Tim Riester and Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Pete Griffin.

Last night Tim Riester received the 2011 Spirit of Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He was nominated by Big Brothers Big Sisters in recognition of the three years he served as Chairman of its Board of Directors.

During that time, Tim led a team that re-engineered the executive leadership of the organization which has resulted in improved financial stability and an increased number of children being mentored by the program.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the nation’s top charitable organizations for youth. It matches children in need with adult volunteer mentors. The program results in dramatically improved academic performance and high school completion, reductions in drug use and decreased violent behaviors.

Thanks Tim for your service to the community!

Below is one of the many tens of thousands of success stories from Big Brother Big Sisters:

Mike Korologos, photographed at RIESTER’s Salt Lake City office on November 8, 2011.

Mike Korologos was recognized last week as a distinguished alumnus of the University of Utah.

RIESTER is fortunate to have access to Mike’s talents and experience. He not only has an exemplary career as a journalist and public relations professional, Mike also provided a story line for an episode of the original Twilight Zone television series—one of the most creative shows in TV history.

Another major accomplishment is the large role Mike played in helping to bring the Winter Olympics to Utah in 2002.

Mostly we love him because he’s a generous, hilarious, charming guy.

Congratulations Mike for this well-deserved award! We’re privileged to count you as one of our own at RIESTER.

More on the award: The University of Utah Emeritus Alumni Board presents its Merit of Honor Award annually to five alumni who graduated from the University 40 or more years ago (or reached age 65 or better) and who have given distinguished service to the University, their profession, and/or the local and national communities.

PHOENIX– January 18, 2011—RIESTER (www.riester.com), a full-service marketing firm has added two high-profile clients, ARAMARK Parks and Destinations and the California Central Coast McDonald’s Advertising Co-op, to its client roster.

“Our tourism and McDonald’s teams are energized as they begin to build lasting relationships and develop effective marketing solutions for these prestigious new clients,” said Tim Riester, president and CEO of RIESTER. “We are extremely proud to team with such influential national companies to turn their consumers into life-long believers in their respective brands.”

ARAMARK Parks and Destinations has enlisted RIESTER for development and fulfillment of an online consumer engagement marketing strategy, the launch of its multi-property social media initiative and public relations services. As a leading provider of outdoor vacations and adventures, ARAMARK Parks and Destinations is the steward of several federally-protected parks located in and around pristine areas in the United States. The parks include Alaska’s Glacier Bay and Denali National Parks and Preserve, Washington State’s Olympic National Park, Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park, destinations such as Lake Powell, in Utah and Arizona and many other cultural attractions and lodges detailed at www.aramarkparksanddestinations.

An experienced McDonald’s agency, RIESTER has been providing marketing and advertising services to McDonald’s co-ops in Idaho and Oregon since 1991. With the acquisition of assets from the New Mexico advertising firm Rick Johnson & Company (RJC), RIESTER is broadening its McDonald’s services into California. On January 1, 2011 RIESTER became the agency of record for the California Central Coast McDonald’s Advertising Co-op with restaurants from northern Los Angeles to Monterey.

About RIESTER

As one of the top marketing firms in the Western United States, RIESTER offers its clients a complete range of services, including: research, brand planning, media planning and buying, broadcast and print ad creative services, public relations, government relations, digital and multi-cultural marketing. The agency has offices in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque. Visit us on the web at www.riester.com.

Huge Congratulations for this significant milestone!

RIESTER CEO Tim Riester and the firm's Strategic Planning Director for Idahoan Foods, DJ Paternoster, celebrate in front of one of the world's largest potatoes while attending Idahoan's national sales meeting at the foothills of the Grand Tetons.

We had a fun evening and I was reminded of how lucky we are to have Tim and Mirja Riester as mentors and  leaders accessible to us every day.

When it was time for Tim to take the stage to make a few remarks, Scott Light of NBC introduced the entire Riester family.

Tim, Mirja and their two boys took the stage. The boys completed his introduction following a testimonial-style video about why they love their dad; by that time there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Tim’s speech was heartfelt. He thanked RIESTER clients Casino Arizona/Talking Stick Resort and MidFirst Bank who generously donated to the Diabetes Association; recognized the RIESTERites in the audience and spoke emotionally about the importance of family.

The event raised almost $300,000 toward the fight against diabetes.

Tim and Mirja Riester with their two boys on stage at the American Diabetes Association's Father of the Year event, June 10, 2010.

Women of RIESTER with Scott Light of NBC. From the left: Onida Perkel, Christina Borrego, Amanda Stiles and Cammy Wagner.

RIESTER's Chief Creative Officer Tom Ortega with his wife Stacia.

