Gena’s Busiest Week Ever: The Grand Finale

Gena’s busiest week is just about over—and what better way to cap off a week filled with new associates and friends than a big party?

Saturday, February 6:

1 meeting
1 mani-pedi
1 red carpet gala

I drove to Belen to have breakfast with my parents, and also to meet with Sharon Olsen. She’s a friend from the good old days, and asked to meet about marketing and consulting for her business, Sharon Kay Jewelry. Sharon’s a full-time teacher who also creates intricately designed beaded jewelry pieces. We talked marketing, and we’re going to start working on getting her pieces into some shops here in Albuquerque. Her stuff is gorgeous!

Nice and full from my breakfast with Mom and Dad, I went to Casa Verde Spa for a mani-pedi to prep for tonight’s big event. They a lot of spa services—I’ll come back to try out some of the others soon, because they look absolutely luxurious and I’m always all about that. But today I was on a time crunch! It was nice to relax after my such a busy week and enjoy a foot soak and massage. Asha painted my toesies gold to match the jewelry I was wearing with my black dress for the evening, and I was out the door.

My fiancé, Curtiss, and I arrived at La Noche Encantada with 10 minutes to spare. We grabbed a drink at the bar and head to our table, where we were hosted by AHCC’s Jeffrey Candelaria.

I declared our table the party table. This was a surprise to Mary Herrera, our Secretary of State—but she and her date were a blast! We must have giggled all through dinner. That’s bad manners according to my earlier etiquette training…. but oh well! At the center of most of our giggling was Eddie Tafoya, a professor at NM Highlands, who has just taken a six-month sabbatical to study stand-up comedy. At one point, I was laughing so hard, I thought I was going to spit food across the table.

I even got to chat with Mayor Richard Berry and the First Lady, Maria, who were both absolutely delightful. I found out that they have a terrier also. I offered a doggie playdate—who knows, maybe they will take me up on that?

What a great week I had! I ended my week with my boss, Larryl, at his SuperBowl Party. That’s me, wrapped in a Snuggie. That’s what my week ended with. A Snuggie. I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate.

Gena’s Busiest Week Ever: Day Two

ATM’s sales director set out to book as many appointments as she could in a week. Here’s how day two shook loose.

Tuesday, February 2:

9 meetings
1 lunch
1 dinner
57 miles driven

Appointment #1: I met with the staff of Stribling Chiropractic, which is always fun. Dr. Stribling is a great chiropractor, but he’s also a Kinesio taping expert—which means he’s been setting the city straight (get it?) for more than 27 years. And he’s been in the same location the whole time! He and wife also own and run a fun retail shop in the East Mountains, Just Too Cute. It’s a fun boutique filled with interesting items and great gifts.

Appointment #2: Ben E. Keith came on board as ATM’s Chef Knockout sponsor two years ago. Todd and Kathy came by the ATM offices to chat about this year’s event in June. We’re already into the heavy planning stages to make this year’s event bigger, better, and—of course—more fattening! Chef Knockout is our answer to “Iron Chef”: eight chefs compete in four head-to-head battles. We host the event at the Convention Center and attract more than 1500 foodies to watch the battle, taste the food, and vote on cocktail concoctions. Last year we even had a Gauc-a-media challenge, putting the spotlight on local personalities and their guacamole-making abilities.

Appointment #3: Kelly Koepke and I chat on Facebook quite often. I, of course, am mostly wasting time while I’m at work (oops—is this the wrong place to admit that?). She, on the other hand, is actually working. As a matter of fact, she spends a lot of her time posting on Facebook, tweeting on Twitter, and blogging as part of her job. For those of you who really just don’t get how posts, tweets, and blogs work, Kelly is a light in the digital darkness. Kelly manages social networking and integrates all elements of online life into your business. She’s also a great writer! I say this from personal experience. She wrote my “Forty Under 40” for the New Mexico Business Weekly last year.  She managed to make me sound cool. So now I’m her biggest fan.

Between-appointments meeting: I met with ATM’s publisher, Larryl, and marketing director, Kelly, for a quick, top-secret confab. (Insert devious chuckle here!) It’s not at all unusual for me to meet with them—we meet up regularly to talk about magazine business—so the meeting didn’t add a lot more busy-ness to my day. But how fabulous is this picture? I just had to post it.

