We get hired a lot when the odds are long, the challenge is significant or the stakes are big.
The marketplace has discovered that our different skill set, our drive, experience, and mindset on behalf of clients distinguishes our company when a crisis hits, a concept needs to get off the ground, a better story needs to be told and speed matters.
Our candidate for President in 2016 was Florida Senator Marco Rubio. But that doesn’t mean we can’t recognize the achievement of Donald J. Trump. Vanquishing an incredibly talented GOP field. Then taking down a political machine. And doing it all with an unorthodoxed approach. It was a royal flush.
We like to think we trumped a few odds during the last part of 2016 too. Quite a number of them actually. That’s a testament to the exceptionalism of our team who again helped this year, our 20th in business, to be the most successful yet. Thank you to all, especially some of the notable achievers below, for giving us the chance to be of assistance. We hope you enjoy the read. All 1,680 words of it.
* The Best: Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane called his 2016 re-election campaign the best organizational effort, public or private, he’s ever been involved in. We were asked to lead that charge which resulted in a landslide win over a person and family that had never lost a municipal election in Scottsdale. The campaign also raised a record sum – over $400,000 – for a Scottsdale city campaign. That’s a tribute to those we worked with professionally (IWS) as well as the community leaders that formed the best Kitchen Cabinet we’ve ever been associated with. And at the top presided a man and a mayor who set the tone with key decisions, integrity and tenacity that led the effort to a landmark victory.
* From America’s First Baseman To Arizona’s Most Charitable Bowler: Arizona Diamondbacks’ slugger Paul Goldschmidt has
become a perennial All-Star. And he’s that way off the field too. Goldschmidt asked Rose+Allyn Public & Online Relations Partner Jennifer Moser to help launch his “Goldy’s Bowling Bash” in November, 2016. It was a big success raising six figures for the Blood and Cancer Disorder Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Only several days later Moser helped elevate another charitable event to new heights: The Knuckle Ball. Founded by the daughter of long-time Major League Baseball pitcher Joe Niekro who passed away from a brain aneurysm, Moser helped secure a who’s who list of honorees led by Barrow’s neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Spetzler and a person whose generosity is appreciated the charitable world over, Nancy Hanley.
* Making A Wish Come True: Speaking of Moser, just a few months ago she was named Chairwoman of Make-A-Wish Arizona Board of 
Directors. That’s quite an honor, and an opportunity to do so much good for those who deserve it the most. And speaking of another pretty good soul, Moser again helped the Arizona Cardinals’ benevolent wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald notch another successful charitable dinner in August at Dominick’s Steakhouse.
* Don’t Mess With Texas. Actually, we meant the Arizona Automobile Dealer’s Association. The group has become a terrific, multi-year client of our firm. And when City of Peoria leaders thought a massive increase in their sales tax a good idea for a bunch of pet projects, the Association asked us to lead an effort to defeat it. And so it was at the ballot box in November thanks to great help and leadership from Arizona State Senator Debbie Lesko and Arizona State Representative Tony Rivero too. The client gave us the resources, Lesko and Rivero provided leadership and wise counsel, and we executed creatively and aggressively, rounding out an undefeated elections record in 2016.
* Return Of Old Friends: Winning creates momentum. In sports and in our line of work. But some times winning for clients ends our engagement with them. After all, it’s our job to accomplish missions not belabor retainers. So, it’s always nice when great former clients re-enter the fold. The past couple of months saw the return of top commercial developer Vestar and the Colorado River Indian Tribes for significant public affairs and public relations issues, inside and outside the state.
* Arrival Of Big New Friends: We like large stakes. We also like large clients. That’s why we’re grateful to welcome some big boys and girls like General Motors, Republic Services and Nationwide to our deep and diverse list of clients.
* Foe To Friend: One of the biggest compliments anyone can get in business is when a company you once opposed doesn’t hold a grudge but instead develops a regard for what you do. And so it happened again two months ago. Those initial conversations are always interesting and, strangely, especially satisfying when you win on their behalf.
