Boise isn’t called ‘The City of Trees’ for nothing.  And no time of year earns the city that title like the fall.  It’s a beautiful season with brilliant splashes of purple, red, orange and yellow decorating Boise’s already stunning backdrop against the Rocky Mountains.  When the leaves start falling and the crisp autumn breeze tosses them around in a kaleidoscope of color, I doubt there’s a person out there who can’t admit to enjoying the change of pace from the blistering summer heat.  With this scenic makeover, however, comes a looming task for anyone with a few nearby deciduous trees and a yard of any considerable size.   Raking leaves might be an enjoyable chore for some, but for others, like the elderly or the sick, the burden is just too much for them to take on alone.  Thankfully, Neighborhood Housing Services of Boise organizes a great volunteer event each fall called ‘Rake Up Boise’.

On Saturday, a team of inspired Balihooers met up in the north end of Boise to give back to their city and help their neighbors.  The timing of the event was, well, less than timely.  The day happened to fall on the same day as our biggest college football rival game:  Boise State versus the University of Idaho.  It was a home game scheduled to start at 1:00 with plenty of tailgating to be done beforehand.  Mother Nature thought she’d also spice things up with our first measurable snowfall of the year.  But we were a determined crowd and had no option but to start the day in the crisp hours of the morning, well-prepared to do equal amounts of snow shoveling as leaf raking.

From our hours spent in the snow-laden yards, we discovered a variety of ‘best practices’ when it comes to raking leaves in winter-like weather and sequentially getting the piles of leaves and snow from the ground into the large brown bags we were supplied.   I believe the pictures below do the best to describe the various techniques.

The event was a fun experience for all of us.  We couldn’t help but feel that we’d accomplished a great thing when we saw the smiling faces of the homeowners.  Our only concern, at the end of the day, was how the bags would hold up when the snow melts.  We’ll keep our fingers crossed for the pick-up crew.

This past weekend, the fearless outdoorsman and women of Balihoo cloaked in plaid flannel shirts, sharpened the axes and loaded their coolers with plenty of protein-packed meat products and hydrating beverages chalked full of nutrients to take on the great outdoors in true Idaho style. The fearless team of Balihoo employees battled the elements and took on Hells Canyon, nestled in the cleavage of the Idaho/Oregon state line, in what will likely go down as the most epic journey (err… camp trip) of all time. Wolves were tamed and rivers were diverted as the group, made up of sales team, media team and creative team members literally brought the Oregon wilderness to its knees.

I’m pleased to report that all parties made it home in one piece and no limbs were lost. We all had one heckuva good time celebrating the end of the summer camping season by cooking great food, enjoying perfect weather, and taking in the scenery of one of the many incredible places in and around Idaho. Here are a few notable highlights of the trip:

·         Paying homage to Sportsman’s Paradise, a delicately placed trailer park in the midst of the vast wilderness

·         Mandatory attendance of ‘How to Build a Campfire 101’ as taught by Brian and Alex

·         Embracing the creature comforts of home inside of Roy’s ‘new’ old 1966 Airstream Land Yacht

·         An all organic breakfast consisting of Bacon Bits, Bacon Bagels and Bacon Strips

·         A delightful Dutch Oven Spare Rib concoction - recipe courtesy of Balihoo’s very own Dutch Oven expert, Steve

·         A true Man vs. Wild eyewitness account as Mark and Nico battled the raging river in an inflatable kayak

I will be sure to keep you loyal blog followers abreast as Balihoo takes on our next outdoor expedition. Rumors of a winter yurt trip have already begun circulating.

This past week I was honored to be part of an entrepreneurial round table discussion with Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick hosted at VengaWorks.  The purpose of this event was to open up dialog between people in the entrepreneurial community and the state government to understand how the government can best support the small business sector.  Although the discussion was fairly short, an interesting trend emerged that Minnick smartly picked up on, and noted as one of his key take-away’s:

Entrepreneurs unlike many other business groups aren’t looking for handouts from the government.  They really just want the government to step out of the way and let them start, run and grow their business on its own merit.  For example - reduce/remove bailout vehicles that allows failing business models to continue, creation of efficient pathways to available startup/growth funds, and sensitivity to how different types of taxes can impact small business. 

It is said that entrepreneurial ventures and small business will continue to grow in this country and could be the driving force behind economic recovery in this country.  All governments need to focus on is getting out of their way.  Its that easy.

One of our Core Values is Work-Life Passion.  To get to know one another better, we share our passions on a regular basis in the form of a company event - pretty much anything goes: whether it be white water rafting, roping dummies, or eating pancakes.  Last week, our resident accountant shared his passion for Dutch oven cooking.  We took off to Ann Morrison Park on a stormy afternoon and feasted on the culinary genius of Mr. Steve Nett.  Equipped only with charcoal briquettes and cast iron, he created  3 delicious desserts: apple crisp, berry cobbler, and a chocolate marshmallow madness.  Thanks, Dutch Brother!

I think it’s safe to assume that most tourists who visit The Leaning Tower take that same silly picture, you know the one I’m talking about and if you don’t, here’s a few examples to help you along.

A new campaign by McDonald’s UK is playing on this very idea. It’s pretty clever. When else would the Golden Arches go home with thousands of tourists in their vacation photo album to be viewed by friends and family over and over again?

As media professionals, we are constantly trying to combat the fact that consumers are taking control of their media consumption, but the fast food giant is finding ways to embrace the shift in culture and encourage interaction with their brand. As a marketer that struggles with this every day, I think the execution is brilliant.

McDonald’s Piccadilly Circus

It’s national bike to work week. Despite the frigid temps a couple of mornings this week, many brave Balihoo’ers biked to work anyway.  In fact, several of our employees voluntarily forfeit their parking passes year round for the love of reducing their carbon footprint and staying in shape.  We have bike racks in the office for security (and aesthetics- we have some pretty cool bikes!); just one of the many perks of working at Balihoo!

