JohnstonWells.com

Breanna Deidel and Lee Bley have been promoted to counselor and senior associate respectively at JohnstonWells Public Relations. 

Deidel’s promotion reflects more than six years of comprehensive public relations experience. As a counselor, Deidel will continue to lead client account teams, including BERNINA of America and Goodwill Industries of Denver, while also assisting with the firm’s business development and marketing efforts.

Deidel is on the board of directors for Denver Urban Gardens (DUG), sits on the public relations and marketing committee for DUG’s 25th anniversary celebration, co-chairs the marketing committee for the Women’s Vision Foundation 2010 Walk, is a “Big Sister” and volunteers for the Little Sisters of the Poor at Mullen Home.

Bley’s promotion reflects more than two years of public relations experience at JohnstonWells. As a senior associate, Bley will continue to be an intricate part of all client teams. She also will continue her role on the firm’s social media team.

Bley is the 2010 co-chair of LoDo District’s Events Committee, the 2010 co-chair of the Denver Debutante Junior Patrons Committee and is an active member of LoDo Young Professionals.

Benjamin Ray has joined Denver-based SysTest Labs as the vice president for strategic services.  Ray’s new roll focuses on new product innovation, sales, marketing and utilizing new technology avenues to expand SysTest’s offerings and capabilities in software testing.

"Ray brings a combination of entrepreneurial spirit and creative thinking that will allow us to expand beyond our traditional testing and quality management suite of services," said Glenn Truglio, president of SysTest Labs. “SysTest is continuously looking for ways to grow in new areas and Ray will take charge of this effort. His track record for developing new products and opening new markets is in line with our aggressive growth strategy."

Ray’s focus prior to SysTest has been in digital branding and reputation management where he helped companies effectively promote their brand in the age of social media. The Digital Reputation Management tool, designed by Ray at AlchemicGORILLA, which he founded in November 2009, will help SysTest’s clients manage the ways in which their information is collected and distributed over the Internet. Prior to AlchemicGORILLA, Ray co-founded Xylem Digital and INDenverTimes.

"Becoming part of an accomplished, focused and quality-driven organization that is on a high-growth trajectory will allow me to apply my entrepreneurial drive in helping SysTest achieve its goals," said Ray. "I look forward to using my skills in strategic planning and new product innovation to help fulfill the company's vision for pursuing growth opportunities both here in the U.S. and internationally.”

Click here to read Gina Seamans’ 2010 PR forecast featured among a collection of other predictions on Denver PR Blog.

Elizabeth Jumel, APR, has been promoted to senior counselor at JohnstonWells Public Relations.

Elizabeth’s promotion reflects more than 11 years of comprehensive marketing and public relations experience. As a senior counselor, Jumel will continue to lead client account teams, while also assisting with the firm’s business development and marketing efforts. She will continue in her role as social media manager, blending traditional client programs with social media strategies and tactics.

She earned her accreditation in public relations (APR) in October 2008 and is actively involved with the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Colorado Chapter. In 2010, she will chair the PRSA Colorado APR committee and continue as a co-chair of the Mile High Million marketing committee, an initiative of the City of Denver’s Greenprint Denver program. Elizabeth is also active in the community, volunteering for multiple organizations through the Metro Volunteers program.

A series of videos are being featured by SBIRT Colorado (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) and CCGC (Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative), to help illustrate how SBIRT and motivational interviewing can help health care providers work with patients to create a greater awareness about America’s number one preventable health issue – substance abuse.

Hosted on the SBIRT Colorado and CCGC Web sites, these short videos explain the SBIRT process and provide mock scenarios in which SBIRT and motivational interviewing are used with patients. CCGC is a nonprofit coalition of health plans, physicians, hospitals, employers, government agencies, quality improvement organizations, and other entities working together to improve health and health care in Colorado.  This organization created the SBIRT guidelines, which are being distributed to primary care providers across Colorado. SBIRT Colorado is an initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to the Office of Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., administered by the Division of Behavioral Health and managed by Peer Assistance Services, Inc.

Longtime communications and marketing executive Michele Wells will rejoin JohnstonWells, a leading Denver public relations and marketing firm, as a senior counselor starting in January.

“Michele and I have sustained a friendship and maintained a working relationship these past several years,” said Gwinavere Johnston, who returned to her role as CEO of JohnstonWells following the departure of former CEO GG Johnston.  “We’ve talked about working together again and now is the perfect time. It will be great to have her energy and experience.”

Wells said, “I’m jazzed at the prospect of working with JohnstonWells again.  I know many of the staff members and greatly admire them.”

Goodwill Industries of Denver has launched its Do Some Good Cause on Facebook. The Do Some Good Cause channels all the good you do into resources to help those who need it most in our community.

Join the Cause today to hear inspiring stories from people in our community, participate in contests and become a part of the movement to help others in need find the will to support themselves and their families.

Learn more about the Do Some Good Cause here.

Goodbyes are seldom easy and JohnstonWells saying goodbye to president and CEO, GG Johnston, is no exception. For 15 years GG has been an integral part of JohnstonWells, and her contributions have been significant and numerous.

“My decision to leave JohnstonWells and venture into the world outside family business is both exciting and sad for me,” says GG Johnston. “For 15 years, I have worked alongside Gwin and the talented team at JW. I am grateful for every minute of time I’ve spent here. I am well-prepared for whatever adventures are coming my way. I’m excited about what’s next for all of us.”

Founder Gwin Johnston has been actively involved in the firm for 38 years and will step back into her former role as president and CEO at the start of the New Year. She is supported by a top-notch team of 10 employees who are committed to a seamless transition.

