We’re excited to welcome Kelly Howle to the garage as Quality Assurance/Research pro.
A Nevada native who grew up in the Sierras, northern Idaho and western Colorado, Kelly graduated from the University of Idaho with an environmental science degree. She had originally planned to enter law or policy, iInstead Kelly spent the last seven years working as a ski and snowboard instructor in winter at Mt. Rose & Mt Hood Meadows, and as a botanist during summer for the USFS in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
Get to know a little more about our newest team member with some Q&A.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
The versatility. I’ve learned more in the last few months in this position than most people learn with years of schooling and applied experience and it’s all been challenging while rewarding.
How did you get involved with Blue Collar?
Life has been a random bout of right timing and right connections lately. I learned about Blue Collar from a friend of a friend of a friend…and all the pieces kind of fell together and I was fortuitous to have enough pieces of my own to help make it happen.
Why do you believe in Blue Collar?
Coming from outside the advertising industry, BC’s shown an alternative to the cutthroat mentality that I think these agencies are often known to have. Blue Collar is very involved in the community and they take on an extraordinary collaborative approach to working with other companies, especially local ones. Their approach to clients is personal and the final product feels tangible and valuable to everyone involved.
What are your favorite sites, books, places for inspiration?
Most of my inspiration comes from being outside and I’m there as much as possible. Thich Nhat Hanh, Ed Abbey, Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky. I like the spontaneity of finding writers, musicians, and photographers through different avenues of social media. If it’s relevant and interesting, I’m all in. Activism, volunteering, and public radio are always good too. I’m usually too curious and inquisitive for my own good.
What’s your favorite season and why?
Anything but summer? I really dislike sweating. Winter is probably going to win. I dream in shades of powder.
What do you do for fun?
Lately, it’s been running. A lot of running. Training for a marathon is laborious but gratifying. Cross-training with bouldering, swimming, and standup paddling. Exploring the wilderness and scouting everything for a good photo. All mere distractions until the seasons switch to snowboarding and telemark skiing.
What do you consider the greatest human invention of all time?
Music composition. Actually, I don’t know if we ‘invented’ it. Maybe that’s naive and anthropocentric. Crickets and whales harmonize just fine. We just figured out how to write notes and bring multiple noisemakers together. Either way, life would not be near as rich and delightful and I would go crazy without it.
What’s your weirdest quirk?
Despite my aversion to summer, I really enjoy being naked. The Portland World Naked Bike Ride was probably the most exciting thing I’ve done all summer (so far) and that’s saying something because it’s been a pretty great season. Any chance I can get into a wilderness lake or a river without clothes, it’ll happen. Most people don’t understand it but I’ve been running away from my clothing since I could crawl on carpet.
What’s your personal goal?
Keep learning and keep growing and yet despite all the changes, to remain a compassionate, mindful, and honest human being.