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The Stasko Agency’s 2010 Highlight Reel

Between new opportunities, go get’em clients and major life events, there was rarely a dull moment in 2010. Before we jump into 2011, let’s take a look at some of the highlights from this past year at The Stasko Agency.

January 2010: The Stasko Agency joins facebook! Find and friend us at www.facebook.com/thestaskoagency

February 2010: We help promote the grand opening of two fantastic new businesses in Denver: HBurger Co (16th and Blake) and Highlands Wellness Center (32nd & Zuni). Check out the picture album from HBurger’s soft opening.

March 2010: Root Down wins the Mayor’s Design Award for Reclaimed Splendor, making them our 3rd client in a row to be recognized for this award. See the pictures.

April 2010: The Stasko Agency promotes Webbchange’s involvement in the “I am Free Enterprise” video contest hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Read our blog and watch their video entry here.

Lu, Shelby, & Dan attend the Denver Press Club’s Runyon Awards Banquet featuring P.J. O’Rourke.

May 2010: We get the unique opportunity to offer publicity services to the National Cohousing Conference in Boulder. Despite a tight schedule, we see great results, with articles in The Denver Post, Boulder Daily Camera, and insiderealestatenews.com, and an interview on Channel 9. Learn more about this unique conference…

June 2010: Peloton homeowner Jeff Pedelty moves to his new condo by bike! Pedelty’s story is picked up all over Colorado and a documentary of his journey is shown at the Boulder Film Festival on the official Bike to Work Day. Read the story on the Boulder Daily Camera.

We plan, promote and execute a successful Merchant Happy Hour in downtown Littleton for our client Nevada Place.

July 2010: The Stasko Agency works with the Dawson Center Summer 2010 program as the students participate in TedxDenverEd alongside colleague Janine Underhill. Read more!

Mountain States Employers Council and UnitedHealthcare announce an innovative health plan that encourages wellness for Colorado small businesses.

August 2010: For a second year, The Stasko Agency puts together a media tour for former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros. The resulting message from this year’s tour was “Worst may be over for Colo. housing market“

The Stasko Agency’s Shelby Bernard becomes Shelby Arnold after she gets married in Golden!

September 2010: Root Down is recognized in the New York Times.

Lu Stasko is featured on Blacktie Colorado’s Have you Met…

Erika Gonzalez of Scoop PR joins the Stasko Agency team.

October 2010: Bruce Jenner participates in the Mudstock 2010 training summit hosted by our client Mudlick Mail. Read the blog for the full story…

Gallop Cafe is featured on Channel 2’s Daybreak and Everyday. Check out the pictures or visit our blog to see the coverage.

We help promote the Colorado Culture of Health Conference, co-hosted by the Colorado Business Group on Health, LiveWell Colorado, the Colorado Physical Activity and Nutrition Program, and Mountain States Employers Council.

The Stasko Agency lends a hand with the grand opening of Guy Harvey’s Perfect Spot in Northfield. Read more!

November 2010: Solera Apartments’ launch party is a smashing success, with over 550 guests touring and partying in their newly finished building. After months of planning, we couldn’t have been more pleased with the turnout. See the professional pictures on Solera’s facebook page.

Wyland’s Ocean Blue hosts their grand opening in Northfield, attracting media and fans alike. The Stasko Agency worked alongside PR colleague Tina Menditto to promote the event, which was featured on Channel 9, Metromix, Westword and more. Check out our blog entry…

Root Down holds a Winter Cocktail Competition for the Denver Media. The Dama Lama and Duck a l’orange are the winning drinks.

December 2010: The Stasko Agency’s client, Wyland’s Ocean Blue, is the chosen venue for a beautiful and intimate Gabby Dinner, hosted by Gabby Gourmet.

A special thanks to our family, friends, clients and colleagues for making this such a memorable year. We look forward to all that 2011 holds and hope to reconnect with you soon!
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Wyland’s Ocean Blue Opens in Denver

Did you happen to take a look at 9news.com today? If you did, you might have seen The Stasko Agency‘s Lu Stasko and Shelby Arnold kissing the cheek of renowned marine wildlife artist Wyland.