Appointment #4: Erica Swan wanted to meet for coffee at one of her favorite locally-owned coffee spots in town. Napoli Coffee is on Carlisle, just north of Menaul. It’s quiet and comfortable… like Albuquerque’s own version of Central Perk (hello, “Friends” reference for all of you ‘90s sitcom fans!). Erica sells outdoor advertising for Clear Channel Outdoor. We have some similar qualities as sales chicks, so getting together is always entertaining. She’s going to be embarrassed by this, but I do believe she has the most beautiful eyes… just look at her picture!

Appointment #5: Webster University is one of Albuquerque’s success stories. I met with Caroline Lwali, the communications relations coordinator. She and her husband moved to Albuquerque two years ago, after she had graduated from Webster University’s main campus in St. Louis. She got in touch with Webster’s career services program about getting a job in ABQ and met with the local director. They loved her so much, they placed her right away—with the university!

Appointment #6: I met Norm Ruth for lunch. Norm’s with Deluxe Design in Rio Rancho, which helped ATM with our last Corporate Roll Bowling Tournament. His team of graphic gods helped us create a bowing theme (and won the “Most Creative Team Tee Shirts Award” last year). Not only are they fantastic bowlers, they can create a mean marketing campaign. He showed me the limited edition posters he’s printing for Eric Clapton’s next concert tour. Norm can help small businesses with signage, shirts, graphics, and vehicle wraps. But don’t limit him to the small stuff. I’m sure he would wrap the Hyatt downtown if someone would let him!

Appointment #7: Chow’s Chinese Bistro in Cottonwood Mall is a nice change of pace for lunch or dinner. Jason Zeng, who runs the restaurant with his father, travels to China all the time to get inspiration for new dishes, and to bring back plates, teapots, and other eclectic items to make the dining experience more authentic. Chow’s now has a quick lunch menu that is not only a great escape from the hustle of business lunches, but also easy on the wallet. I had the Cashew Chicken lunch combo that included soup, a salad, and hot tea for less than $11.

Appointment #8: Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce has been a partner of ATM since the very beginning of our magazine—almost six years ago! Jeffrey Candelaria is (and I told him I would say this) one of the most intriguing individuals in the city. He’s passionate about small business and has been helping the chamber members thrive in our community. The chamber is in full-on event mode, getting ready La Noche Encantada this weekend. Tickets are sold out and they are expecting 2,000 people to attend. It’s where I’ll end my Busiest Week Ever—with a drink in my hand and glitter in my hair.

Appointment #9: Raine Klover and Fenton Ayres are the two photographers who opened Wooden Cow Gallery in Mossman Center to help out local artists and to have an excuse to spend all day working on their craft. Thanks to you readers, the gallery won “Best Art Gallery” in our 2009 Best of the City Issue. They attended the Best of the City Party and have since been enjoying the publicity. Their gallery rotates about 50 artists and their work. Right now, they’re featuring the artists of Trader Joe’s; employees who are encouraged to follow their artistic talents, and the show truly brings out their abilities. You’ve got to stop in just to see the great paintings that the employees have done.

Appointment #10: My good friend Cassandra Costley works at UNM in Career Services. The department does everything in its power to help students with their career paths, guide them in finding jobs, and even start them out with a great resumé. Once a year they host an “etiquette dinner” in the SUB Ballroom to get the students in front of potential employers while honing dining and social networking skills. I participated as an employer. We mingled with the students for a cocktail hour and then had a seated dinner. Cassandra led the table with an etiquette presentation (no elbows on the table please!) while we enjoyed our Chicken Cordon Bleu. I met seven students who were willing to listen to my crazy advice on life for an hour. Thanks to UNM for including me. And thanks, Cassandra, now I know where to place my used sugar packets…

Stay tuned for the rest of Gena’s week!

Gena’s Busiest Week Ever: Day One

ATM’s sales director, Gena, set out to book as many appointments as she could in one week. Here’s a look at the first day of her quest.

