From the Hive

Wild hive adds McKenzie Hall Jones to growing food, agriculture, and lifestyle marketing practice

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Wild Hive, an Austin-based marketing and consulting firm specializing in food, agriculture, and lifestyle brands, announced today the addition of McKenzie Hall Jones to its growing team of experts.

McKenzie serves as an integral member of Wild Hive, utilizing her social media expertise, food and nutrition knowledge, culinary and content development skills, and passion for communications to benefit the agency’s growing roster of clients, including the National Processed Raspberry Council, the Tri-Lamb Group, the National Mango Board, Maple Hill Creamery, the National Watermelon Promotion Board, the a2 Milk Company, Cadena Bio, and Woom Bikes.

“We are laser-focused on hiring extraordinary people — the quality of our work is directly related to the quality of the individuals on our team. McKenzie is a prime example of this. She is a well-respected health professional and communicator and a forward thinker in the world of culinary nutrition and social media,” said Allison Beadle, CEO and Founder of Wild Hive. “McKenzie brings a unique mix of expertise, and because of her success as a blogger and writer, she has top-notch influencer relationships. Plus, she’s an absolute joy to work with.”

Prior to joining Wild Hive, McKenzie co-founded Nourish RDs, where she consulted with agricultural boards, food companies, and other health professionals to provide an array of nutrition marketing and public relations services, including social media strategy and management, spokesperson and media outreach, recipe development, consumer-friendly and evidence-based blogs and articles, public speaking and workshops.

“We are in the midst of a food paradigm shift, which means you have to think and be different in order to effectively reach consumers and influencers,” said McKenzie. “Wild Hive gets this better than anyone else and is doing such exciting and innovative work. I’m thrilled to join the team.”

McKenzie was previously a contributing editor for Environmental Nutrition, and her recipes and nutrition advice have been featured in publications such as The Chicago Tribune, Today’s Dietitian, SELF Magazine, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health, Livestrong.com, and Huffington Post.

A magna cum laude graduate of California Polytechnic State University’s Nutrition program, McKenzie completed her dietetic internship at Bastyr University in Seattle. She is a native of Alberta, Canada, and resides in Los Angeles, California with her husband, Evan.

 

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Allison Beadle

Allison’s marketing career began as a registered dietitian working in oncology. You read that correctly. Working in the clinical world gave Allison a heart for people and the role of food in healing, but after a couple of years, it was time for a change. So, she made the leap to the food industry where she worked in marketing and managed nutrition communications for the Central Market division of the H.E.B. Grocery Company. She was blessed to work with some of the most remarkable, interesting, and intelligent people in her career.  It was here that she found her passion for food storytelling and marketing.  She found that her background in nutrition science, love of food, fascination with culture and travel, innate desire to continually connect with others, and expressive nature were a good mix for educating consumers, professionals, and industry members. And innovating.

As the president and CEO of Wild Hive, she does everything you might imagine she does.  Each day, she gets to work with awesome people, incredible clients, inspiring industries, innovative entrepreneurs intent on changing the world, and she travels a good bit.  And she’s grateful each and every day for the opportunity to build a business that thinks and acts differently and hopefully makes life better for everyone it comes in contact with.

Prior to launching Wild Hive, Allison was senior vice president for Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. where she counseled numerous brands and commodity organizations including Chobani Greek Yogurt, the California Raisin Marketing Board, Paramount Farms (Wonderful Pistachios), the Tri-Lamb Group, TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, the National Mango Board, Sunsweet, the California Table Grape Commission, the United States Potato Board, and the Texas Beef Council.

As a former retail dietitian, Allison has a special place in her heart for the trailblazing dietitians who are doing amazing things to educate consumers and transform the retail grocery industry.  To that end, she helped spearhead the launch of two game-changing initiatives focused on helping retail dietitians succeed: the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA) and Fleishman-Hillard’s ‘What’s in Store.’

Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in nutrition science from Boston University. A member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), she is past-chair of the Food and Culinary Professionals (FCP) Dietetic Practice Group (DPG) and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).

Allison is wife to Brian and mommy to Audrey (6 years) and Walker (3 years).  More than anything in the world, she loves traveling and exploring with her family…taking her kids along for exciting adventures to big cities, small towns, countrysides, islands, and everywhere in between.  She’s an eighth generation Texan.  And it’s never a dull moment in her world!

Brian Beadle

As Creative Director for Wild Hive, Brian combines nearly a decade of professional design experience with his passion for food, fitness, and healthy lifestyle. Along with overseeing brand development, graphic design, photograpy, and marketing, Brian provides strategic insight on trends analysis and forecasting for Wild Hive and our clients. In addition, he is responsible for implementing ongoing nutrition issues and media monitoring for several Wild Hive clients.

As the strategy lead for BeetElite, Brian worked with numerous national cycling media outlets, such as Peloton Magazine and Bicycling Magazine as well as negotiating sponsorships with professional cyclists. For the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA), Brian was responsible for developing the organization’s logo and branding, which was incorporated into web design, newsletter design, and additional marketing materials.

Currently, Brian provides design direction, creative strategy, and media research & outreach for the National Processed Raspberry Council (NPRC) and WOOM Bikes USA, an innovative local Austin, Texas bicycle company.

Brian earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Texas A&M University. Brian is an avid cyclist, musician, dad, foodie, and a registered landscape architect in the state of Texas.

Mary Kimbrough, RD

An award-winning food service professional and communicator, Mary has extensive knowledge and experience in operations, program development, implementation and training, in the realm of food, nutrition and culinary arts.

A producer of real solutions to her clients, Mary can tap into her trusted network of professionals in the culinary nutrition field to craft the ideal product or service for the project at hand. This active network is the culmination of a rich and varied career and her dedication to efficient problem solving. Mary is that exceptionally vital link between food and food manufacturers to recipe to plate on the table.