The Stasko Agency worked alongside PR colleague Tina Menditto to promote the Grand Opening of Wyland’s newest restaurant, Wyland’s Ocean Blue, at The Shops at Northfield Stapleton. Wyland himself was present at the VIP reception last night, which drew over 250 artists, media, fans and locals. Even the LinkedIn Rockstar, Mike O’Neil, was there to partake in the excitement.

Below, The Stasko Agency poses with Wyland. (Picture credit: Howie Grapek, Metromix)


Wyland’s breathtaking artwork is sought by millions of collectors, and his nationwide galleries are considered a must-see on the itineraries of travelers everywhere. You may be familiar with Wyland’s Whaling Wall mural project – an epic series of one hundred life-sized marine murals that spans twelve countries and four continents. (Learn more about the Whaling Walls…)

An upscale, fine dining restaurant and art gallery combined into one, Wyland’s Ocean Blue features sustainably caught seafood, farm-to-table meats, and coastal Pacific flavors with local and seasonal influences. A portion of the proceeds from each meal will go toward the Wyland Foundation and the Think Blue Foundation, both of which support conservation of the Earth’s precious waterways. Learn more about Wyland’s conservation and advocacy efforts at www.wyland.com.

Make sure to check out Metromix’s online photo album for a complete look at last night’s event.

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Bruce Jenner Offers Insight to Mudlick Mail Customers

Call it our brush with Bruce. Last month, Olympic champion and reality television star Bruce Jenner served as the keynote speaker for the Mudstock 2010 training summit hosted by Stasko Agency client Mudlick Mail. A direct mail provider for the automotive service industry, Mudlick brought Bruce to Mudstock (held in tiny Kingston, GA) to inspire attendees, who were there to learn strategies to grow sales.

Bruce not only earned rave reviews from Mudstock participants, but also garnered plenty of coverage from online news sites. The social media releases we distributed to promote Bruce’s appearance at the event received nearly 85,000 impressions and were picked up by celebrity sites such as Celebopedia, Zimbio and the auto blogs justgoodcars and All World Automotive.


The local newspaper – the Rome News-Tribune – also turned out to interview Bruce, pictured here with Mudlick Mail CEO Greg Sands and Mudlick Mail President Tim Ross. The article and a video of the interview can be viewed here.

The Stasko Agency is excited to be teaming with Erika Gonzalez of Scoop PR to provide media relations services for Mudlick Mail. Erika was a longtime reporter at the Rocky Mountain News and served as the spokesperson for the Colorado Lottery before starting Scoop. Welcome to the Stasko family Erika!

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Touring Solera, LEED-Gold Apartments in Denver

This past week, The Stasko Agency had the opportunity to tour Zocalo Community Development’s newest LEED-Gold certified apartments, Solera. Some of you may remember these sustainable apartments from when we hosted the groundbreaking launch party last summer at 1956 Lawrence Street. (Read about it here…)

The building has made unbelievable progress in the past year and is now nearing a fall completion. Check out the transformation since May 2009:


Solera will be the first LEED-Gold rentals in the entire Rocky Mountain region and one of only a few dozen in the country. By living in a sustainable apartment, residents will likely experience noticeable savings on their energy bill compared to similar apartment buildings. Zocalo’s first LEED multi-family project – award-winning RiverClay – outperformed projected energy savings, reducing energy consumption by nearly 60 percent compared to EPA standards.


Seeing the completed model only strengthened our excitement over this cutting-edge building. Every detail seems to be perfectly executed–from the beautiful finishes and energy-efficient appliances to the spacious layouts and loft-style celings. We found ourselves envious of the future Solera residents, who will literally be a short walk from Invesco Field, 16th Street and downtown Denver hotspots.

In fact, Solera has been dubbed a “Walker’s Paradise” by the popular Walkscore.com, with a walkability rating of 95 out of 100.

Check out the view from Solera’s rooftop terrace:


Zocalo Community Development has definitely struck the perfect balance of form and function with these units. We can’t wait for the first residents to move into their homes in the next few weeks so we can hear firsthand what the experience is like.

If you’re looking for a downtown Denver rental, or know someone who is, we strongly recommend taking a tour of these sustainable apartments. More information can be found on their newly launched website (www.soleraliving.com) and blog (www.blog.soleraliving.com)

Also, check out the article about Solera in the Denver Daily News this past Wednesday: Solera: Green living downtown by Ben LeDoux. (One slight correction: there are actually 120-units in the building, not 110!)

