foundational system.

My Role & Responsibilities: In my Operations Manager position, I had two main roles: Project Manager and Operations Engineer-of-sorts.

As the project manager, I planned and managed the project from beginning to end, developing and maintaining a project plan, communicating with stakeholders, monitoring status, anticipating risks and delays and adjusting the project plan as needed.
In the Ops engineering role, I conducted process discoveries, brought that info into detailed process maps, identified opportunities for improvement based on pain points and system capabilities. I would present the possibilities to stakeholders and key users, after which I’d move into the development phase which involved building a system to support the needed improvements, testing formulas, automations, and integrations to get the smartest solution. After presenting a detailed walk through for feedback and receiving approval, I’d make any necessary changes and then write/develop the training materials to prep for implementation. Implementation then resumed my Project Manager responsibilities.

Deliverables:

Extensive written, mapped, and video walk through for SOP training materials.
Four interconnected monday.com boards (Print Contracts/Commits, Print Tracker, Proposed Print, and a Client Relation’s Requests For Review board). These boards featured the following elements (numbered) to address user needs and requests (listed as sub-bullet points):

Reminder notifications before contract end-dates to gather renewal pricing before proposing renewal opportunity to Client
Proposed Print board centrally housed all opportunities brought to the Media team from all different publication reps. With a simple status change it would notify the Media Management team that all the details were entered—in one place—to review. They could review and reject outright or decide to pass the opportunity on for Client review. Based on the decision, they would update a Review status column, notifying the Media Assistant (MA) who submitted the opportunity. The MA could then immediately reply to the publication rep with the decision.
- Reduce double and triple work that came with individual spreadsheets and not a collaborative database for existing contracts, ads, and approved opportunities
If an opportunity needed to be reviewed by Client Relations (CR) or the Client, Media Management pushed a button on Proposed Print board that generated a linked item on Client Relation’s Request for Review board. Utilizing the Conversations updates app, CR could review the details from the original board without leaving their Request for Review board and quickly update the status. That status would then trigger a status change on Media’s board, pinging the conversation back quickly.
- Streamlined pre-production proof approval and opportunities in a timely, coordinated fashion
Depending on the status of an ad or opportunity, specific subtasks would be generated and automatically assigned to complete (i.e. an opportunity was reviewed and declined, a new subitem would generate and assign to the Media Assistant to decline the opportunity with the publication’s rep)
Upon an ad contract opportunity (on Proposed Print board) being marked as approved, it would generate a contract item automatically on the Print Contracts board. On Print Contracts, Media Management would create subitems for however many ad insertions were scheduled for the contract. Completing the information and then a simple “select all” and status change would generate the subitem ad insertions as individual ads on the Print Tracker board (all linked).
Robust formula column that utilized information from various text, columns, mirrored columns, additional formula columns, character limits, and special character restrictions, to standardize naming a new asset with an assigned code/ID# (ISCI code). Formula would error out with notification of reason that a user could edit to manipulate the formula input, eliminate the error, and generate the code.
- Automate/standardize generating ISCI codes for every asset (to be able to correctly quality check and process billing) by Client name, campaign name, media type, duration, language, market, etc.
Three new forms to request (1) New Asset Request, (2) Change to existing Asset Request, and (3) Change/Update an Existing Request
- This guaranteed that the creative team always had all the specs needed to immediately get to work on a design without any back-and-forth questions for missing information
- Reduced storage space on dedicated Media department server because they no longer had to save the file where it made sense for them to find, it was always linked in the searchable database populated by Marketing/Creative team

Results: Completely eliminated Media requesting asset creation via email, chat, in-person, etc. and the time that the Marketing/Creative team spent requesting the missing information for an asset request. Streamlined new opportunity workflow to eliminate all other communication avenues and created a written/trackable activity history to identify where any breakdowns occurred. Gave every opportunity, contract, ad, and ad correction a logical, linked, and trackable home to be managed, updated by all stakeholders, and move through the workflow.

TL;DR: Eliminated many rogue communication channels that overwhelmed managers by centralizing all opportunity, contract, ad, ad correction options in a few interconnected boards that seamlessly updated all parties involved with a simple status change and written update. Gave all Print media ads/opportunities (and their respective action subtasks) a logical home so nothing is missed.

Explore the Miro SOP for this Process

Process Improvement: Bar Submission & Tracking

Project Objective: Create a board that tracks assets as they go through the legal bar review process and connects back to the initial Client request (from the Client Request Tracker board)

My Role & Responsibilities: In my Operations Manager position, I had two main roles: Project Manager and Operations Engineer-of-sorts.

