A lot has changed since we founded ROOT Marketing & PR almost 20 years ago. Although we’re constantly expanding our expertise to help you master today’s ever-changing world, the roots of ROOT Marketing & PR have always remained the same. When you work with us, you get a true partnership.
THE ROOT OF WHO WE ARE
WE’RE EXPERTS IN OUR FIELDS.
With decades of experience in the food and lifestyle industries, the ROOT Marketing & PR team specializes in PR, brand strategy, digital and content marketing, special events, and so much more. We excel at networking, developing key messages, and landing feature stories that uniquely position our clients to reach their target market.
WE’RE DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE NATURAL, REGENERATIVE AND ORGANIC INDUSTRIES.
Its no coincidence that we have offices in what is widely known to be the natural products epicenter of the U.S. – Boulder, Colo. – and we’ve been passionately involved in the natural products industry since 2005. We live, breathe and eat natural and organic, and we can help make introductions to experts and influencers, and guide you on your path to changing the world.
WE’RE EXPERTS AT MAKING – AND KEEPING – RELATIONSHIPS.
And that extends far beyond the media. Whether you need an intro to or a strategic plan for working with local or national non-profits, industry experts, bloggers, or the food editor at a major magazine, we’ll help you shake hands with the right changemakers in your space.
WE SEE THE BIG PICTURE AND FINE DETAIL.
We’re passionate, go-getter-type people who love people, and love our work. ROOT Marketing & PR team members have the rare quality of being strong both left and right brained – we’re highly creative, and at the same time, we’re downright particular about the details.
WE’RE FUN. AND WE’RE SERIOUS. AND WE’RE SERIOUS ABOUT FUN.
MEET OUR TEAM
KUVY AX, FOUNDER
ROOT Marketing & PR’s founder and owner has helped lifestyle companies “with heart” make an impression for almost two decades.
Born in Colorado, Kuvy spent her formative years in England, then moved back to Colorado in 1990. After a decade working in radio, newspaper and TV as a writer, announcer, producer and promoter, an obsession with food prompted her to join Culinary School of the Rockies as Director of Avocational Programs in 2001.
In 2002, James Mazzio, a Food & Wine Magazine “Best New Chef,” hired Kuvy to handle his PR and media relations. In that moment, ROOT Marketing & PR was born.
Through ROOT Marketing & PR, Kuvy has handled public relations and marketing for almost every type of food or beverage-related company, program, and event. She’s handled PR for many restaurant openings (including Frasca Food and Wine,) coordinated many TV appearances (including Rachel Ray “Tasty Travels” at Mel’s Restaurant, and CNN Travel Channel HLN’s “The Social Life” at Piece, Love & Chocolate, and Zeal,) helped coordinate and promote hundreds of special events and festivals (including the Willamette Winery Association’s Pinot in the City.) She’s also led many national media tours, both bringing the media to her clients (e.g. multi-day tours of Colorado wine country,) and taking her clients for deskside interviews in NYC to meet media such as Food & Wine Magazine, Food Network, and Every Day with Rachael Ray.
As a storyteller first, Kuvy has written features for regional publications such as Edible Front Range Magazine, Boulder Magazine and Colorado Company Magazine. She was the President of Pollination Planet and Co-President of Slow Food Boulder County, on the Board of Directors of Les Dames D’Escoffier, been a member of the CTO and Dept. of Agriculture’s Heritage & Agritourism Committee, and frequently volunteers her time supporting organizations such as the Flatirons Food Film Festival.
In her spare time, Kuvy loves playing Monopoly with her son, taking tango classes, exploring new cities, cultures and foods, and making Indian curries for friends.
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KRISTINE ROOT, Marketing & Brand Strategist
Kristine Root, ROOT Marketing & PR's Marketing & Brand Strategist, brings 18 years of experience in growth marketing strategy and consumer insights to our agency. Kristine has an unmistakable passion for maximizing impact and driving revenue through marketing.
Kristine started her career at Whitney Morse, a prominent advertising and branding agency in Minneapolis, MN where she learned the ropes of brand strategy and the value of great design.
While attending a sustainability conference in 2002, she was inspired to use her strategy skills and marketing experience to support the growth of values-based organizations on a mission to solve real world problems. She joined the Alliance for Sustainability shortly after, where she launched the award winning campaign, the Junk Mail Tree project.
Kristine then went on to co-found Clear Holistic Therapies, whose goal was to become the go-to health resource for the Bryn Mawr Neighborhood. Fifteen years later the center is thriving, and so is the health of Bryn Mawrs’ residents.
These days, Kristine is an integral member of the Front Range food community, supporting organizations like Slow Food Denver, Grow Haus, Sprout City Farms, Biodentist, ReVision, Montessori School of Denver, and the Village Exchange Center.
After hours you will find Kristine playing with food in the kitchen, camping, biking, skiing, or practicing her soccer foot skills with her family.
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Emily tracy, Account Manager
PR account manager Emily Tracy has six years of experience in hospitality PR. Emily was drawn to PR from her desire to support the small businesses who create the foundation of strong communities, which she does by creating award-winning PR plans, implementing strategic media relations campaigns, and creating compelling social content.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a dual major in journalism (PR sequence) and political science, she was the lead content specialist and an account manager for a full-service communications firm in Atlanta. During her time there, she managed two PRSA winning campaigns, one in content marketing and one in crisis management.
While living in Atlanta and falling in love with Georgia’s burgeoning beer scene, she created her Beer Babe persona via a column in The Atlanta 100 eNewsletter, which she continues for The Colorado 100, and other markets around the nation.