If you have ever lived in Idaho or considered moving here you have probably wondered about potential Idaho employers. When I moved to Boise after college and started the job searching process, I frequently found myself wondering (post-interview) - “Okay, so [company name] says they are ’x’ and according to Google they are ‘x’ but I wonder what it’s really like to work there..maybe it’s more like ‘y’.”

Much to my delight, I quickly learned that with Balihoo, what you see is what you get. When I became a Balihoo’er, my incredibly enthusiastic boss described to me in vivid detail what the Balihoo work environment was like - since then, I’ve been faced with several unexpected challenges and whirlwind days but overall the basic foundation of Balihoo that I perceived when I first came in the door and the vibe that my boss planted in my mind hasn’t wavered.

In my opinion, the key to Balihoo’s positive work environment lays in the manner in which our company’s core values are continually spotlighted.  Our core values aren’t some inconsequential blurb mentioned as an after-thought on initial employment papers - they are core attributes used on a daily basis not only by the management but by every single Balihoo employee.

I would be lying if I said I was that surprised when I found out that Balihoo was deemed a great place to work - it just made sense to me. But to be the only start-up among the top 10 places to work in Idaho (among companies with less than 100 employees) -as well as the only venture-backed and the only tech-company to have made the cut really impressed me!

So you may be asking - what exactly did/does it take to make this list? The Best Places to Work in Idaho award program is put together by the Idaho Business Review and POPULUS to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Idaho. Every year, hundreds of Idaho companies compete to make the list. The finalists are made up of 15 companies (Top Ten Smaller Employers Statewide and Top Five Larger Employers Statewide). Employees are all surveyed (we used the online method) and evaluated on the following:

• Company Management
• Work Environment
• Work-Life Balance
• Employee Growth and Development
• Overall Compensation

Making this list, alongside nine other fantastic companies, is exciting for everyone at Balihoo. We will keep on keeping on until next year, when who knows, maybe we will climb up on that list. (While competitiveness isn’t one of our three core values - it IS something that the average Balihoo’er seems to possess). Interested in joining the Balihoo team, check out our career page here to see if we currently have any positions open that spark your interest.

One of my passions is interior design.  I admittedly Tivo design and HGTV reality shows and watch them with pure excitement while my husband moans and groans and escapes upstairs to play his guitar.  I’ve never pursued interior design as a career because I don’t like the idea that clients would have opinions and budgets.    That being said, the construction and design of both of our offices has been my reality show, and despite there being lots of opinions and a budget, it really was an exhilarating project for me.  I love the way our office turned out and think the space has evolved into one of the best out there.

I recently went on an expedition for modern furniture for our lobby.  The office is modern/industrial, so I wanted to find furniture that would complement it and soften the cold, sterile aesthetic that modern design sometimes imparts.  Our lobby has six corners and thus is a pretty awkward space, so I was having a hard time figuring out the furniture arrangement.  One night at 4am, I sat straight up in bed with a vision.  I immediately got up and sketched my idea on paper.  Then, on an unseasonably warm Thursday winter afternoon, I set out on my mission: 4 club chairs, a coffee table, lighting, and an entry table.  If we were anywhere but Boise, this would be one stop shopping at IKEA.  30 minutes, in and out, pack the stuff up to the office, pull out the trusty allen wrench, and assemble 6 cases of flat packed furniture.  Mission accomplished.

Anywhere but Boise.

I went to no less than 25 stores.  I was completely discouraged by the lack of modern furniture available in Boise.  I found a single chair, a lamp, and some accessories.  The rest was ordered online, and I was like a kid on Christmas morning when it finally arrived.  I rediscovered how pounding the pavement and finding hidden treasures all over town is so much more satisfying than shopping online.  Search engines don’t find cast metal dog bones when you’re looking for a coffee table.

If you come to the office, there isn’t a receptionist on duty- just some fabulous orange chairs and a white lacquer coffee table to greet you.  Hang a left, and you’ll find me at the end of the hall.  I’ll get you what you need, where you need to go, or to whom you need to meet.

One of the greatest things about working at Balihoo is undoubtedly the company culture.  When I first joined the Balihoo team, I was continually awe-struck by how great all of the Balihoo’ers I met were - both at their professions and at their lives outside of the office. Balihoo employees - for lack of a better word, are livers (no, not the organ) - they are a group of people with passion, spirit and drive.

As with all jobs, there are undeniably ups and down but the one component that consistently keeps Balihoo “up” is the optimism that Balihoo employees emanate.  It was with this in mind that I decided to put together a new series for our blog.  This Work-Life Passion series will feature individual Balihoo’ers - through which I hope to give you a glimpse of what it is like to work (and play) at Balihoo.

 With that, it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Balihoo Creative’s Creative Director Mel Mansfield.  Mel is one of those people who can manage fifty    items and make it look completely effortless. With a demanding job (contrary to popular belief - working in the creative department is HARD work), three kids at home, a passion for interior design, a charity that she is passionately involved with (Idaho Epilepsy Foundation) and a love for “all board sports” Mel is always on the go!  Whenever there is an out-of-office event, party or sports team I just assume that Mel will be taking part because, well, that is Mel. She is a do-er.

Having grown up in Burley, Mel is an Idahoan through and through. Loving all things outdoors - Mel spends as much time outside (ideally with a board strapped to her feet) as possible.  With three boys aged 8, 12 and 14 and a long-time sports-lover who professes that she “lives for football” - Mel spends a lot of time either playing in or watching games.

Creative at her desk, in her home and with her charity work, Mel is a fantastic example of the kind of person Balihoo recruits.