Lastly, make sure to stop by Solera’s Facebook Page & “like” them to stay updated on the latest and greatest.

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WebbChange enters “I am Free Enterprise” video contest!

After two hard years of work, our dear friends and fellow entrepreneurs at WebbChange are making their dream a reality with the launch of their revolutionary social search application, WebbChange.com!

WebbChange.com combines functions of Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Digg, StumbleUpon and Google, to create a “social stock market” for websites and articles. Users are able to organize, search, share and assign value to interesting and relevant content on the web using a new virtual currency called, you guessed it, WebbChange.

We’re blown away by what we’ve seen so far, and predict big things for this site in the coming weeks and months as users continue to populate the site.

Now here’s where you come in:

To kick start the launch and spread the word to the masses, WebbChange has entered the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “I am Free Enterprise” video contest. The top 25 viewed videos by April 16th (this Friday!) will be selected to to advance to the next round with an opportunity to win up to $50,000 that can be used toward their venture.

Travis Russell (founder) and Bill Clanton (CEO) are looking for support in the form of video views. Help out The Stasko Agency and WebbChange by checking out the 3 min WebbChange video entry:

(Can’t see the video? Click here to visit their YouTube page.)

Every view is a vote, so don’t hesitate to share it with friends/family/co-workers and everyone else you know. For more information about the “I am Free Enterprise” competition, check out www.freeenterprise.com

Congrats to WebbChange on this exciting and literally “web-changing” launch!

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Real Estate Spotlight: The Peloton in Boulder

A perk to working with talented developers is getting a heads up on some of the prime living spots in and around the Denver/Boulder area. We like to highlight our real estate clients, not only because we’d like to own a home from each one, but because we know many of you (and your friends) could benefit from seeing what’s out there.

Today’s real estate spotlight is one of Boulder’s Best Selling Communities in 2009, The Peloton. What we love about The Peloton is the unique community feel. Homeowners can literally work, dine, play, exercise, and socialize within steps of their front door.

Located off Arapahoe Avenue between 33rd and 38th Street, The Peloton is situated in the heart of Boulder, with easy access to some of the city’s most popular hot spots, including the 29th Street Entertainment District, Pearl Street Mall, and the University of Colorado Main Campus.

The community’s central location lends itself to effortless travel with shopping, dining and entertainment only walking-distance away. All homeowners also receive a free EcoPass, included in the Home Owners Association (HOA) fee, which provides unlimited usage and access to the RTD bus services.

Those looking to bike their way around town can explore the vast Boulder valley through an interconnected bike path system, which has a direct link to The Peloton’s property. Also included in the HOA is access to the Community’s very own fleet of mountain bikes, which can be checked out and used for any occasion.

Of course, the options don’t end at transportation. Homes at The Peloton are priced from the low $200s to $500s, with lofts and 1-, 2-, and 3- bedroom floor plans. Straying away from cookie-cutter configurations, the designers created more than 60 different alternatives from which to choose, with the intention of appealing to the broad interests of a community with diverse lifestyles. All of the homes offer spacious bedrooms, luxurious bathrooms, walk-in closets, and in many cases, extra amenities like fireplaces, storage closets and laundry rooms. Every configuration also includes a patio or balcony, and most of the homes have spectacular views of the mountains.

Not only do homeowners benefit from ample day-to-day living space, they also have access to The Peloton’s common spaces inside the 22,000 square-foot community center. This state-of-the-art center includes a 6,000 square-foot fitness club, 22-seat movie theatre with leather reclining seats, and a game room with billiards, shuffle table and flat-screen TVs. Residents also have access to Boulder’s only year-round rooftop swimming pool and heated deck that includes two hot tubs, barbecue grills and spectacular views of the Flatirons. One of the many benefits to community life is the extended living space located outside the four walls of a home.

For a tour of The Peloton’s homes and Community Center, you can visit the Sales Center Friday-Monday from 11:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m., or call 303.457.5230.

We also encourage you to check out the website (www.thepeloton.com) for more information about the location, lifestyle, and residences of The Peloton.

