We’ve moved in and settled down, so that means it’s time for an official ribbon cutting. Partners Chris Ray, Jim Garrison, Jack Garner and Bob Potesky presided over the ribbon cutting with special guests Duane O’Neill, Christopher Powell, and Erica Speed. Our extra-special guest was Governor Haley Barbour who cut the official ribbon, and we were honored to have him here. Later that evening we hosted an open house and enjoyed having clients, family and Fondren neighbors join us in the celebration. We had a huge crowd of about 300 people. See party pics on our flickr photostream.

Recently the Northside Sun published an article about Ramey’s CEO, Chris Ray. It’s a great story about him as well as some of our agency history and philosophy. Download the article as a pdf: ChrisRay_NorthsideSun.

Congrats to the EVIL CATFISH TEAM: Rebecca Hollis, Allison Allen, Jeremy Robbins, and Beth Kitchings for catching the title of “Winner”! Our Judges were Photographer, James Patterson and Gallery Owner, Joel Brown. Thank you to Jack and Melanie for providing us with some delicious beverages and Krystal burgers. Thank you teams for joining in on the, “First Annual Ramey Life Pumpkin Carving Contest”, aka, FARLPCC. I sure enjoyed everyone! – Kelley

Check out our flickr for more photos.

On October 18, Kathryn Watkins, Rhonda Penson, Kelley Williams, and breast cancer survivor (WooHoo!) Melanie Jeffreys participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K walk. The American Cancer Society event raises money for breast cancer research, outreach and support. You can read Stories of Hope and find ways to support the cause at their Web site. Pictured are Kathryn, Melanie and Rhonda.

For our monthly Third Thursday gathering, Ramey Life Coordinator Kelley Williams arranged for a relaxing lunch after an especially busy week. First off, Tara Blumenthal of Butterfly Yoga led us through some yoga poses easily done in your office and specifically targeting the woes of working at a computer. Afterwards we all felt about two inches taller and then we dove into some healthy sushi from Sakura Bana. Ahhhh.

During Ramey and The Catfish Institute’s efforts at the Presidential debate in Oxford, Miss Catfish, Leah Barger, reached out to both candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama. Since one of these men will be President soon, she’s taken the catfish message to the highest level of government.

Created specifically for national and international media reporting on the Presidential Debate at The University of Mississippi, Ramey and MDA built a website to assist the visiting journalists with information about Mississippi, interview contacts, and downloads of high-resolution photography and video footage. The website, www.msdebate08.org, was launched on Sept. 22, and is designed to encourage a wider range of stories about Mississippi - topics with which journalists may not be familiar. During the week of the debate, the site received upward of 7,500 visitors.

On September 26, Ramey and client The Catfish Institute, played a featured role in the first Presidential Debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. As part of the university-sponsored Rock the Debate festival, U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish was offered to festivalgoers, which included more than 3,000 national and international journalists. Special appearances by Captain Catfish, the official mascot of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish, and the 2008 Miss Catfish, Leah Barger of Belzoni, Miss., helped draw attention to our client’s message and garnered opportunities for multiple media interviews throughout the day.

The Viking Classic has become one of the most-watched tournaments on the PGA Tour this year, thanks to its broad appeal. According to MSNBC, the event “serves up more than golf.” Pictured here with Food Network stars Cat Cora and Guy Fieri are several Ramey staffers. Ramey handled all marketing for the tournament, earning it a “best practices” designation by the PGA Tour last year.

Ramey followed returning Hurricane Gustav evacuees into New Orleans for a photo shoot with Dallas-based photographer Michael Mayo and crew. With power restored just in the nick of time, Mark Moore, Creative Director; Rebecca Hollis, Associate Art Director; and Michelle Hill, Account Executive shot several new Viking products to be released later this year. They worked long hours, but still managed time to grab some Gulf oysters at Acme Oyster House.