As the project manager, I planned and managed the project from beginning to end, developing and maintaining a project plan, communicating with stakeholders, monitoring status, anticipating risks and delays and adjusting the project plan as needed.
In the Ops engineering role, I conducted process discoveries, brought that info into detailed process maps, identified opportunities for improvement based on pain points and system capabilities. I would present the possibilities to stakeholders and key users, after which I’d move into the development phase which involved building a system to support the needed improvements, testing formulas, automations, and integrations to get the smartest solution. After presenting a detailed walk through for feedback and receiving approval, I’d make any necessary changes and then write/develop the training materials to prep for implementation. Implementation then resumed my Project Manager responsibilities.

Screenshot of monday.com Bar Submission Status Tracker

Deliverables:

Written, mapped, and video walk through SOP training materials.
Bar Submission Status Tracker board that featured the following elements (numbered) to address user needs and requests (listed as sub-bullet points):
1. Upon Client Relations or Client approval on artwork, the Creative/Marketing team initiated the bar submission process by pushing a button on their project detail boards, this created an item for every asset to be submitted on the new board
  - Previously, asset files were sent to Client Relations via email, chat, marketing/creative monday board tags, etc. and often didn’t include every asset or the latest versions
2. Automatic notification to Client Relations team when a new item was created on board (via button push), allowing them to immediately move into their bar submission procedure
3. Simple status column that would move the asset through the different board groups based on its location in the process
4. Board permissions for Client Relations team and Creative/Marketing Management team
  - Kept Marketing team up-to-date on the bar status to know when to release the assets to Media (only after approval)
5. When an asset originated from a request on the Client Request Tracker board, the connected columns would carry through various team boards and be visible when the asset was pushed to the Bar Submission Status Tracker board, providing a clear link between the original request and all subsequent assets generating from that request
  - This addressed the unknown variable of how many asset versions would be created from that initial Client request, they were all automatically linked and could be visible by request in a specific-designed view
  - When there was a wide disconnect between the original submitted Client request and the artwork asset files, Client Relations had to dig to find the original request details and verify the artwork matched the ask

Results: Eliminated rogue communication channels with back and forth questions by putting the initiating trigger with the creative team. Provided a space for Client Relations to track the detailed feedback, assigned names and numbers, and status of assets submitted to the bar. Established a central source-of-truth for all of the Client Relations team to have the latest information, eliminated having to dig through email threads or locate various communications about an asset.

TL;DR: Developed a connected board with automated item creation and notifications to streamline and simplify a cumbersome process with many different levels of contributors and approvals.

Explore the Miro SOP for this Process

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, we drove the car to CU's campus for the CU Kickoff Luncheon at the start of football season.

The vehicle was parked on the sales floor, just inside the entrance doors of the store. Pictured here with a few of the additional prizes and merchandised with the sponsor's product.

Project Objective: This project had two objectives: (1) generate leads and increase foot traffic by providing a large, promotional prize with entries in-store only; and (2) 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.

My Role & Responsibilities: This was an entirely new concept that needed to be planned and executed from scratch. I began by writing the project charter with stakeholders and the project sponsor. I collected requirements from all stakeholders and immediately reached out to my 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 brainstorms with CU and internal stakeholders, we determined the logistics of the finalist giveaway once the initial promotion was underway. Controlling quality, sourcing cross-promotional opportunities, and managing communication were very vital as the remaining scope was dependent on the quality production of the giveaway item (the vehicle).

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 last-minute negotiation in ambiguity with no opportunity for additional stakeholder input. The rest of the competition went off well, the finalists competed in a football toss on-field. 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! The two finalists even forged an unexpected friendship during their time spent preparing and post-competition on game day.

Deliverables: A custom-wrapped Toyota RAV4, the consolation prize ("Beer for a Year"), small additional prizes from external stakeholders and sponsors, event materials and advertising, and prize acceptance documentation for Accounting.

Results: Increase in in-store sales by 10%+ for several weeks of the campaign, rounded out customer account profiles for more direct advertising in the future; increased community relations and brand awareness. Publicly-awarded a brand new, custom wrapped Toyota RAV4 on a national, televised stage (technically field).

TL;DR: I gave away a car(!), hosted the finalists in a game box at Folsom Field, got to be on the field for the finalist competition, developed solid relationships with the Toyota dealership GM, wrap-company owner, and more people in the Buffalo Sports Properties organization.

