by Kitch Walker
Recently, Mountain-Pacific Quality Healthcare Foundation (MPQHF) engaged Ripple Marketing to conduct a statewide telephone survey in Montana. The market survey targeted hospitals and clinics throughout Montana and was designed to learn more about the use of electronic health records (EHR) in these organizations. This information will be used to apply for Federal grants for Montana under the new stimulus packages. This market survey was part of a comprehensive environmental scan being conducted by MPQHF in Montana. In past years, Ripple Marketing has supported MPQHF with environmental scans in Alaska, Montana and Hawaii.
This survey project also extends to a broader initiative being undertaken by HealthShare Montana, a consortium of Montana healthcare leaders and stakeholders with representatives from state government, major payers, consumer groups, large and small healthcare facilities and individual physicians. HealthShare Montana has been designated by Gov. Schweitzer as the Montana organization responsible for the development of a statewide health information exchange (HIE) infrastructure.
Janice Conners, MPQHF CEO, commented “Thanks so much Kitch….I am very pleased with how your organization moved quickly and efficiently to help us to organize our thoughts, develop survey questions and complete the survey. I will definitely use you for our future projects.”
Tags: Environmental Scan, Kitch Walker, Market Research
Posted in Market Research, Marketing, Recent Ripple Marketing Projects | No Comments »
by Kitch Walker
COMPLETE STORY AT: Bozeman, Montana Importer Brings Unique Products to U.S. – Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
published on Thursday, November 5, 2009 8:45 AM MST Bozeman Daily Chronicle
When Ripple Marketing principals Kurt Palmquist and Dodd “Kitch” Walker went to Italy a few years ago as part of a marketing-Montana trip, they had no idea the ideas they were pitching would turn into a wholesale import business in Bozeman.
But when Richard Helzer, former director of Montana State University’s art school, asked Palmquist to turn his attention to Umbria — a region in central Italy, between Florence and Rome — a business was born. Helzer had been taking students to study in Umbria for years, where they stayed at a villa owned by Filippo Vasta. When Vasta asked Helzer for help developing an artisans’ cooperative, Helzer went to Palmquist for help.
Now Palmquist and Walker work out of a 5,200-square-foot warehouse behind industrial buildings in Four Corners, where shelves are stacked with exquisite and folksy Italian hand-painted and hand-thrown ceramic dishes and woven tablecloths, all tucked into cardboard boxes that rise toward high ceilings…..
Photo By NICK WOLCOTT/CHRONICLE
Kurt Palmquist, Nikki Walker and Dodd “Kitch” Walker of Ripple Marketing have gone beyond marketing and now import handmade Italian goods.
Tags: Autentico Italiano, Flat Earth Imports, Kitch Walker, Kurt Palmquist, Nikki Walker
Posted in Flat Earth Imports/Autentico Italiano, Recent Ripple Marketing Projects, U.S. Import, Wholesale & Retail Trends | No Comments »
The Montana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network tapped Kitch Walker, President & Cofounder of Ripple Marketing, to present at their inaugural, statewide conference for Montana small businesses in Great Falls, Montana, October 14, 2009.
According to Rebecca Engum, SBDC Director in Great Falls, the SBDC’s Invest In Success Conference brought in over 160 participants including small business owners, exhibitors, economic development leaders, SBDC directors, government officials and speakers from all over Montana.
Kitch Walker’s highly energized, insightful presentation, titled “Mastering the Art & Science of Media Placement,” divulged his Top 8 Tips for Small Businesses to consider when successfully navigating the opportunities and pitfalls of selecting, placing and managing mass media.
Provide/Review Comments Below. If you attended Kitch Walker’s seminar at this SBDC event, we encourage you to review the comments/feedback from other attendees as well as leave your own while you’re here.
Learn more about and/or connect with Kitch Walker.
Submit a speaker/presenter request for you next event.
Brief Presenter Summary. Rich in content and lively in delivery, Kitch Walker’s presentations capture the attention of nationwide organizations seeking solid, image-defining approaches and solutions to marketing and branding. His real-life sense of marketing-related competencies provides timely topics brimming with tangible applications. Audiences soak in new ideas, spurring group participation. Merging a wide range of industry experiences with contemporary and classic success stories, Kitch lights up seminar rooms with unlimited possibilities. His presentations give you something you can use…proven ideas that just plain work.
Tags: Kitch Walker, Marketing Seminar, SBDC
Posted in Seminars/Presentations | 3 Comments »
by Kitch Walker
The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and SCORE (Service Counselors to America’s Small Businesses) invited Kitch Walker, President & Cofounder of Ripple Marketing, to present at the 2009 Women in Business Conference in West Yellowstone, Montana, August 27-28th, 2009. Walker is no stranger to the SBA’s premier event. He’s been tapped to speak at every SBA Women in Business Conference in Montana since founding his firm, Ripple Marketing, in 1998.
This year Mr. Walker presented “The Art & Science of Marketing: Creating Symphonies in Tough Times” to Montana women business owners and entrepreneurs, state officials, montana economic development leaders, representatives of various banking institutions and other resource providers participating in the conference.
“It was an honor to present again at this year’s conference,” said Kitch Walker. ”While I always enjoy sharing valuable marketing insights and strategies with attendees, I always come away humbled and motivated by the amazing stories, unrelenting efforts and truly awe-inspiring successes of women business owners and entrepreneurs in Montana. We are truly lucky to have such passionate and talented individuals leading businesses in our state’s communities.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Kitch Walker, Marketing Seminar, SBA, Speaker
Posted in Seminars/Presentations | No Comments »
by Kitch Walker
In March 2009, Flat Earth Imports | Ripple Marketing founders and Montana State University (MSU) Alumni were fortunate to be featured in the MSU Alumni’s prominent publication, the MSU Collegian magazine. The featured article, ”Flat Earth Imports: An Artful Collaboration of Alumni, Artisans And Art Professor, by Marjorie Smith, appeared in the March 2009 issue.
…If you happen to have a terrific idea for a business, but think you’d like to mull it over for a few years, don’t mention it to Kitch Walker, ’96 BioSci/F&WL, ’98 BusMrktg,BusMgmt. With Walker involved, you’re likely to find yourself helping manage an international corporation within a matter of months.
Flat Earth Imports, the company Walker created with [his wife Nikki Walker, '97 Photo] Kurt Palmquist, ’88 Art, and his wife, Denise, ’86 Bus, also his partners in Bozeman-based Ripple Marketing, markets the creations of Italian artisans in Umbria, poetically known as “the green heart of Italy.” [read/download PDF of complete article]…
Special thanks to Ron Lambert, Art Director at MSU Marketing and Creative Services and Marjorie Smith, writer, for their creative efforts and professionalism in sharing our story. Also, special thanks to Jaynee Groseth, President & CEO of the Montana State University Alumni Association, and Richard Helzer, retired Director of the MSU School of Art, for their ongoing support, friendship and advocacy.
Article. Marjorie Smith, “Flat Earth Imports: An Artful Collaboration of Alumni, Artisans and Art Professor” MSU Collegian, magazine, March 2009.
Tags: Autentico Italiano, Denise Palmquist, Flat Earth Imports, Kitch Walker, Kurt Palmquist, MSU Alumni, Nikki Walker, Ripple Marketing
Posted in Flat Earth Imports/Autentico Italiano | No Comments »
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