Steve Caulk shares with his clients all the benefits
of his 30 years in the communications business,
providing access to the long list of journalists he
has cultivated across the nation. He writes with a
crisp simplicity that clarifies the most complex
messages, focusing upon the needs of the target
audience.
In 19 years as a reporter and editor at the Rocky Mountain News, he covered topics such as high technology, telecommunica-tions, tourism, international business, airlines, gaming, skiing and sports. He spent seven years covering the Denver Broncos – an era of three Super Bowls, a union strike and the onset of mega-million-dollar salaries.
His journalism experience sharpened his appreciation for precise communication and gave him a vast network of former colleagues eager to accept guidance about potential news and feature stories.
During his two years as director of media relations at EchoStar Communications Corp. (now DISH Network), he communicated to journalists the details of financial reports, legal developments, regulatory issues and product introductions. He collaborated with the organization’s Washington office on a highly successful campaign to prevent adoption of satellite TV taxes and another campaign that shaped the industry-critical Satellite Home Viewers Extension and Reauthorization Act in U.S. Congress. He is a registered Colorado lobbyist, and he currently serves on the Government Affairs committees of the Metro North Chamber of Commerce and Arvada Chamber of Commerce.
In 2004 he directed EchoStar’s messaging to the public during the temporary removal of CBS and other channels, a company crisis that affected 10 million customers. He co-created and executed the DISH City Makeover campaign, a Bronze Anvil Award-winning effort in which DISH Network offered free satellite TV service to any U.S. city willing to change its name to DISH. Spanning three months, the campaign generated more than 3,600 media mentions in prominent outlets such as CNN, Fox, Washington Post, and even BBC radio; and there is now a city in Texas called “Dish.”
He created and orchestrated the Barry Bonds home run ball PR campaign in 2008, in which several of his clients announced bids for the record-establishing baseball and flushed the owner of the baseball, a resident of Boulder, Colo., out of hiding.
Current clients include several law firms, a financial planner, recycling company, architectural firm, home builder, water district, auto repair company, photographer and office furniture retailer.
One of his clients, Alpine Waste & Recycling, enlisted his services to gain approval on the creation of a landfill in Adams County, Colorado. He managed communications with the community and the media on this controversial issue, and he helped craft talking points and presentations for regulators and government officials, including the Adams County Board of Commissioners.
Another client, Denver-based Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative, relied upon him to help publicize internationally their work on a $1 billion finance center in Cairo, Egypt. For that campaign, he had to research materials, compile contacts and conduct interviews, all on an international level. He created a press release that was distributed throughout the U.S. in English and throughout the Middle East in Arabic. And he coordinated interviews with international reporters to gain further publicity on the client’s project.
Many clients rely upon him to provide them with media training, especially prior to any crisis situations that they might experience. Some companies that have benefited from his classroom instruction include Newmont Mining, Hart Intercivic, Alpine Waste, Max Muscle Westminster, and South Adams County Water District.
ProConnect PR celebrated its five-year anniversary in October 2010 with a 24-hour, press-release writing marathon for non-profit organizations that involved 15 charitable groups in the Denver area. Steve worked around the clock and coordinated several PR contractors to help with the intense workload.
He has worked on seven local political campaigns, and he was the campaign manager for a candidate in her successful election to Arvada (Colo.) City Council. He is president of the Centennial Valley Tennis Association, past chairman of the Metro North Chamber of Commerce Wednesday Leads Group and past vice-chairman of the Arvada Center Arts Council.
Caulk received his journalism degree at Northwestern University and his MBA degree at the University of Colorado-Denver. He is married, with five children.