A lot has changed since we founded ROOT Marketing & PR more than 15 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.
Follow Kuvy on Instagram
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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Lauren Nischan, Senior Account Manager
Lauren Nischan, ROOT Marketing & PR’s Account Manager, built her career over the last 15 years excelling in various sectors of the food industry.
As the daughter of celebrity chef Michel Nischan, Lauren’s lifelong passion for good food was inevitable. She started off as a baker for two restaurant groups before working at an organic farm through college. After receiving her degree from UW – Stevens Point in Soil Science and Resource Management Policy, she managed events and marketing for Organic Valley, a winter farmers’ market, and Reedsburg's Fermentation Fest.
Lauren left the Midwest to take a position in Denver with Niman Ranch as Marketing Specialist, where she assisted in their rebranding, built a successful blog and social media presence, and curated effective marketing strategies that reached hundreds of chefs and tens of millions of consumers. She also managed partnerships with prominent organizations such as Chefs Collaborative, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, and Food Tank.
After leaving Niman Ranch, Lauren consulted with a private sustainability firm. She executed stakeholder engagement panels with the likes of the Humane Society, World Wildlife Fund, and Fair Trade USA; hosted culinary workshops to recover the West Coast Groundfish fishery; worked with a leading college and university foodservice program to improve regional poultry production; and assisted in marketing efforts for various NGO's.
This well-rounded experience has made her particularly adept at leveraging the needs and expectations of any target - whether consumers, chefs, or partners - to create impactful campaigns and strategies that increase sales and engagement.
When she’s not wearing her marketing hat, Lauren likes to get her hands dirty. You can find her experimenting in her kitchen or garden, solo camping with her springer spaniel Ready, and helping run events as a member of Cooking Matter Colorado’s Impact Council.
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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.
Follow Kristine on Instagram
Amanda McGrory-Dixon, Account Manager
Amanda McGrory-Dixon, ROOT Marketing & PR’s Account Manager, brings 13 years of diverse communications experience to the ROOT team.
After graduating from Baylor University with dual degrees in History and Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations, Amanda moved to Denver. She spent the first half of her career as a trade journalist, and then transitioned to a successful career in PR, corporate communications, content marketing and social media.
Amanda has since helped a variety of companies develop and execute their communications strategies -- ranging from a national PR and branding campaign with Jackson National Life Insurance, the retirement industry's largest annuity provider, to small tech startups. Recently, she worked with an international tech startup to build its communications program from the ground up through an integrated PR, influencer relations, content marketing and social media strategy. The campaign was so successful that the company received the Most Innovative Product of the Year Award from the industry’s most prominent trade show.
With Amanda’s combined journalism and PR experience, she has an eye for a good story and understands how to shape a compelling narrative that captures media attention. Amanda’s deep knowledge of the media landscape, attention to detail, strong writing skills and creative mindset make her a leader in the field.
In her free time, Amanda can be found trying new breweries and beers, spending time obsessing over her dog, and running her food and drink blog, Burrata and Bubbles. She has also written for Stouts and Stilettos, a women-led beer blog, and helped organize events for the Denver chapter of Girls Pint Out.
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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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