Pemco in the Northwest

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!  

On Saturday, Peter, Suz and I put on our racing gear and headed out to Evergreen Speedway's NASCAR Night at the Races for some high-speed, action-packed auto races.

As the competition heated up around the racetrack, engines of a different sort were revving up nearby.  A local group of "Roadside Chainsaw Woodcarvers" teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind trophy for NASCAR winners.  The carvers created their wooden masterpieces on the raceway sidelines in less than ten minutes!  

We, along with  hundreds of spectators, watched in awe as the masters of the saw skillfully chipped and sawed away at a plain stump of wood until it took the form of a trophy - complete with a racecar to top it off.



Why do the carvers move in a constant circle around their work?   Joaquin, a seasoned woodcarver for over 31 years, explained, "You just have to keep moving in a circle or else you might end up cutting off something you don't want to!"  Ouch!

In addition to the trophy, the woodcarvers also produced a wood-carved bear and gave it to us as a token of their appreciation.  We are proud to welcome "T.P." to our PBA team, and Chipper (our current bear) is happy to finally have some company.  





Since, sadly, this is the last event for Suz and me as PBAs, we feel that T.P. is an appropriate memento for us to leave behind for future PBAs to come.  This has truly been a wonderful experience that I'll never forget.  Over and out!

During yesterday's pre-game festivities at Qwest Field, PEMCO teamed up with KZOK to celebrate the end of summer and kick-off the fall sports season with a tailgate party.

KZOK set up a mini-soccer field across from the WALLY1 van and sponsored a promotional contest for fans to kick a soccer ball between two cups serving as a makeshift goal. Peter, Caity, and I looked on as KZOK's on-air personality, Pedro, prepared fans for the kick-off:

The best part of the contest? The winners received a PEMCO NW Profile T-Shirt!

Even our very own Peter Young had a go at the contest, but unfortunately for Peter, the ball didn't quite make it between the goal posts. He still insists it's harder than it looks!

Over at the PEMCO booth, everyone showed their best "'I know I am, I'm sure I am' Sounders FC fan" face…

Even the littlest fans!

Suffice it to say, KZOK and PEMCO have revolutionized the concept of tailgating! Instead of hotdogs and burgers, this Sounder's tailgate featured something a little different. Thanks for everyone who came out and kicked it with us.

Now that tailgating season has officially begun at Qwest field, we're excited for football season to begin! Look for us at the Seahawks pre-game season game this Saturday, Aug. 22 and get your souvenir photo snapped as a "Supercharged Seahawks Fan"!

This just in: PEMCO Brand Ambassadors Suz and Peter discover a hidden talent for…pasta diving!

Check out this video of PEMCO Brand Ambassadors Suz and Peter participating in the Whole Foods pasta challenge at the South Lake Union Block Party.



While Suz came out victorious over all, both should be proud of this accomplishment. Now, can someone get them a napkin?

What do you get when you mix two parts fun, a dash of music, a pinch of local artists, and a scoopful of delicious food?  A fabulous day at A Taste of Edmonds.

Every year in August, the city of Edmonds comes alive to celebrate the community and sample lots of appetizing cuisine from local chefs and vendors.  The festival takes place on Bell Street and the Civic Center Playfield between 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue.


Walking around the grounds to check out all the booth offerings, fellow Brand Ambassadors Peter, Suz and I, found it hard to resist the enticing melting pot of tastes and smells in our midst.  With so many delectable options, we put our heads together to compile a list of the top dishes we can't wait to try this weekend.

In no particular order:

•    Swedish meatballs with lingonberries
•    Southern style pulled pork barbecue sandwich
•    French crepes with bananas and chocolate
•    New Orleans-style Louisiana crab cakes and jambalaya
•    Kafe Neo gyros
•    Scotty's blackened salmon caesar salad
•    Bavarian bratwurst
•    Tibetan cuisine


Is your mouth watering yet? 

If you are in the area, come check out A Taste of Edmonds, it's sure to be a fun and scrumptious time. Gates open at 11 a.m. tomorrow and festivities continue until 10 p.m. Be sure to stop by the PEMCO booth for the chance to win some fantastic prizes. Look for our green van on Bell St. by the Red Gate.

Forget your morning latte – there's nothing like the roar of a hydroplane zipping across the Columbia River at 7 a.m. to get you alert for the day!

Suz, Peter and I arrived at Columbia Park in Kennewick, WA bright and early this morning to set up the PEMCO booth for the annual Tri-City Water Follies.  The heat of the sun (even as early as 7 a.m.) gave us a glimpse of the scorching triple digit weather to come, but this didn't stop eager early birds from staking out coveted spots along the shores of the beautiful Columbia River.

The enthusiasm of these early risers makes us all the more excited as we wait in anticipation for the kick-off of this weekend's celebration. 


Come join us for some of the action-packed events still to come today:

·         Vintage Hydro Performance (3:30pm)

·         The HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show (4:45 p.m.)

·         Legends Casino Dash for Cash (5:15pm)

·         Western States Insurance Light's Challenge (5:35pm)

·         And of course some exhilarating hydro time trials!

It's guaranteed to be a fun-filled weekend – stay tuned for Day 2 of our adventures in the Tri-Cities!

A few clouds and a light drizzle does nothing to dampen the spirit of a true Northwesterner – this proved to be the case last night as more than 29,000 fans came to support the Sounders in hopes of a victory over DC United – the top team in the country.

Peter, Suz and I concluded that this fickle Seattle weather – sun one minute, rain the next – actually brought out more fans than any other event thus far.  What can I say?  We Northwesterners feel most comfortable showing our true colors on overcast days!

What I like most about my travels with the PEMCO Brand Ambassadors are the interesting things we see and the wonderful stories we hear on the road. This time proved to be no different. At Sounders games we usually run our photo program where we take and print pictures of fans showing off their favorite "Scarfs Up!" pose. One family told us they've chosen to use their "'I Know I Am, I'm Sure I Am' Sounders FC Fan" photo as their Christmas card this year! It's pretty cool to know we have a hand in capturing cool memories for great NW people!

While working this event, we saw countless colorful, enthusiastic fans.



But what I'll remember from this event is Duffy and Jared, a father and son from Seattle who get their photo taken with us at every Sounders home game. Without fail, rain or shine, Duffy and Jared come up to our booth every game with a beaming smile. They stand patiently in line for a photo op. We never really asked why it was they keep coming back every Sunday, but when we finally asked they exclaimed, "We just love the ads and this photo idea is great! And, we get our picture taken because it brings good luck!"