I 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.

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).

My Role & Responsibilities: This project two main elements, I'll break out my responsibilities out by each.

Advertising Campaign: The advertising campaign was also broken up further into two pieces: the first being a customer-focused campaign that asked "Why do you 💛 Hazel's?" I gathered these responses through print and digital call-to-action ads, utilizing a QR code or social media links, resulting in over one hundred responses from customers. While the CTA ads ran to gather the testimonials, I had our graphic designer create a templated ad where she would be able to quickly insert the testimonials gathered and have ready-to-publish ads for digital, newsprint, 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 on the right. I'm proud that despite a complex template, I came up with the idea for the sort of 'word scramble' background and that image displays the wonderful execution of the concept by our graphic designer. Other advertising included general awareness anniversary and event ads in newsprint, digital, and magazine sizes. A lot of social media and email advertising helped bolster the attendance of this event--organic and paid.

Anniversary Event: This was one of the first events I planned in several years that was on this scale (due to the pandemic) and did not have a partnering beverage sponsor. Because there was no partner 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 (balloons, food, DJ/MC). For tent activation, we gave away several RTIC coolers, this also served as a teaser on social media prior to the event and an attendance incentive. Limited-edition anniversary prizes (t-shirts, koozies, stickers, etc. with the "I💛HZ" logo) were given away based on a corn-hole toss booth activation. I booked an 11-piece swing band--on brand with Hazel's WWII theme. They were a huge hit and I made sure 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, tasting bar, and event area--including a five-foot tall '10' mosaic in Hazel's colors. I booked a food truck that had worked with us before and understood how we would set up payment for a set number of servings to offer our customers for free. The truck owner 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 offered 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.

Deliverables: Advertising asset files, customer testimonials, free food, live music, custom anniversary giveaway general merchandise, and custom balloons.

Results: A wonderful event attended by hundreds of customers, enjoying free food, cupcakes, prizes, and live music. Customer engagement through entry participation, a small bump in app downloads during campaign, and an increase in foot traffic in-store.

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.

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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

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, a lot of money on one desk!

Screenshot of the Galabid Auction site, customized

with Hazel's branding for a cohesive 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.

Design Credit: Sue Hauser

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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

Project Objective: Raise funds to support the relief efforts from the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado.

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 it was intense to drive through. We soon learned our home was a few miles away from a wildfire that was quickly tearing through residential areas.

At work a few days later, every employee wanted to know what Hazel's was going to do to help--a credit to our philanthropic reputation 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 senior managers and I 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 determined 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.

Thankfully we were all determined to make this happen and we finally found a process that would work! Hazel's would host the online auction with no dollars exchanged on the auction site. We would direct winners to donate directly to the Community Foundation for their winning bid amount and we would release the bottles after proof of that donation was shown to Hazel's staff upon pickup. I researched online auction software, determining which had the exact features we needed, and purchasing a software to address another roadblock that appeared. It was an arduous process to get to this solution but during it all I was operating knowing there was not an option to fail.

With the method settled, I began gathering and preparing the bottles, taking listing photos of each, preparing descriptions, and researching data for minimum bids and reserve prices. I had provided our graphic designer a required ad asset spec list and we tirelessly worked together to create ad content that would catch the attention 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. 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.

Deliverables: Several rare and coveted bottles of whiskey auctioned and over $33,000 raised.

Results: $33,000 total raised from thirteen total bottles that went directly to The Wildfire Fund at Community Foundation (relief fund designated for Marshall Fire).

TL;DR: An extremely complex campaign (due to non-profit/alcohol legal restrictions) that ended up being hugely successful and bringing much needed funds to families who lost everything in the December 30th Marshall Fire.

Hazel's Annual Car Show

Project Objective: Increase foot traffic by providing themed entertainment to customers and the community.

My Role & Responsibilities: I planned and worked five annual Show & Shine Car Shows during my tenure. Scheduled for a Sunday on or around Father's Day in June, it is a staple Hazel's event. Typically, we partner with a beer vendor to sponsor. The sponsor would either come to us or I would solicit their involvement and provide info about event sponsor requirements (food, prizes, and a booth activation activity). 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 would target organic and paid social media advertising to audiences with an interest in vintage cars, car shows, muscle cars, etc. I would print and distribute flyers at the registers for those interested, in addition to email blasts, social posts, in-store posters, FB/website event listings, newsprint/digital ads, and the in-store directory display. Once the car show participants were advertised to, a new round of ads with slightly different messaging were published to appeal to attendees. Throughout the planning process I work with department heads to order supplies (water through the Grocery Manager, NA kegs, and keg buckets through the Beer Manager) and keep everyone up-to-date on show-car parking plans.

