A Team Just for You

Alire & Associates is a team of highly experienced communications and marketing professionals who are each independent consultants. We are bound to each other by mutual professional respect and a commitment to delivering high value to our clients. When you work with Alire & Associates, we form a team precisely suited to your program or project, no more and no less.

Laurie H. Alire – Principal Consultant and Founder

With over 30 years of corporate communications experience, Laurie is skilled in strategic positioning, corporate branding, and in developing and integrating communications programs that effectively reach customers, employees, and investors.

She is well known among her clients and colleagues for the energy and enthusiasm she brings to a program. A true team player, she quickly seems part of your organization as she works to achieve your company’s goals through communications. When it comes to complex ideas and messages, Laurie is an expert in crafting words that the average person can understand, appreciate, and act on.

An independent consultant since 2005, Laurie has:

Developed internal communications program for Novellus Systems, Inc. including a benefits communication plan, an employee handbook, and an on-going web-based newsletter.
Planned and implemented a benefits communication program that involved several departments in Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
Advised Novellus Customer Satisfaction on branding its Field Service Organization within the context of the Novellus corporate brand.
Proposed and implemented a plan for Australian Radiological Industries on communicating a continuous improvement program so that employees and customers recognized its value.

Formerly, Laurie was Vice President, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations at Varian, Inc. where she led company-wide programs in public relations, corporate identity, marketing communications, investor relations, and employee communications. Key achievements were:

Launching a “newly born”, multi-million dollar, public technology company. In conjunction with senior management, she articulated key strategic messages and the value proposition that differentiated the company in its marketplace, on Wall Street, and with current and prospective employees.
Creating a global corporate identity program to cost effectively re-brand the company and its products.
Directing implementation of an employee communications program that linked the global workforce with key corporate values and initiatives, recognized significant achievements, and informed employees how the company’s products contribute to a better world.
Driving media relations programs in support of new product launches and increased visibility for the company in over 100 trade publications serving diverse markets worldwide.

Jim Karageorge – Photography

Nacasio, California
www.karageorgestudio.com

Jim opened the Karageorge Studio in 1977 and since then has captured both mood and message on film or digital media. Whether it is annual reports, product brochures, or web sites, Jim provided exciting imagery for large and small corporate clients.

Loren Kramer – Design

San Diego, California
Kramer Design

Loren and his colleagues are passionate about the power of design to communicate key messages electronically or in print. Loren brings a wealth of experience and style to any project, including strong technical knowledge of the Web. He doesn’t just accept the status quo. He strives to understand the concepts behind a project and to contribute the most effective approach.

Paul Schulte – Design

San Francisco, California
Schulte Design San Francisco

Over 30 years, Paul has brought exceptional design to corporate and organizational identity, annual reports, product brochures, theatrical branding, trade show displays, and comprehensive communications programs. Paul listens carefully to the client's key messages and then brings them to life visually. His innovative solutions unify images, words, concepts, and identity into a cohesive whole that truly represents the client organization.

Elspeth Martin – Creative Direction and
Print Production Management

Elspeth Martin is a catalog expert with over 20 years experience specializing in strategic creative direction and print production management for start-up and existing catalogers.

Elspeth assists organizations in establishing a brand image for catalogs and websites, brainstorming new creative directions, sourcing creative and production suppliers, negotiating print, paper and pre-press contracts, providing catalog critiques, consulting with management on internal creative/production staffing and objectives, and sourcing, editing, and critiquing product and editorial content for websites.

Elspeth has held managerial and executive-level positions with Williams-Sonoma, Self Care and NapaStyle. She launched new catalogs for Nordstrom Direct, Design Within Reach, NapaStyle, BodyLines and The Guy Buffet Collection. Other clients include Garnet Hill, Exposures, Smith & Hawken, Sun Precautions, Mary Kay, Illuminations, Kodak Gallery, Oakville Grocery Co., and GoodHome.com.