Kansas City, Mo., March 28, 2008

A small firm trying to make a difference. Germinder & Associates, Inc., a top 25 under 25 marketing and public relations agency, launched its own "Going Green" initiative in December and joined the Greater Kansas City Climate Protection Partnership, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's coalition of area employers who will work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve quality of life. Now the agency president, together with her employees, is determining what "going green" means for Germinder & Associates.

"I joke with my employees that I wore Earth shoes in high school and participated in the original Earth Day by collecting cans. Unfortunately, as I entered the business world, the environment wasn't always top of mind," Lea-Ann Germinder, APR, president, said. Since she launched the company 10 years ago, her employees have participated in traditional reduction, reuse and recycling programs but knew they could do so much more.

"Recently we started making internal changes and are slowly developing and implementing our program. There are so many reasons it makes sense for us to get back to what is right for the environment, internally and externally," Germinder said.

As part of the process, Leanne Breiby, senior account executive and the "green hat" of the company, developed a plan last fall. Pam Jones, controller, and Breiby worked as a team to develop the first steps of the action plan. This included overhauling the existing recycling program, conducting an internal audit of all office and vendor supplies, instituting daily green tips and presenting new employees with green cleaning supplies for their homes. A "buy local" program revealed area restaurants and food resources. Strategy sessions and a holiday party were held at area restaurants specializing in local food sources. All employees are now trained in reduction, reuse and recycling programs. The company encourages co-workers to share ideas on creating an environmentally friendly office.

"Although Germinder & Associates is a small business in Kansas City, we are an agency for much larger companies, and we realize we do have the ability to make a difference all along the supply chain," Germinder said. "It is also an important part of our corporate culture to demonstrate a shared concern for the environment to present and future employees."

The company is still sourcing green vendors and comparing pricing on recycled paper versus the stocks it has used previously. Business cards are now printed on recycled paper, but the company has not yet made a switch to using soy-based inks. Germinder & Associates now prints all internal documents on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and hopes to do the same for the majority of agency and client collateral as well. The company is also looking at its overall energy efficiency and is constantly evaluating the use of technology in moving towards a paperless world. As Germinder & Associates continues to go green, it will strive to be a resource for its clients also looking to promote sustainability.

"It's a balance because we want to continue to work with our existing suppliers but encourage them to move forward on environmentally friendly practices along with us. We also know we are competing against other agencies for business, so we have to ensure our costs are reasonable and the quality remains high. We are getting there," Germinder said.

Germinder & Associates is one of the smallest of the 131 companies and organizations that joined the Greater Kansas City Climate Protection Partnership. The company enthusiastically signed on to lead the community toward the complementary goals of reducing regional greenhouse gas emissions and increasing economic competitiveness. The agency remains committed.

"We will keep striving to do what we can. I'm excited to be a part of this initiative, and I think the employees are enthused as well," Germinder said. "And, I did buy a new pair of Earth shoes. We're committed in ways big and small."

Germinder & Associates, Inc., founded in 1998, offers full-service public relations, advertising, marketing and Internet-based programs. The company has created more than 100 programs in animal health. Germinder & Associates is certified as a women's business enterprise through the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, was ranked among Kansas City's top 10 PR agencies in 2007 by The Kansas City Business Journal, and is part of Kansas City Small Business Monthly's 25 Under 25 class of 2008. For more information, visit www.germinder.com .