Event execution included 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 directed the assisting team members to be in charge of registering vehicles as they arrive. I created a registration form that allows for Hazel's team members to track the distribution of show-car participation gift cards while collecting contact information to reach out to participants for future shows. During the event, I'd be continuously monitoring vendor and customer needs, making sure beverages and prizes are stocked, questions answered, staff take required breaks, 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 would direct traffic, adapting to allocating more space when more show cars arrived than expected, often running from one of end of the parking lot to the other, and being the main point of contact for any questions. Because of improved targeted ads, additional advertising avenues, and providing more interactive activities, the attendance of both car showing participants and attendees increased every year by at least 20%.

Deliverables: Free food, drinks, games, prizes, and entertainment for customers, gift cards for car show participants, and ad assets.

Results: An enjoyable event that brought customers from further than our typical geographical demographic area and drove additional sales during a typically slower holiday.

TL;DR: A staple Hazel's signature event that continued 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! Photo Credit: Sean Oliver

Another view of the 2020 show from the store roof.

Photo Credit: Sean Oliver

Header image asset for social media and website event listings. Design Credit: Sue Hauser

Curbside Pickup Update

Signage proof from the production team.

The map artwork that announced and informed customers of the change. Design Credit: Sue Hauser

An image of the previous program signs and the reason for the switch: needing to update verbiage, location, and make the program permanent.

Project Objective: Change the location and improve the efficiency of Curbside Pickup for both customers and employees.

My Role & Responsibilities: This project had several high interest and influential stakeholders as it was not just a marketing campaign but a large rebranding and relocation of a customer service. With the input of these stakeholders, I kept a steady avenue of communication open and provided updates to their expectations regularly, making sure the logistics were correct based on restrictions and features of the fulfillment process. For example, I would want to direct the graphic designer to use exact phrasing in the advertising to match what the customer sees within their app experience. After leading several meetings, 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 a placeholder 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, I was communicating the change to the customer. The location 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, so early and clear communication was vital.

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 (left, middle image). 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 inserted into every pickup order for weeks before the changeover to prepare regular customers for the updated process and location. This was my most thorough customer communication plan as it directly impacted sales and the customer experience, we could not pause this fulfillment method during the changeover. The fulfillment team received no negative feedback regarding miscommunication or concern over the change from customers!

Deliverables: Digital and print assets to communicate the change to customers, Curbside Pickup signage and relocation painting.

Results: Relocated and rebranded Curbside Pickup as another fulfillment option for orders that also simplified and formalized the process for employees.

TL;DR: Successfully relaunched the Curbside Pickup location and process with successful customer communication and no negative feedback on a critical order fulfillment method.

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 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.

My Role & Responsibilities: This project required working closely with a new team and operating in a hybrid format with the new website host company. The internal portion of this project was conducted in a traditional workflow, but the external team operated in agile. The project began by getting buy-in and input from stakeholders on features and design elements that were wanted or needed. 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. Simultaneously I worked on logistics of creating an 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.

Deliverables: A new website design and host, mobile app, and staff training materials to sync accounting and internal workflow processes.

Results: 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.

TL;DR: Led a hybrid project with little assistance and lots of ambiguity that resulted in a complete website redesign, app design, and implementation during a critical time-period.

The new website design, featuring an app download prompt to drive customers to Hazel's new mobile experience.

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A digital graphic shared to social accounts and via email list to incentivize app downloads in spring 2020.

Public Relations

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Despite being home sick the day after the Boulder King Sooper's shooting, I poured my heart into this statement and had it approved to post within hours.

Design Credit: Hayley Boreen

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One of the many social media-sized assets to communicate the store's ever-changing COVID procedures in 2020.

Design Credit: Sue Hauser

Project Objective: Not a project but an ongoing responsibility too maintain Hazel's reputation within the Boulder community via regular communication and special-event statements.

My Role & Responsibilities: Be timely and 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. 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 changing regulations--sometimes daily. It was a time of extreme communication and required a lot of organization, but I thrived in that fast-paced, unknown state with constant change by anticipating the next need and immediately developing templates and pre-preparing assets.
A tragic PR situation 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 (like the Whiskey Club), helping to sort out the logistics, manage the creation of design assets and vendors to schedule the publication of all customer communications and advertising.