Mary’s expertise in the field helped her create a healthful dining concept, menu, and recipes for Royal Caribbean International Food and Beverage Departments’ new class of ships – Oasis of the Seas. The liner’s Solarium Bistro offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with a transparently healthful menu that allows the guests a choice when dining. Additional clients have included: American Heart Association, Amtrak, Giordano’s Pizza Sara Lee/Hillshire Farm, Custom Culinary, Quaker/PepsiCo, Welch’s, Puente Inc., Amtrak., Texas Beef Council, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Weight Watchers/Gilsa Dairy division.

In 2006 she created Food Roots LLC, a premier Texas culinary and agricultural tourism company offering unique health-focused Texas food and wine experiences through custom tours, cooking classes, and dining adventures.

Prior to establishing these enterprises, she was director of Nutrition and Hospitality Services for the University of Texas Southwestern University Hospitals. In this position, she was recognized for her vision and leadership in marrying the culinary arts to the science of nutrition in foodservice. Her masterful blend of healthcare nutrition and culinary excitement has earned Mary numerous accolades. In 1998, the International Food Manufacturers Association presented her its Silver Plate Award, and Restaurants & Institutions magazine named her food service department an IVY Award winner.
Mary’s numerous seminars, lectures and workshops focus on the message that nutritious food is also delicious food. In 2007, Mary was selected to present The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Lenna Francis Cooper Memorial Lecture at AND’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition (the second highest honor given to its members). She also has collaborated with The Culinary Institute of America Certified Master Chef Victor Gielisse in co-authoring In Good Taste: A Contemporary Approach to Cooking (Prentice Hall), a textbook-cookbook that joins culinarians and dietitians in the pursuit of nutritious, contemporary cooking.

Mary provides years of hands-on experience to professional organizations such as AND, mentioned above. She is a charter member and former chair of AND’s Food & Culinary Professionals Dietetic Practice Group, a past board member of Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) and has served as Chair for the Dallas Chapters of Les Dames d`Escoffier and the American Institute for Wine and Food. She is a founding member of Foodways Texas, a current board member in addition to serving as their education committee co-chair.

Jeff Gross

Jeff is an accomplished researcher and analyst with more than 30 years experience fielding numerous B2B and B2C market research studies. He is the founding partner of Integra Marketing Research, which applies sound and proven marketing research principles, whether to tried and true study designs or to innovative methodologies to properly answer business questions.

Jeff founded and operated the full-service marketing research firm, Gross Marketing Research, for 27 years. Prior to Gross Marketing Research, he held positions in marketing research on the client side at The Pillsbury Company and Del Monte U.S.A., as well as on the supplier side at Edwin J. Gross, Inc. and Leo J. Shapiro & Associates.

He has conducted numerous market research studies for food industry clients including C&W Frozen Foods, Del Monte U.S.A, Discovery Foods, Farmhouse Foods, Golden Heritage Foods, Mariani Packaging Company, Nakano Foods, Nancy’s Specialty Foods, Henry’s Supper Shop, Otis Spunkmeyer, San Francisco French Bread Company, Culinary Brands, Taylor Farms, the American Lamb Board, the Tri-Lamb Group, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, National Honey Board, and the National Mango Board.

Jeff received his B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Lake Forest College and his M.B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago. Jeff is a passionate outdoor enthusiast and resides in the Lake Tahoe area where he enjoys skiing and mountain biking.

Megan Lacy

Megan Lacy is a communications professional whose message development and media relations expertise has exceeded objectives for clients across industries. She has experience managing and synthesizing complicated issues in order to develop impactful, clear messaging to support overall communications goals.

Megan has strong experience in public awareness, education and advocacy efforts for clients across government, business and non-profit sectors, along with a proven track record of delivering strong media relations results and counsel on a variety of communications issues.

Most recently, Megan served as the managing director of communications for the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, an equestrian sport non-profit organization focused on serving the Hunter and Jumper disciplines. She also served as director of the USHJA Foundation, which provides funding to USHJA programs and provides grants and scholarships to USHJA members. In these roles, she wore virtually every hat—strategic counselor and tactical implementation lead, guiding and executing email marketing, social media, content, media, and issues management strategies.

Prior to the USHJA, Megan worked for international communications firm FleishmanHillard, supporting clients across numerous industries, including food and agriculture. In her tenure with FleishmanHillard, she led numerous accounts, exceeding client objectives. Clients ranged from Tri-Lamb to the Department of Homeland Security. Her experience working with food and agriculture, state government, federal government, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofits allows her to easily integrate into an organization’s workflow and lead teams to success against shared goals.

 

Megan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin.

Allie Jones

By combining her love of all things Agriculture, communicating creatively, and working with amazing people, Allie Jones found her career sweet spot. Pair that with unquenchable curiosity, a love of food puns, and a glass-half-full kind of attitude you have a career that feels like an adventure.

 

Allie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Communications and a minor in Journalism from the University of Wyoming in 2015 (Go Pokes!) then moved down to warm up in Austin while interning at Rodeo Austin. She decided to stay in Austin and got the position of promoting and growing the GO TEXAN marketing program at the Texas Department of Agriculture. While working at TDA and with the GO TEXAN companies her passion for helping the food and agriculture industry grew.

 

Allie continues to stay hungry and curious in her career by looking forward to every adventure.

 

When she isn’t working with clients or brainstorming with her Wild Hive team members she is spending time with her family either in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, on her family’s ranch in central Texas or going on adventures, near a far, with her boyfriend, Patrick, and their new side-kick-pup, Maggie.