While it is an excellent cause, Sven and Finn Riester will say that the title of the award suits their daddy quite well!  Now 6 and 8, respectively, there was a time when they were in the RIESTER on-site day care along with a handful of second generation ‘RIESTERites.’

Tim, with many of us, spent lunch hours playing with the babies, spooning mushy carrots into tiny mouths, changing diapers, even refereeing the use of favorite toys— then moments later, jumping into Client meetings, not missing a beat. It was new territory for many of us, shared in kinship with parents like Tim and Mirja, who always had, and still have, a great perspective on parenting.

Tim will be recognized at the Phoenix Father’s Day Council Father of the Year Awards Gala on June 10.  All proceeds from the Phoenix Father’s Day Council will benefit the American Diabetes Association. For me, the issue of diabetes is close to home given that my mother lives with it every day. Organizations like the American Diabetes Association raise awareness, promote prevention, and help people manage it, so that people like my mom can enjoy a normal life.

There are several ways you can join others in congratulating Tim and help the fight against diabetes.  Click on the link below if you want to learn more. Thanks much!

http://main.diabetes.org/triester

Since that time, human populations have continued to expand and the fragile consensus regarding environmental policy broke down. Humans need wild places, not just as places to visit, but as places they can go even in their imagination. Non-human species are going extinct at unprecedented rates. One example, among many, is the dramatic decline in wild tiger populations.
Biodiversity is more than an abstract concept and it’s more than protecting some of our planet’s most noble and emblematic species like tigers and eagles.  Consider this: If all insects were to die, humans would likely not survive more than a few months.  Visit this website to learn more about the vital functions that creepy, crawly insects perform to make life on Earth possible. All life is interconnected—something that is too easy to forget.

Biodiversity is important for our economy and maintaining the diversity of the gene pool. The Convention on Biological Diversity put it in perspective:  “At least 40 percent of the world’s economy and 80 percent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. The richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change.”

If we continue to use more and more resources without thinking of the consequences to the planet, we will be condemning our children and their children to live lives that lack the material prosperity of today. Our choices will also affect the health of those who follow.

Our goal is to leave a healthy planet to our children, and their children.  That is why the RIESTER Foundation works to preserve and protect the environment through habitat preservation and restoration.

Coho salmon

A new project the RIESTER Foundation is supporting is the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network or SPAWN.  SPAWN is a California-based organization that works to protect and restore endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout and the habitat on which they depend.

SPAWN uses a community-based approach to habitat restoration that is in alignment with who we are at RIESTER: Brand Activists for our client’s products and causes.

I encourage you to read more about SPAWN. SPAWN is doing some of the hands on work that is so important for protecting diverse forms of life.

Thank you for helping us make Earth Day every day!

Sincerely,

Tim Riester

Cammy is our Director of Integration, a role similar to the head of account services at other agencies. She is passionate about customer service, a characteristic that serves her and our clients well. This passion is evident in her adept way of working with people who have a wide variety of temperaments.  She simply enjoys people.

In the television show “Mad Men,” set in the early 1960s on Madison Avenue, Lane Pryce, a senior manager at the fictional advertising agency, explained to junior executive Pete Campbell why his competitor was promoted to head of account services instead of him. Pryce told Campbell: “You are excellent at making the clients feel their needs are being met, but, Mr. Cosgrove has the rare gift of making them feel as if they haven’t any needs.” By working tirelessly for our clients, Mrs. Wagner shares this rare gift.

Cammy explains how she works to maintain a win/win atmosphere between clients and the agency: “Always stay true to the strategy and do great marketing while never neglecting the goals and motivations of all of the individuals involved.”

When asked to describe Cammy in just a few words and phrases, Mirja Riester said: “She is my American cultural barometer. She is true, the real thing, raw, sassy.”

CEO Tim Riester offers this story, and some observations about Cammy:

“When we first were awarded the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau account, the client had worked with its previous agency for more than a decade.  They decided it was time to move their business to RIESTER, but they were concerned about uprooting such a long-standing business relationship.  Cammy led the transition for Scottsdale.  The client quickly told me they loved RIESTER’s motto, ‘You Got It.  We’re On It.’ Every time they assigned Cammy a project, they discovered that she was already on it.  What is amazing is that motto was not RIESTER’s, it was Cammy’s.

“She is one of those extremely rare, wonderful people who have endless energy and an honest desire to make sure everything is always done right.  She teaches all of our managers how to succeed by providing ‘You Got It. We’re On It’ service.

“I am proud Cammy has chosen to stay with RIESTER all these years. She is truly part of the heartbeat of our organization.”