Today, she’s fulfilling her dream in Colorado by representing some of the finest breweries, distilleries, festivals, restaurants and coffee shops in the country, including Great Divide Brewing, Collaboration Fest, Mythology Distillery, Colorado Brewers Guild, the Town of Vail, Molly’s Spirits and the Underground Music Showcase.
When she’s not brainstorming strategy or honing in on media placement opportunities for her clients, she can be found hosting dinner parties, camping, cheering on the Tar Heels, checking out music venues around the Front Range, and tasting her way through the Colorado brewery scene.
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Bre Patterson, Social Media Manager
Social Media Manager Bre Patterson has more than 10 years of experience in marketing, social media and catering management, combined with a huge passion for food and connecting people. Bre brings a unique set of skills to our agency, leveraging the power of social media to grow online presences, develop strategy and content planning, and implement performance-driven solutions.
After graduating from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science: Restaurant Resort Management, Bre began her career as the Beverage and Private Events Manager at CB & Potts restaurant and brewery, after which she served as the Sports & Entertainment Premium Service Director at ARAMARK. She then left Colorado for Sweden, where she dipped her toe into the marketing world and took a position as Project Marketing Manager at Technia AB.
After moving back to the States in 2014, Bre returned to ARAMARK as Catering Sales Manager. Her next three years were with Protein Bar as their Catering and Marketing Manager, a multi-faceted role in which she managed catering programs for the Denver-area locations, executed strategic marketing campaigns, drove local business development, and established community and influencer partnerships for the brand.
During Bre's time at Protein Bar, she began her own food blog, Bites with Bre, which allowed her to connect her love for all things hospitality with an interest in the ever-growing world of social media. Her experiences as a blogger and influencer inspired Bre to start her own social media consulting company, Bästa Media, in 2017. Bre enjoys sharing her social media expertise and has spoken at General Assembly technical school in Denver, Denver Startup Week, PRSA's Colorado Chapter, Colorado State University, Women of Denver and LadyKillas.
After hours you can find Bre covering a new restaurant opening or crafting Instagram posts. She enjoys exploring new hikes, yoga, DIY projects, hosting friends and family for dinner, traveling to new cities and of course - a great glass (or bottle) of wine.
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SARAH GORE, ACCOUNT & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Account Manager Sarah Gore brings 20+ years of experience in public relations, marketing, special events, and social media to ROOT Marketing & PR.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations from Colorado State University, Sarah began her career as a marketing expert for new home builders and developers.
In 2009, a fascination with the nascent industry of social media, along with her love of food, drink and all things delicious, lead her to create STANCE LLC, a social media marketing company.
Since then, she has been an integral component in developing the social media efforts of multiple restaurant brands, and launching successful campaigns for small businesses and nonprofits such as Le Grand Bistro, Punch Bowl Social (Denver, Portland, Austin & Detroit), Argyll Whisky Beer, Mellow Mushroom, The Wild Game, La Loma, and Café Marmotte.
Sarah’s local and national expertise and experience both in social media and PR, attention to current events, trends, and inner-workings of social media functions are second to none. Her ability to generate compelling, cogent and effective content, schedules, and promotional structures, make her a leading professional in her field.
In her off hours, Sarah enjoys time with her husband, Richard, and Harlin, her bulldog fur baby. To appease those gourmet cravings, Sarah can be found dining in Denver’s best restaurants and cooking at home.
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Sarah Dupont, PR COORDINATOR & ADMINSTRATIVE ASSISTANT
PR Coordinator and Administrative Assistant, Sarah Dupont, brings years of experience in PR and Jounrnalism to the team. She graduated from California State University, Northridge, where she had the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the PR industry while working with celebrity clients. Next, she moved back to Denver to work for FOX31 News. Sarah was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Best Morning Newscast." Sarah is now back in the world of PR where she is able to combine her journalism experience and knowledge to help promote businesses to various media outlets
When she is not working, Sarah loves to spend time with her husband, Tyler and two dogs, Cali and Brady. She is passionate about health and wellness and spends her weekends at the gym or outdoors hiking and skiing. You can also find her in the kitchen researching and writing new recipes for her food blog, SarahStettler.com
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Sarah hutcherson, Marketing specialist
Marketing Specialist Sarah Hutcherson brings six years of experience in content management, strategic partnerships and brand communications to the team. Sarah loves to develop participative, measurable marketing strategies that grow revenues and foster community for breakthrough organizations looking to redefine the status quo.
Sarah has a wide array of cause-related marketing experience across CPGs, retailers and NGOs. While studying her MBA in Sustainability, Sarah served as a Business Operations Associate for a high-growth beer technology start-up, Sustainable Beverage Technologies, where she established their brand credibility by developing their first customer-facing, sustainability report. As an MBA Consultant to the National Wildlife Federation, Sarah grew awareness of their wildlife conservation work across the US by creating an integrated marketing strategy.
With a passion for healthy communities and food systems, Sarah spent the first three years of her career as a Marketing Coordinator at Natural Grocers, Demo Specialist at Runa Guayusa, and Communications and Operations Fellow at DSST Public Schools. At Natural Grocers, she led and supported marketing and PR for store openings, NGO and B2B partnerships, and community events at 120 stores. While at DSST Public Schools, she led and supported their email marketing, tours and new school operations.
Today, Sarah is a board member at Slow Food Denver and Net Impact ProfessionalDenver. Sarah also is a contributing writer for the leading sustainability publication, TriplePundit, where she writes about green consumer trends and the circular economy. She holds a Sustainability MBA from Bard College, a BA from Colorado College, and a certification in Sustainable Business from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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