Deliverables: Publicly shared statements and program materials in Hazel's brand-voice.

Results: Trust within the community and from our customers.

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. A Boulder tragedy prompted my heart-felt statement on behalf of Hazel's.

Scratch Off Giveaways

Project Objective: Increase orders during the typically slower first quarter (each year).

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 would begin working with internal department managers/stakeholders to source the destination of the trip and potential beverage company partners. Once the partner and location were determined, I'd start researching design options to kickstart our graphic designer's direction for the scratch-card design. The proofing and production of the cards would be finalized right around Christmas and arrive for a February launch. Once returned from the holiday, the graphic designer will have a complete list of copy and size requirements for all ads in this first (instant game-play phase of the campaign. Those assets are completed about two weeks prior to the launch and scheduled in print publications, email, and on social media channels (paid and organic). During this time, I would also be sourcing the instant-win prizes that I planned card versions and quantities on. The status of these instant-win prizes would be tracked in my master program database. Instant-win prizes might include: Hazel's gift cards, Hazel's hat, [partnering vendor] hat, t-shirts, glassware, sunglasses, instant coupons, coolers, koozies, grills, etc. Prizes change each year and would be themed with the final destination prize and beverage sponsor.

Second Chance Entries - If we made it through the entire scratch-off game play (usually about May), and no one had 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 design 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 requested the necessary advertising assets with our graphic designer during the game play portion of the campaign. All five years that I ran this campaign, we always had a second-chance drawing so it was an easy bet to prep those assets. 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 more customer interaction. You can view the last few videos by clicking on the video thumbnails to the right (links to Instagram).

Winner Trip - Once the winning game piece was pulled, we would thank everyone for their participation and evaluate foot-traffic numbers year-over-year, accounting for 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 stabilized a bit more. I would contact and 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 agreement allowed us to move into taking a few winner photos for future advertisements and announcements on social media, only ever announcing or listing their first name and last initial for privacy reasons. From this meeting we would begin planning the trip based off the winner's availability and any requirements from the partnering brand. I would manage the partnering brand's stakeholders and our winner's expectations and communication 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 research and book accommodations, transportation, and gather small prizes to make the experience as positive as possible. I would charge the contents of a Hazel's swag bag to my promo prize budget, it would include bottle bubble sleeves for transporting any beverage souvenirs, Hazel's shirts, hats, bottle openers, etc. and a stipend for food and any miscellaneous travel expenses. There were no requirements for winners to share photos or posts from their trip but by the time they returned from the trip they were always happy to take me along through their photos and memories. I have a great relationship with several of these winners, even years later as I was the person who led them through this process, booked their entire trip, and could answer any question they had regarding the campaign or prize.

Deliverables: 80k+ scratch off cards per year, instant win prizes, grand prize winners and trip.

Results: Sending one winner and their guest on a beverage-themed trip while cultivating customer loyalty with the instant-win and interactive nature of the game.

TL;DR: To boost sales in Q1, Hazel's staged 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

Example planning documents, containing game-piece production versions and quantities, instant prize breakdown, important deadlines, an example Prize Acceptance Agreement and proof.

An in-store photo 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

The infectious disease doctor team and 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).

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 prize and cash 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).

The second part of this campaign was our 'Thank You' tour-of sorts. We asked the infectious disease team to take a few photos with the giant check that our team designed and printed. You'll see them taking a break from their vital work to take the photo on the top-left. As an additional thank you to all the customers who donated, we hung the check in-store and any customer who took a photo with it, tagged Hazel's, and used a specific 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 provided Hazel's the opportunity to have a spotlight article written about the contribution.

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.

Results: 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 was 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

TL;DR: I modified previous register-fundraiser campaigns 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.

My Role & Responsibilities: For some sponsorships I was responsible for finalizing the sponsorship contract, determining deliverables, assets, and details of 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 sponsorship highlights include:

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 logo placement in 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 required an in-depth renewal process each year with evaluation of deliverables and performance review.

Winter Craft Beer Festival - A sponsor since the inception, Hazel's has had a tent at every WCBF. My first year managing the event activation, I created a booth activity I thought would be a hit: "Snowball Toss." Hazel's did not have the ability to serve alcoholic beverages at this event (reseller liquor license limitations), but attendees got to sample from the numerous tents repping local breweries. So between sampling, our booth was one of the few with a non-consuming activity. "Snowball Toss" is essentially fancy beer pong with blue solo cups decorated to look like snowmen, featuring Hazel's branded ping-pong balls, tea lights, and winter-themed decor. It was a huge hit and Hazel's tent had a line of at least 20-30 people waiting for the entire duration of the festival (that first and every subsequent year). Working with a team to keep up the energy throughout the event, we awarded prizes based on each person's "Snowball Toss" performance. We awarded so many t-shirts, koozies, stickers, bracelets, bottle openers, coupons, etc. and attendees remembered our activity the following years!

