Seattle Safari

Joining a host of students from the University of Oregon chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, we all took a brief sabbatical from our school obligations for a professional development tour in Seattle on March 1-2. Arriving late afternoon, traffic was downright beastly as I negotiated I-405 from Sea-Tac to Kirkland.

The next morning, our first stop was the Microsoft campus, hosted by Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice-President of Communications, and a UO alum. After an engaging session at Microsoft and a hair-raising stampede across the Evergreen Point Bridge, we arrived in downtown Seattle, where gridlock was even more ferocious.

Running late for our meeting with The Fearey Group, we became stuck between two dump trucks on Seventh and Virginia thanks to construction delays compounded by an organized protest against a new youth jail and the Emerald City Comic Con conference at the nearby Washington State Convention Center.

If traffic congestion wasn't bad enough in Amazonia on the south end of Lake Union, the additional activity created by the motley fools and court jesters roaming the streets was almost too much to bear. We nonetheless arrived at The Fearey Group, a dynamic PR firm in downtown Seattle, for a tour and question and answer session.

Fortunately, the group had a bit of down time to roam the Pike Place Market and Belltown during lunch break. Next on the agenda, we toured Weber Shandwick, an international public relations firm, where Michelle Maggs, Executive Vice-President & General Manager (and UO alum) helped provide an overview of the agency.

Finally, we wrapped up at the Port of Seattle, where Kathy Roeder, Director of Communications, provided an overview of the government agency that runs Seattle’s seaport and Sea-Tac, the fastest growing airport in the U.S. Afterward, I drove the backroads to my hotel, exhausted from a full -- and fruitful -- day on safari.