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Cliff Young Returns to Denver, Opens CY Steak

After spending 12 years in France, living in one of the great wine and cuisine regions of the world, nationally-recognized Denver restaurateur Cliff Young has returned to Denver to open a French-influenced steakhouse called CY Steak. The Stasko Agency has the honor of working with Mr. Young to spread the word about his new vision for fine dining, and we’re thrilled to see that Denver restaurant critics share our enthusiasm.

CY Steak opened its doors in mid-October 2009, unveiling a French-influenced menu that includes an exquisite house-made Charcuterie, plateau of fresh chilled shellfish, three onion soup gratinee a la Bourgogne, Prime Delmonico rib eye, and many more well thought-out selections. Cliff’s signature presentation includes roasted herbed veal marrow and a selection of seven sauces. Each dish is truly something to savor. (Is your mouth watering yet?)

The one-and-only Gabby Gourmet recently showcased CY Steak on her Channel 7 show, which highlights local restaurants that are flourising in Denver. Check out the video here.

Here’s Gabby with the boys from CY Steak in front of a beautiful display of dishes. From left to right: Christopher Jensen (Charcutier), Clement McHale (Executive Chef), Tomasz Tomczyk (Sommelier/Mixologist), Gabby Gourmet, Cliff Young.


We had a great time meeting the other chefs and are so grateful to Gabby for this unique opportunity. All of the food looked and smelled delicious!

If you’re looking for something extravagant and fun to do for New Year’s Eve, we highly recommend spending the evening at CY Steak. The Pussycat Dolls Burlesque show will be performing in Denver on NYE at the Diamond After Dark and CY Steak has put together an exclusive package.

New Year’s Eve Dinner/Concert Package ($500):
Dinner for two at CY Steak
Bottle of Perrier-Jouet “Fleur” Champagne
2 Tickets to the Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Show — Preferred Seating

New Year’s Eve Dinner package–($125/person)

For more information, call 720-596-4513 and Mr. Young himself will help you make arrangements.

To find out more about Cliff and CY Steak, visit the website at www.cysteakdenver.com

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A Successful Month at The Stasko Agency

Denver might have seen a few snowstorms already, but this season is just heating up at The Stasko Agency, with great press and new opportunities coming our way!

Our client, Root Down, received national recognition in the November issue of Elle Décor Magazine. A special thanks to 5280’s Amanda Faison for the shout out in her article “ELLE DÉCOR Goes to Denver” (read full article here). We love it when Denver gets the acknowledgment it deserves, and Amanda did a fantastic job highlighting the “must see” spots in this vibrant city.

Root Down also won a Mayor’s Design Award this past Thursday for the category Reclaimed Splendor, which recognizes “adaptive reuse of space and materials.” Our nomination was a no-brainer for this one, and we were happy that Mayor Hickenlooper thought so too! Congratulations to Justin Cucci, Paul Tamburello, David Schaich, and Tom Hewitson for this outstanding accomplishment.

This is Paul Tamburello’s third consecutive Design Award, on top of The Olinger Complex (2007, Reclaimed Splendor) and Little Man Ice Cream (2008, Wild Card). The Stasko Agency is certainly lucky to have worked with such successful and design conscious projects over the years.

With the holidays around the corner, you better bet that we’ll be busy with events and parties to showcase and celebrate our clients! Stay tuned to learn more about the collaborative Jefferson Park Home Tours and C Y Steak’s unique Holiday Party opportunities.

Thanks for your continued support and stay in touch!

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Henry Cisneros’s Denver Press Tour

In August, The Stasko Agency got an exciting request to assist in scheduling and pitching a full press tour for Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Henry Cisneros. Mr. Cisneros was visiting the Denver/Boulder area to deliver a positive message about the state of the housing market, particularly in our area. Since we love to spread good news, we jumped on the opportunity and hit the phones to garner interest among the media.

Mr. Cisneros and his team arrived in Denver on September 29th with an early morning of interviews ahead of them. We hit Channel 4, Channel 7, and Channel 9 before 7:30am, making sure no moment was wasted. Mr. Cisneros grabbed breakfast and an interview with well-known real estate writer John Rebchook before heading to a speaking engagement at the Urban Land Intstitute event with Mayor Hickenlooper.