Monday, February 1:

7 meetings
1 dinner
62 miles driven

Appointment #1: I met with Lauren Pickens and Paula West, registered dietitians, at the Southwest Dietetic Group. Lauren and Paula, who opened the practice in November and are currently seeking new patients, work on a referral basis from doctors, but anyone can make an appointment. Which is good, because these two are absolute experts when it comes to nutrition. They schooled me on the ins and outs of artificial sweeteners, fad diets, and the way the body works best. Wow, there’s a lot of false information out there about healthy eating! These two can steer anyone in the right direction (and away from the dessert buffet!).

Appointment #2: Next, I met with Jennifer Carlson, the owner/operator of Nestle Toll House Café at ABQ Uptown and Cottonwood Mall. We met at the ABQ Uptown location—across from Williams-Sonoma and next to Ann Taylor Loft. The place smells amazing—I dare anyone to step in and not crave a warm, chocolatey cookie. (Note to above-mentioned dietitians: I only ate one cookie… um, but it had fluffy frosting and sprinkles.) Nestle Toll House is a quick one-stop for a bag of goodies, an ice cream cone, or a personalized decorated cookie. They even have a ginormous Super Bowl cookie with dueling helmets! (P.S.: Go Colts!).

Appointment #3: Family-owned and –operated, Suits Unlimited has long been a men’s clothing go-to in Albuquerque. It is family owned and run. Any guy in the city—no matter how fashion-challenged—can be set straight with a helpful touch in this place. Steve Garcia and his sister, Terri, are the kind of people that you want to stop in to see even if you don’t need to buy a tie. (Note to self: go back this week to pick up a tie.)

Appointment #4: I love discovering all of the great small businesses that Albuquerque can keep hidden away. Bridal Elegance by Darlene is one of those little shops in town that keeps up with trends in the most unassuming way. I’ve shopped with Darlene for years, and I love being able to try on any dress for ay occasion. That’s right: this store ain’t just for brides. She carries cocktail dresses, special occasion dresses, and, this year, she has the hottest prom dresses ever (they didn’t have dresses like this back in my day!). Animal print sequins and fairy tale tulle line the racks. She’s altering a dress for me to wear to La Noche Encantada this weekend. Two other beautiful ladies were there getting fitted for the same event. It was fun to see what they’ll be wearing.

Appointment #5: I stopped in at Lucky Boyz Limousine to say hi to Steve Garcia and his team. The company is a successful one; lots of visiting celebs call on Lucky Boyz when they want a touch of Hollywood. Hey, you might have even got a short limo ride from them at one of our Best of the City Parties—they’re the official limousine provider at all ATM events). Steve has a Hummer H2 limo that can seat up to 20 and a party bus (that the ATM staff has enjoyed many times) that can comfortably handle 25… and, sure, a couple of coolers.

Appointment #6: I met Karen Grandinetti, owner of Pure Profit Fundraising, for an early afternoon coffee—thank goodness, because I was in need of a caffeine blast. Karen’s company helps local charities and schools raise much needed funds with fun fundraisers. She might win the title of “ABQ Fundraising Queen,” because she has helped raise more money for local organizations than I can even mention. And she managed to look glamorous in an iPhone photo.

Appointment #7: Gene Chavez of Chavez Law Offices came in to create the artwork for his next ad. We concepted a photo shoot with mountain roads as a backdrop and a cool pic of him on his Harley V-Rod. One of the best parts of my job is getting to help small business owners create a display ad that makes them look amazing, so I’m excited to see how well this one turns out. (It’ll be on the back cover of our April 2010 issue!) Chavez Law Offices is our first new back cover advertiser in more than three years.

Appointment #8: I met Shane Francis and Jay Henry at Seasons Rotisserie and Grill. We had a blast. Shane and I commiserated over sales in the down market and how the “good old days” used to be, Jay and I talked about “American Idol” and Pink’s amazing outfit at the Grammys. Shane works for Cinemedia; he sells those commercial spots you see before the movie starts. He just got promoted to sell throughout New Mexico. Jay Henry is a loyal employee of the A Store, which has been a Nob Hill staple for more than 25 years now. He let me in on a secret: apparently, the store sells an amazing secret weapon in acne warfare. Who knew? Great company and a lovely glass of red wine… a fab ending to my first day of the busiest week ever.

Stay tuned… the week’s only just begun!