Harnessing people power… NEWSLETTER / September 2025 KIND WORDS: “The Word PR team goes above and beyond what most PR teams do. Their level of expertise, professionalism and basic kindness are second to none.”– Klaus Baer, COO, WRJ Design 
GOING BEYOND JLF Architects’ principal Logan Leachman is a guest this month on Cray Bauxmont-Flynn’s popular “Beyond the Design” podcast, an in-depth interview to “uncover the stories and philosophies behind the world’s most influential architects and designers.” In the episode, titled “Harmonizing Heritage and Design: The JLF Architectural Journey,” Logan goes behind-the-scenes, offering details ranging from his personal arrival in the West to how the JLF brand has evolved while staying true to its roots. Logan and Flynn discuss company history, the firm’s early groundbreaking use of reclaimed materials, its continued emphasis on design integrity and respect for the history and land of the American West – as well as delving into the process that allows the JLF team to understand client needs and desires toward creating legacy homes that will be cherished for generations. 
DESIGN TRIBE “Yvonne Jacobs understands that homes are both sanctuaries and gathering places, so she designs interiors that inspire comfort, beauty and functionality.” So begins an article in the Summer issue of Vail Valley magazine (p. 42), showcasing Yvonne, founder and lead designer of Jacobs + Interiors, as an entrepreneur. While Yvonne’s career is long and varied, including a stint in New York City and two decades with Vail’s Slifer Designs, she went solo in 2018, and her business, started in her home, quickly morphed to an Edwards, Colorado, commercial space and then a second, larger studio – and growing. “It’s where we do all the magic,” she tells the magazine, which also profiles her dedication to the Vail Valley community, her collaborative approach that treats her team “like family,” and her mission to make the design process not just smooth but actually fun for clients. (Photo: Brent Bingham) 
HISTORY IN THE MAKING “I am always nerdy for a challenge,” Kibler & Kirch owner and creative director Jeremiah Young tells Designers Today about the creation of his company’s grand new shopping experience – characterized by the magazine as “a massive undertaking” – in a story appearing both in the September print issue and on its website. Designers Today chronicles Young’s journey from early Kibler & Kirch fan to purchasing the business in 2010 and moving interior design services to his massive fixer-upper downtown Billings Stapleton Building – “the finest commercial building in Montana when it was built in 1904” – through the tough decision to shutter the original Red Lodge store in 2020, to the retail arm’s recent rebirth as the grand 10,000-square-foot Stapleton flagship store, where he “recreated that era architecturally, starting from an abandoned and completely stripped space.” PR TIP OF THE MONTH Put Your Best Face Forward Our clients’ businesses tend be collaborative, so designating a specific person as the “face” of the business can seem unfair to that team approach – or even uncomfortably braggy. But using a person as the face of a brand is a powerful PR strategy that builds trust, forges emotional connections, and establishes authenticity in a way that’s impactful for your potential clients, offering a clear sense of leadership while humanizing your brand. As BRK Marketing puts it in a blog post on Leveraging Company Leaders’ Personal Brands for Marketing, “When customers trust the leader, they are more likely to trust the brand. Regardless of the product, industry or business type.” The rise of influencers is an offshoot of the fact that humans are hardwired as social creatures. “Within hours of birth, a baby’s gaze is drawn to faces,” begins a summary of an Emory University study of infant neurobiology. That innate appeal is why Word PR works not just to get client projects and services into media coverage, but to profile brand leaders as well – as with the stories about clients noted above – or Aspen Design House’s Denise Taylor’s recent recognition as an ASID Impacts Designer or Antlers at Vail hotel GM Magda King’s featured appearance for the Colorado Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Week. And personality-rich quotes that sound authentic rather than generic are just as important to creating that sense of real connection we all crave, so don’t be afraid to reveal your yourself – and put your business’ best face forward. |
