A headline about Lori

Yesterday, about 45 minutes before we needed to leave for a wedding, I was trying to cut my son’s hair. He wanted a fade. I had limited skill, limited time, and an 11-year-old offering heated commentary with nearly every swipe of the clippers.

I’ve been accompanying choirs and groups on the piano since high school, which means I’ve had many years of practice in the fine art of being essential and not the main attraction.

I was in Hays, Kansas, last week for the Hansen Forum, where I spent the first day with community foundation staff and the second with a broader group including board members, economic development staff, and community leaders from across northwest Kansas.

We just got back from spring break. Family ski trip (year four), and for the first time, all four of us could ski at roughly the same pace. Which means this year was the first year that actually felt like a vacation rather than an elaborate exercise in family conflict management.

This week we sent annual reports for Cobb Community Foundation and West Central Initiative to the printer.

I was just in Phoenix for AdNet, a conference for community foundation development and communications folks.

“General public” is not an audience. It is a location. It tells you where people live. It does not tell you whose behavior must change to gain traction on a goal.

“I’m sick of it.” That’s how a community foundation CEO opened our meeting last week.

The Innovation Center provides economic and entrepreneurial assistance to businesses in rural Northwest Kansas.

When the Kansas State Fair was on the hunt for a new marketing and communications partner in 2018, they didn’t have to look very far.

Hutchinson Manufacturer Takes Pride in New Brand Located in Hutchinson, Kansas, with products that ship globally, Superior Boiler is the world’s leading manufacturer of  Scotch Marine Firetube  and  high efficiency Condensing boilers  as well as associated boiler room equipment for process steam,  hot water , and  waste recovery .   Although they’ve been around since 1917 and have an excellent reputation in the industry, they lacked a cohesive, engaging brand.  “We had no con

The City of Clearwater Wins Through Communication Strategy Located in south central Kansas, Clearwater is a small town of nearly 3,000 that’s rich with opportunities, quality schools, well-kept homes, and a strong sense of community. But even with many advantages, getting the attention of potential residents is a tough challenge. “We lacked the direction or skill set to develop a marketing plan for the city,” said Burt Ussery, Mayor, City of Clearwater. “We knew that Clearwat

The Summit Reaches New Heights with Updated Brand As a physician-owned healthcare facility located in Hutchinson, Kansas, The Summit offers a variety of services in one location, including Summit Surgical, Rehabilitation and Sports Performance, Summit Imaging, Alliance Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Capstone Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, and The Woman’s Place. With so many services and specialties to communicate, The Summit needed a cohesive, compelling brand to reflect

Placer Community Foundation Prospers Beyond Expectations For nearly two decades, Placer Community Foundation (PCF) in Auburn, California, has "inspired philanthropy to respond to critical community needs and build a thriving region where every person prospers." Although they've been successful in pursuing this mission, they faced a predicament in  2022 when they found themselves without a dedicated marketing and communications staff person. Facing unmet potential and missed o

FORVIA Finds Strong Communications Partner in BowerComm Created in 2022 by bringing together two automotive technology leaders, Faurecia and HELLA, FORVIA brings a combined history of 235 years between the two brands that have complementary performance-driven cultures and are guided by a shared vision for a sustainable future. When it came time for an internal communications campaign to inspire enhanced performance, Cheryl Cargill, FORVIA Vice President Total Customer Satisfa

Market Hutch Finds Powerful Partnership Right at Home While BowerComm successfully works with clients across the globe, there's something powerful about partnering with clients rights in our own backyard. When the Hutchinson Reno County Chamber of Commerce needed a new marketing partner, they didn't have to look far. “We had utilized two full-service agencies that were both from outside Reno County, and even though they both put a lot of effort into working alongside us, it s

School District Finds Success Through Journey to Yes Like many school districts, Chaparral USD 361, located in Harper County, Kansas, has a lot on their plate. They knew they needed to update their branding and improve communication strategies, but they were struggling to bring everything together using internal resources. “There were patchy concepts related to branding which led to unorganized messaging,” said Josh Swartz, Chaparral USD 361 Superintendent. “Lori (Bower) had

With the help of grant funds from the Hutchinson Community Foundation, the EEC approached BowerComm to help them develop a new brand that better represented the caliber of resource they are for the community.

Approaching their 25th Anniversary, Beyond Barriers, a disability support organization, was ready for change.

Becky Goss knows community foundations. As President/CEO of McPherson County Community Foundation for more than 20 years