Grady Britton

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the communications director at Friends of the Columbia Gorge. Friends of the Columbia Gorge works to protect, preserve, and steward the Columbia Gorge. We led the fight to create the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area over 40 years ago. And we’ve been working ever since to safeguard the Gorge and ensure the natural wonders found today will be preserved for generations to come.

We are the only conservation organization entirely dedicated to safeguarding the Gorge’s scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources. For over four decades, we have successfully advocated to protect the Gorge from irresponsible development, purchased scenic and sensitive lands for long-term preservation, and worked with community partners to foster a larger culture of Gorge stewardship by connecting thousands of students and volunteers to the Gorge’s wonders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Grady Britton, and what were your goals?

Friends won a special nonprofit grant from Grady Britton which we used to launch an effort to build new, more engaging, modern, and inclusive unified messaging and brand for our organization.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Friends had previously applied for a grant award and after recent work on the Eagle Creek fire in 2017 took a second shot. Grady Britton is well known by many in the nonprofit and other spaces in the Portland Metro area.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Grady Britton worked with us on an initial audit and discovery to suggest a way to build a more modern, inclusive, and unified voice and brand for Friends. We worked together through message development, logo development, and building of key collateral and tools such as a new brand guide for creative partners.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with the project manager and through them a team which included the art director, messaging lead, and others.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We launched our new branding as part of our 40th anniversary efforts in 2020. We've received a lot of positive feedback both from old partners and allies but also from new ones who previously didn't see us as an organization that spoke to their community.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had a project timeline with regular meetings and for review, comment, and revision of deliverables throughout the process that worked very smoothly.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I appreciated the level of polish and dedication they brought as well as the creativity and passion for our mission. All of the team members, from president to the last staff were very easy to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Overall a very good experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager of Buoy Beer Company, a brewery in Astoria Oregon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Grady Britton, and what were your goals?

Grady Britton designed Buoy Beer's new 16oz can look for our seasonal beer and a new lager series beginning with Maibock. Our goal was to not stray from our design elements but to create a label that differentiates from our 12oz can labels but fits flawlessly into the current lineup.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with Grady Briton on our logo and 12oz can design.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

They presented us with 5 different directions to take the can design in then we worked bi-weekly to hone in the many details of the design.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with a couple designers and 2 project managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Grady Britton designed Buoy Beer's new 16oz can look for our seasonal beer and a new lager series beginning with Maibock. The team helped break us out of our comfort zone to create something that fits flawlessly into our can lineup.

The redesign transforms the elements of the iconic Buoy Beer logo into a look that’s modernly classic. Printed on a traditional press, the updated labels bring a clean, timeless look to the company’s seasonal line and even feature fisher-style poetry.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had regular meetings set to keep the project flowing with additional meetings when quick decisions needed to be made. Email updates were given promptly and the project was completed on time.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their interest and dedication to our brand were wonderful. They also work well together.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Wish more meetings were done over a beer.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the President of Stumptown Coffee Roasters. We source, roast and sell the best coffee.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Grady Britton?

We embarked on a journey with the Grady Britton team to define our Vision, Mission, and Values not knowing quite what to expect. Our company had been around for over 20 years, and we have a strong culture, but there were some things we were ready to leave behind, and other things we knew we wanted to amplify and infuse further into what we do

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Using our team as a resource, we identifed 4 prospective agencies that met our criteria. We met with each agency to discuss the project and requested a proposal. We had final meetings with 3 of the 4 agencies, then selected Grady Britton. We were impressed with their strategic thinking, the process they proposed, and our teams had good rapport from the beginning.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

This was a 3 stage project that included several employee immersion sessions both in Portland and New York. There was also an employee survey and consumer research.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a cross functional team including Strategy, Account Management and Creative. There was also a Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We haven't implemented the work yet, however, the final output reflects ideas and insights from our employees and customers, is respectful of where we have come from, and is a solid strategic framework for where we want to go. Our team was really proud of our work together with Grady Britton.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team at GB immediately felt like a member of our internal team. They were extremely well organized and communicated very effectively using email and weekly status meetings.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team always showed up with their A game bringing insightful and strategic recommendations while always carefully considering our input along the way. The overall project with Grady Britton was highly collaborative, well run, and smart

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

I can't imagine how the project could have gone any better!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

MESO is a small business incubator serving historically under-resourced communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Grady Britton, and what were your goals?

We have launched a new brand and needed assistance with internal and marketing materials for our market research team and our education team.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We looked at quality and reputation.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

We first consulted and outlined the project and identified the deliverables and the timeline. Then using web-based tools, Grady Britton created draft deliverables which we collaboratively evaluated.

These deliverables were edited and approved, then GB staff instructed MESO staff on how to use the tools. After some use, we went back to GB and asked for an augmented product which they provided promptly.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had 3 staff members who did most of the work, including an account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We have had feedback from MESO staff and our clients that the materials are clean, well branded, and useful. For MESO staff, the ease of use has meant that staff is actively using the templates.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We met virtually and communicated via email, and GB was very responsive.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their willingness to embrace our organization's mission.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

no