* Size Does Matter: November 5th marked the 6th anniversary of The Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, an event we created and 
produce. It’s become a lifestyle spectacle like few others, and an event that now sells more champagne than any other in the State of Arizona. As the most attended polo event in the United States, it continues to stun first-time attendees and entertain thousands of returnees. Thank you to all, especially founding sponsors like Barrett-Jackson, Phoenix International Raceway, Neiman Marcus and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show for making it all possible. There’s no polo in Chandler but thanks to a unanimous vote by the City Council there, the largest Arizona commercial development approved in 2016 will soon be coming courtesy of the Douglas Allred Company. Few companies are such a class act and a pleasure to work with on the advertisements, media relations and strategy we helped provide for the effort. One of the few places that has as much good news as Chandler these days is downtown Phoenix. Its cornucopia of start-ups, arts, sports, collegiate, government and the accomplished has reached a tipping point. And that’s why a nationally renowned company like Oaktree Capital decided to buy an incredible asset like Renaissance Square for $151 million and pump another $50 million into renovations. It’s one of the biggest office transactions of the year and another example of how our public relations team, led by the one and only Jennifer Parks-Sturgeon, is able to accentuate messages for clients.
* And If Size Matters So Does Being #1: We don’t know if Alabama is going to yet win another college football championship but we do know that we are privileged to represent a lot of top ranked businesses in their space. Cullum Homes – The Valley’s #1 custom home builder. Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty – #1 seller of luxury homes over $800,000 (by a wide margin). Steak 44 – the Valley’s #1 selling steakhouse. Mountainside Fitness: #1 locally-owned fitness and gym company. Barrett-Jackson: the #1 collection car auction company the world over. Pollack Investments: the #1 redeveloper of shopping centers in Arizona. My Sister’s Closet: the top selling consignment store in the state. And Harvest of Scottsdale, the first million dollar medical marijuana dispensary in Arizona.
* Irony: Over the past year we successfully helped the noble Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center head off misguided efforts to curtail or 
kill its mission and site. Yet, the accompanying publicity to do so created a new awareness about the facility that is creating more demand than ever for its services. Asked and tasked by the Center to help it find a new home that process is well underway with some exciting possibilities for one of Arizona’s most exemplary animal care and rehabilitation concerns.
* Cool Under Fire: Too many union organizations are too strident and ultimately counterproductive to those they seek to help. Not the Scottsdale Firefighters Association. Persuasive with a quiet dignity and a thoughtful commitment to “win-wins,” the organization has also set itself apart with compelling charitable activity, including yet another sold-out Behind The Flames Dinner at Dominick’s Steakhouse in September. Being not just at their dinner table but to work with their exemplary leadership team is an opportunity to not only help, but learn a few things too.
* The Phoenix: Its downtown is certainly rising and so are a few other issues we’ve had a ringside seat for too. In November, Sky Harbor introduced valet parking services for the first time. The debut followed nearly a year’s worth of work on behalf of Phx Valet Powered by 
FreedomPark, a Dallas-based specialist, to gain public recognition and a winning bid during Phoenix’s bid process. It’s among the coolest perks you can find at any airport. So after reading some of our braggadocio check it out at FreedomParkPHX.com. You’ll be hooked as much as we are. They’re not just clients. We’re customers too. And, we hope to be customers of the proposed The Stewart in downtown Phoenix as well. You may recall the site of the old Circles Records Building on Central Avenue was partially demolished during the first part of 2016. People weren’t happy to say the least. Hired thereafter we, along with others, helped craft a compelling compromise, most especially with neighbors and historic preservation leaders, that will hopefully gain Phoenix City Council approval in January. It should.
If an unexpected victor with a political team that always seemed to be coming and going was the story of 2016, it is the antithesis of our success. Together now for four plus years our core team of Jennifer Moser, Sara Jane Jones Widdes, Mike Scerbo, Jennifer Parks-Sturgeon and Jason Rose is the best starting five in the business. And when people like Cepand Alizadeh come off the bench to play so well, well, it makes not only for the best year in the company’s history, but one that has allowed us to trump nearly all goals and challenges for our valued clients too. Thank you and onward to success for all in 2017, making a few more wishes come true.
Sincerely,
Rose+Allyn Public & Online Relations
www.RoseAllynPR.com