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 brand image. We also were able to attend the sponsor kick-off event and show at the beginning of the season each summer.

Deliverables: Varied by sponsorship but generally signage assets, event sponsorship with logo placement in advertising, etc.

Results: High value brand exposure, access to new customer bases, exclusivity deals, etc. to drive store traffic and sales.

TL;DR: I oversaw or completed contract negotiations for several major sponsorships annually, verified deliverable fulfillment, executed sponsorship events and more to elevate Hazel's brand awareness in Boulder.

A gameday still from Folsom Field showing Hazel's banner

as part of their ongoing sponsorship.

Photo Credit/Copyright: Buffalo Sports Properties

Social media photo with Hazel's tent setup at the 2020 Winter Craft Beer Festival (served no alcohol but always had 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 deliverable of Hazel's sponsorship.

The last iteration of the Donation Application and policy I created for ease on both my end and the non-profits'.

Project Objective: Maximize efficiency of the time it takes to review and process donations, employing automation wherever possible.

My Role & Responsibilities: Non-profits would reach out for insight into the process, I would provide a Donation Application document for them to complete. Once the completed application was returned, I presented request details in a weekly department meeting where I received any insight, concerns, or recommendations from store stakeholders. Upon approval, I would correspond with the non-profit contact to coordinate quantities, selection, varietals, and pickup procedures. For a wine donation, I would pass the details on to the Wine Manager who would pull the best selections and stage for pickup. For beer or liquor donations, I would often request a bit of insight from the respective department and pull myself. I would also curate and assemble gift baskets. Finally, I would ring the product through on Marketing's donation account to remove the product from inventory, create a zero invoice and update my budget records. I would also complete and assemble pick-up paperwork and confirm with the contact that the donation was ready for the scheduled pickup timeframe.

This process became much easier with the implementation of a few processes to improve efficiency. Beginning with Outlook Quick Parts to quickly respond to the hundreds of requests with the policy and application. The Quick Parts outlined standard responses so I clicked a few buttons instead of typing out the variations of the same message ten times per day. Additionally, I optimized the donation application, restructuring and refining the questions to find the information I needed at a glance. I created a product template with the Wine Manager to better utilize the inventory of wine for donations based on quantities and specific varietal requests. In the spreadsheet that housed record of upcoming donations, I generated a table of equations that displayed an up-to-date record of remaining and allocated donation budget per month and year-to-date, eliminating any risk of committing over our allocated budget. All this was implemented while prioritizing the amazing relationships with repeat non-profit organizations and allowing budget for new organizations requesting support.

Deliverables: Spreadsheet equations that monitored current allocated and available budget values. Editable donation policy and application document.

Results: Drastically reduced the amount of time calculating remaining budget dollars and adjusting month-to-month, and reduced time spent processing a very large number of donation requests, product pulling, and invoice creation.

TL;DR: Utilized a few automation options available (Outlook Quick Parts, Excel equations, Adobe Acrobat) to increase the efficiency of the donation application process and allow 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' marketing strategy. The goal was to create a networking environment encouraging sharing ideas, make connections, and position YS as a valuable community resource.

My Role & Responsibilities: My role was planning the seminar from beginning to end, including producing all necessary day-of materials, ticket sales, advertising, and day-of execution. Public speaking is not my favorite, I can lead a meeting but to stand in front of a crowd, my adrenaline starts pumping. Because this event had a limited budget, I approached and proposed a trade agreement with a local printer for the event material printing, offering them sponsorship deliverables in exchange for their printing services. Other costs managed during planning included the venue, catering, advertising, speaker 'thank you' gifts, and employee time. Updates for department heads was conducted during scheduled daily and weekly check-ins. The project completed with gathering attendee feedback, a retrospective report, and acceptance of the videographer’s deliverable.

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 in-person.

Results: Selling out attendee seats available at the seminar venue.

TL;DR: I planned and MC'd YS's marketing seminar for small businesses, booking highly regarded local speakers (from Snarf's, Big Red F Restaurant Group), and selling out attendee tickets.