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Little Man Serves Millionth Scoop

It was an exciting summer for Little Man Ice Cream, which marked six years in its 28-foot-tall Lower Highland home and a number of other milestones.

Since it opened, Little Man has donated one scoop of beans or rice to communities in need around the world for every scoop of ice cream it sells.  In July, Elaine Tamburello, mother of Little Man owner Paul Tamburello, had the honor of serving the shop’s millionth scoop and celebrating Little Man’s donation of one million scoops to developing nations. The celebration included a jazz band, free “little dips” and a philanthropic “market” featuring a variety of non-profits that have benefited from Little Man’s community contributions.

Elaine and Paul Tamburello celebrating Little Man’s millionth scoop

Little Man also grew its brand by leaps and bounds, expanding the number of outlets carrying its products to more than 25 across the metro-area. Perhaps the most prominent member of Little Man’s wholesale program is the Milkbox Ice Creamery at the newly renovated Union Station. The shop carries Little Man’s ice cream exclusively and has been doing brisk business since opening in July.

It’s no surprise to see such great demand for Little’s Man frosty treats given the ice cream maker’s focus on creating unique flavors. Despite a full slate of community events,  Little Man managed to launch a new slate of vegan ice cream flavors this summer, including such creative concoctions as The Bee’s Knees – a blend of vegan banana ice cream, bee-free honey swirl and a mixture of peanut butter-filled pretzels and The Munchies, featuring vegan peanut butter ice cream with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, almonds, peanuts and marshmallows.
The vegan flavors caught the attention of Everyday host and vegetarian Chris Parente who sampled the ice cream on air.  9News also featured Little Man in a segment on how to make the perfect root beer float. Watch it here.

Next on Little Man’s list is moving into a bigger commissary to give the ice cream maker more room to experiment and meet the public’s appetite for its products. The new facility will also have a tasting room, so fans can sample the latest creations.

Little Man wrapped up its peak season September 28th with its annual Hula Hoop Contest, an event that draws young and old to compete in a fundraising effort for local schools. But don’t forget that the ice cream shop will continue to host the Highland Farmers Market and Artisan Alley from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first two Fridays in October. Hope to see you there!

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Little Man’s Hula Hoop Contest a Huge Hit

Little Man Ice Cream attracted a record turn-out for its 4th Annual Hula Hooping Contest September 8th. This year’s contest, held at Highland’s Hirshorn Park, featured Denver elementary school students battling by age group in a variety of categories. Lucky winners walked away with passes to Elitch Gardens and the Downtown Aquarium as well as tickets to Justin Timberlake’s upcoming concert at the Pepsi Center and free ice cream for a year!

The goal was to get the kids moving on a hot day and encourage exercise at a time when physical activity among children is on the decline. (Less than half of Colorado school children ages 5 to 14 get the federally recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day, according to data from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment). Proceeds from the event’s $5 application fee benefited physical education programs at Denver’s Brown, Edison, Sandoval and Valdez Elementary schools and North High School.  We’re excited to share that $875 was raised for the schools through the event.

The media also took note of Little Man’s unique effort to get the masses moving. The contest was featured as one of 5280’s Best Picks, in the North Denver Tribune, and YourHub, as well as on Fox31 and 9News’ weekend broadcast. You can watch a clip of young hoopers showing off their skills, here.

The response to the event was so strong, we can’t wait to see the how many kids turn out next year. Until then, enjoy these photos from the competition.

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AIA Conference Kicks Off in Denver

AIA President Mickey Jacobs addresses the conference attendees

An estimated 18,000 architects descended on Denver earlier this month as part  of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) convention. Denver has long been known for having world-class architecture and the convention highlighted new ideas and trends in the industry.

The Stasko Agency was lucky enough to be a part of the action, promoting Swinerton Builders, a construction management company that served as one of the primary sponsors of the conference. Swinerton is one of the companies leading the “design-build” trend, which pairs architects with construction firms in collaborative partnerships.  Swinerton Vice President and Division Manager Scott Conrad was interviewed on 9News about the trend.

Design Build arrangements often result in faster builds and lower costs. Swinerton and architecture firm Gensler recently completed two projects in Denver using design-build, including parking structures for RTD’s West Rail Line and Invesco’s Denver headquarters.

Check out the Swinerton website to find out more about how the company is leading new and innovative trends in construction and to see what projects they’re working on in Colorado.  And take a peek at the photos we captured at the AIA convention.

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VideoBloom Makes Waves in the Online Retail World

At The Stasko Agency, we’re big believers in retail therapy. So, when Activate Brands asked to partner with them to raise awareness about an innovative company that helps retailers sell their wares through interactive videos, we jumped at the chance. 

The company, Greenwood Village-based VideoBloom, was one of two local businesses exhibiting last month at the Shop.org Annual Summit, a networking and education event where retailers learn about the hottest digital trends. More than 4,000 big-name retailers attended the event (held in Denver this year), including H&M, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

 Established in 2007, VideoBloom not only produces videos for clients such as Proctor & Gamble, but also provides retailers with video commerce capabilities that can be easily integrated into their websites, allowing consumers to click on a product in a video and add it to their virtual shopping carts.  The company also helps retailers distribute their videos to the right social media channels – generating buzz and sales.   

With VideoBloom’s creative approach to online retail we had no problem capturing the attention of 9News, which featured the company’s Chairman Antoine Toffa on its broadcast the morning Shop.org kicked off and the Denver Business Journal’s Dennis Huspeni, who featured Toffa in his blog from the convention.


If you’d like to learn more about VideoBloom and all the company offers, click here.

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Little Man Strikes a Chord with Chilly Deal

Little Man Ice Cream owner Paul Tamburello found a unique way to drive sales of frozen treats on the coldest day of the year. On Tuesday – when the high was a one below zero – he offered $1 pints of ice cream (two per family) for those brave enough to weather the cold. The deal not only resonated with bargain-hunting ice-cream lovers, but also caught the attention of 9News
and 7News, which both ran stories on Little Man’s offer.

Believe it or not, the chilly deal was so popular that Little Man nearly ran out of ice cream and at one point, people lined up on the sidewalk on 16th Street for what Paul had dubbed the “pink-cheeked pints”! Check out the photos of Paul’s interviews with the stations and customers taking advantage of the offer. You can also view the 9News story here.



We had a great time helping Paul publicize the deal. Thanks to the hearty camera operators for covering the story and the loyal customers who made the offer such a success. Remember, Little Man also has sandwiches, soups and hot drinks if you’re in the mood for something warm.

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