A MESSAGE FROM JULIE HEIN

I've worked with Rob and Eliot at the station since 1996. I feel very fortunate to work here-it's a great mix of fun and success.

I'm a big believer in branding and just about anything Roy Williams (www.wizardofads.com) says or writes. The most important element of any advertising campaign is the message. We're all surrounded by hundreds of sales messages each day-so we have to be careful to appeal to what is in the heart of the customer to persuade them to use your business.

I'm from Des Moines, but I never wanted to leave Eastern Iowa after I came here for college. I studied Sociology and Women's Studies for my Bachelors degree-but I didn't find those areas of study very helpful in real life. So, I got an MBA at the University of Iowa-and that has been a lot more applicable.

I'm a huge Hawkeye football fan. I married Jim in 1996, and we have a sweet daughter.

Click here to see Julie's advertising blog.

A MESSAGE FROM KELLIE LALA

I worked in retail for 13 years prior to joining the sales staff at Q103 radio in April, 1992. I have a huge commitment to Z102.9, and I think that radio is a fun medium in which to be involved. Every day is a new adventure! Z102.9 is locally-owned which is a benefit for our advertisers as the money they spend with our station is reinvested in our community.

I believe that radio can help to grow a business if the advertising schedule and the message are on target. One of the things that I enjoy most is working with businesses to achieve an affordable advertising plan that is win/win. I believe that Frequency creates Awareness, Awareness creates Preference and Preference creates Sales!

I was born and raised in Cedar Rapids. I graduated from Kirkwood Community College and Mount Mercy College with Business and Marketing degrees. I have a passion for travel and enjoy big and little trips whenever I get the chance. I am a lifelong and active member of Noelridge Christian Church where I am a Sunday School teacher and Elder. I have also been a church camp counselor for high school youths for 25 years. I say that it keeps me young at heart.  I have served on the Freedom Festival Board for four years and currently usher at Theatre Cedar Rapids and Brucemore.

A little known fact about me is that I have been playing golf since the age of five and was on the Kennedy High School golf team for three years! I am the proud Aunt of two nephews Nick and Sam, who live in Mason City. I love spending time with them. My personal motto is "Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal."

Having grown up in Illinois and getting my degree from University of Iowa, I began my career in radio back in 1995, after having spent five years as the Director of Marketing and Sales for what was then the Five Seasons Center (now the U.S. Cellular Center). My wife is a native Californian and after we met in 1996, a sunnier climate seemed like a good move. After my 11 year dip in the Pacific and the California job arena, we decided to come back to the Midwest to raise our two boys.

You won’t find me on the weekend without my family. We spend our time out and about. I have studied in the martial arts for 16 years and my oldest son and I are both studying for our Black Belts after training together for the past four years in Kenpo. We also are big Oakland A’s fans and look forward to cheering on our local Cedar Rapids Kernels. The family spent the last summer touring the Mediterranean as my wife and I celebrated our 10^th wedding anniversary. We also recently enjoyed a trip to Ireland. Traveling is a big Taylor family pastime! Of course, our most recent adventure was packing up our house, two sons, three dogs and a brother-in-law to make the drive back to Cedar Rapids.

I spent my years in California running recruitment firms and consulting businesses in the Silicon Valley. When we decided to return to the Midwest, I was welcomed with open arms back into the KZIA family. It has been a great reunion with Eliot, Rob, Kellie, Julie and the entire team!

I believe in building relationships with my clients that are based on an honest and direct approach. Uncovering my client’s business challenges, and creating effective marketing and advertising strategies to solve those challenges, is incredibly rewarding. Radio is an incredibly powerful tool to reach potential customers. I can help create the right message, schedule and frequency to maximize your investments. I am looking forward to renewing my relationships here and tapping into my experiences to help you get results for your business.

I grew up in a small town named Lawton in Northwest Iowa.  Located six miles east of Sioux City it provided a great mix of the small town life while being close enough to the big city (at least in Iowa terms) to enjoy its perks as well.  I come from a fairly big family (I am the oldest of four) and have always felt particularly blessed to live within 5 miles of one set of great-grandparents, both sets of grandparents, 13 uncles/aunts, and 17 cousins.

I first came to the corridor to attend the University of Iowa in 1994.  After holding numerous part time jobs while attending school I found a place at GEICO as a property-casualty insurance agent in 1998.  In my 10 years with GEICO I held several positions and spent 3 memorable years in beautiful San Diego California.

I joined the Z102.9 and 1600ESPN team in late March and am thrilled to be a part of such a great company.  Everyone here shows great dedication to the community, from the part-time interns to our two hands on owners.  Not a day goes by that I don’t feel privileged to be a part of it.

The radio bug bit me at a fairly young age.  I spent a good part of my childhood listening to the AM radio in our 1978 15-passeneger van travelling to various family events, youth sports games, and summer vacations.  It’s been a blast seeing radio from the inside for the first time and I have really enjoyed using radio to help my clients achieve their goals.

In my down-time I enjoy softball, snow skiing, camping/fishing/boating, disc golf, and anything outdoors.  On the weekends I am usually doing something fun and outdoors with my girlfriend Kristi and her yellow lab Maggie.  I enjoy the area’s relatively low cost of living, the lake, rooting for the Hawks, and everything else the CR/IC corridor has to offer.