“I believe that everyone deserves choices and the opportunity to pursue his or her own dreams, and I support GG in pursuing hers,” says Gwin Johnston. “These are challenging times, to be sure. But I’m not daunted because I’ve managed through challenging times before and have always come out stronger. We have a terrific staff and some very exciting projects in the works. We’re looking forward to 2010.”

JohnstonWells’ new home at 1321 15th Street (the former Rocky Mountain Seed Company building), received recognition from Historic Denver, Inc. last week with a Community Preservation Award.

The award presented jointly to JohnstonWells and building owner, Jerry Glick, celebrates the preservation of one of Denver’s historic buildings and its unique architectural heritage.

Mayor John Hickenlooper presented the honor at this year’s Annual Awards Dinner at the Brown Palace Hotel & Spa. Check out the evening’s video.

Take a virtual tour of JohnstonWells’ space, or better yet, drop in for a visit!

One benefit of Gina Seamans’ role as PRSA Colorado chapter president this year is the invitation to contribute columns to the Denver Business Journal. Today, the DBJ’s “Strategies” section features Gina’s latest column, “Act now; don’t wait for economic turnaround.” Gina describes three steps for how business leaders can create the brain space needed to think about creating the future, rather than waiting for the future to just happen.

JohnstonWells Public Relations is profiled in the 2009 Holmes Report PR Agency Report Card, amongst the leading public relations consulting firms in North America.

Highlights of JohnstonWells’ profile include the shift in leadership from founder, Gwin Johnston, to her successor (and daughter) GG Johnston, a track record that spans more than three decades, a steadfast reputation of stability and experience, agility in response to industry change as well as award highlights over that past couple of years.

Additionally, the 2009 PR Agency Report Card ranked JohnstonWells 26th amongst the best U.S. agencies to work for.

A Google search of “sewing tips” reveals roughly 8.7 million results. Without a doubt, there are plenty of online resources for machine sewing, quilting and embroidery enthusiasts. Now it’s easier to find the best of the best at www.WeAllSew.com, an online hub developed by JohnstonWells that aggregates the “best of” blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter handles, Flickr feeds and how-to videos.

The WeAllSew program is BERNINA of America’s inaugural integrated social media effort.  One of the most innovative and helpful features of www.WeAllSew.com is “Sew to Serve,” which connects site visitors to philanthropic sewing and quilting projects and organizations, and encourages all visitors, regardless of their experience level or machine brand, to sew to serve. Other site offerings include new ideas, free downloads and great deals.

To keep the site fresh and relevant, the “best of” links will be updated weekly. Additionally, machine sewing, quilting and embroidery enthusiasts can connect with BERNINA of America and with each other via social media channels, including the @weallsew Twitter handle and the www.WeAllSew.com Facebook fan page.

JohnstonWells Public Relations is proud to celebrate its 38th anniversary this October! Founded in 1971 by Gwinavere Johnston, JohnstonWells has seen a lot of exciting changes, economic shifts, business triumphs and transformations over the years.

We’re proud to be part of such a vibrant community and to look back on 38 years of smart and innovative clients. Perhaps the best part of 38 years in Denver is running into JW alumni nearly everywhere we go!

Check out our Facebook page with fun birthday wishes from friends and family of JohnstonWells.

A few of our favorite shared highlights include:

• Homer the Hedgehog’s wagon parade from Writer Square to the Denver Press Club
• The new rooftop patio celebrations
• The guy caucus

We appreciate all the birthday wishes, and can’t wait to celebrate another 38.

Party on.

This fall JohnstonWells is working with Pennies for Peace, an international service-learning program with tens of thousands of participants around the globe. JohnstonWells will help promote the “Journey of Hope” benefit concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater on Sept. 20. Find out more about the event and purchase tickets at: http://www.journeyofhopeconcert.org.

Last week three members of the JohnstonWells staff, in collaboration with the LoDo Young Professionals, helped serve dinner to the folks at the Barth Hotel in Lower Downtown. Barth Hotel, an arm of Senior Housing Options, provides support and assistance to seniors and older adults with disabilities. The LoDo Young Professionals is a committee within the LoDo district that focuses on mentorship, community involvement and networking opportunities for young professionals who live, work and play in the LoDo area.  Lee Bley, an associate at JohnstonWells, is the current co-chair of the LoDo Young Professionals.

4LEvents hosts the Rocky Mountain Top 200 Dealmakers Summit on Thursday, June 25 and Friday, June 26. The summit will feature 14 prominent national and local business leaders, lawmakers and policy drivers, including keynote speaker Mike Jensen, Emmy award winning former chief financial correspondent for NBC News.

The Rocky Mountain Dealmakers Summit offers 200 of Denver’s C-level executives, service providers and investment/banks information and panel discussions about the state of today’s capital markets, extraordinary times/extraordinary opportunities and the government’s new role in business. To register for the summit go to http://www.4levents.com/4l-events/denver-summit?func=details&did=3. Deadline for registration is June 19, 2009.

Thursday, June 25, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Kick-off event at Bandimere Speedway (3051 South Rooney Road in Morrison).

Thursday, June 25, from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. – Networking at Tamayo restaurant (1400 Larimer Street in Denver).

Friday, June 26, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Registration, breakfast, keynote address and panelists presentations at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel (1881 Curtis Street in Denver).

For more information about the summit, panelists and the agenda go to http://www.4levents.com.

Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA), has elected Gwinavere A. Johnston, Chair and Founder of JohnstonWells Public Relations, to its Board of Directors. CBCA is a 501(c)(3) with the mission to serve as a catalyst for Colorado’s business community to leverage the arts for economic vitality.

Deborah Jordy, CBCA Executive Director, comments, “Gwin is well known for her support of the arts, creative industries and the direct impact they have on economic development. She is a highly respected and committed professional and CBCA is privileged to have her leadership on our Board.”