During his visit, Mr. Cisneros shared his support for extending the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and gave his reasoning for why Denver is in the forefront of the recovery. Between federal tax incentives, low interest rates, and low home prices, Mr. Cisneros strongly encouraged that “Now is the time to buy.”

After a busy morning, Mr. Cisneros headed up to Boulder to see The Peloton and visit with homeowners. The Peloton, which is financed by Mr. Cisneros’ company CityView, is an example of the kind of smart growth and smart development that Mr. Cisneros touted in his message. We had a lovely lunch with some of The Peloton’s residents, followed by a conference call with Mayor Hickenlooper and 7 print media representatives from Denver/Boulder to speak about affordable housing and the market as a whole.

The tour concluded with an afternoon spot on both local and national FOX news.

Needless to say, it was an action packed (and extremely rewarding) day in PR. Many thanks to our awesome Denver connections who helped us pull this together. Special recognition goes to Mr. Cisneros’ Press Secretary, Forrest Beanum, who was a main player in the press tour’s success. We were so grateful for this opportunity and were honored to work with Mr. Cisneros and his team.

Click on the links below to see some of the coverage from Henry’s press tour:

Former HUD Secretary Speaks on Housing Market–CBS 4 Denver

Henry Cisneros joins ABC 7 News Denver and discusses the Case Schiller S&P Indices Report–KMGH Channel 7 News

Former HUD Secretary calls for homebuyer tax credit extension–9News Denver

Henry Cisneros has deep ties to Denver–InsideRealEstateNews.com

Henry Cisneros supports extending $8,000 tax credits–InsideRealEstateNews.com

Former HUD secretary: Extend home-buyer tax credit–Daily Camera

Housing tax-credit extension urged–Denver Post

Former HUD cheif Cisneros: Extend 1st-time homebuyer credit–Denver Business Journal

Optimism on Housing–Denver Daily News

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A Summer Report

The Stasko Agency has had an active summer, to say the least! With new clients, new ventures, and even a few new team-members, we’ve been busy finding opportunities to grow and expand our reach.

Here are some of the highlights!

Client Successes:

  • Cocktails, Cars, and a Cause, which raises funds for the Love Hope Strength Foundation, was hosted at Root Down on July 30th. Over 200 people came out for the event!

  • Root Down’s superstar mixologist, Anika Zappe, brought in some publicity herself, winning two separate cocktail contests. She was dubbed “Bombay Sapphire’s Most Inspired Bartender” for her drink, The Garden Party, which can now be found on Root Down’s drink menu. She also took first place in the 42 Below vodka contest at Theorie for her cocktail named The Casting Couch.
  • The Peloton has been rolling at full speed, with 18 sales in six weeks, a new sales center location off Arapahoe, and a third retailer slated to open this winter.
  • The Bookery Nook hosted a successful Tennyson Showcase event, which highlighted the eclectic independent shops lining the up-and-coming street. Attendees enjoyed a wine-tasting by WineJester and hors d’oeuvres by House Bar and Restaurant, which are only steps from the Nook.

Upcoming Events:

  • Historic Hotel Colorado will hold the 6th Annual Devereux Polo Cup on August 29th and 30th in the beautiful Glenwood Springs. Packages are available starting at $149 which includes an overnight stay and entry to the Match and the “Meet the Players” Gala event.

  • Frontview 40 celebrates its Grand Reveal on Thursday, September 17th from 4-8pm at 2650 Front View Crescent in Denver. With 31 flats and 9 townhome style residences, Frontview 40 offers 1, 2, and 3 bedroom homes ranging from the upper 100s to the upper 500s. No rsvp needed, just show up. Make sure to check out the unbelievable views from the rooftop deck. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

New Faces:

  • The lovely and talented Brenna Shelsta joined The Stasko Agency for the month of July to offer some support to our energetic schedules. We wish she could have stayed longer, but she’s off to Sweden to study for the next few years! Can anyone say company vacation? She will certainly be missed.
  • We’ve also recently partnered with Dan Urmann, an experienced sales/marketing specialist with niche for business development and bringing new products/companies to market. With Dan on our side, we’ve had the opportunity to work on several new product launches. Of course we can’t tell you all the details quite yet, but we can say the process has been both rigorous and rewarding. Expect to hear more about these ventures as we get closer to launch.
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