近距离内射合集

Tom Garrity remembers a problem in the midst of the 2000 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 鈥� the field was wet, hit by 鈥渉orrendous rain.鈥�

鈥淒irt turned to mud,鈥� said Garrity, 61. 鈥淚鈥檓 like going, 鈥楬oly cow, we have an event coming up. How are we going to communicate that the field is dry but it's really not?鈥欌��

Luck had it that KRQE was looking to do some 鈥渓ow-level hovers鈥� with its helicopter to get some shots.

Then KOAT called.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 Channel 13 doing over there?鈥� Garrity recalled someone from the local TV station saying. The helicopter was drying off the field, of course. Then came KOB. And, to put the icing on top, the 58th Special Operations Wing came calling.

鈥淭hey said, 鈥榃e want to send over a Black Hawk,鈥欌�� Garrity said. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楨verybody鈥檚 welcome.鈥� And so we had four helicopters over the field, all drying it off as a part of a community effort to get everybody ready for Balloon Fiesta. That was a fun moment.鈥�

Garrity is the founder and president of Albuquerque-based The Garrity Group, a firm that specializes in public relations. He has many of those stories as the long-time spokesperson for the state鈥檚 biggest event.

Garrity, a former television journalist, has been working in public relations for roughly three decades. He鈥檚 also served on boards across the state, including the 近距离内射合集 Way of Central New Mexico and Visit Albuquerque. He takes great pride in his role as an intermediary between his clients and public-facing media 鈥� or, as he puts it, 鈥渟haping the brands that shape New Mexico.鈥�

鈥淎 client will only have one shot to tell their story. They鈥檒l have one chance to inform their first draft of history,鈥� Garrity said. 鈥淎nd so, from my perspective, 鈥� to be in that position to help our clients shape what could be that first draft is really quite an honor for me.鈥�

What is the Garrity Group?

鈥淭he Garrity Group helps small businesses to be heard and large organizations to be understood. We鈥檙e, in business terms, professional services, and we just happen to provide public relations, media relations and community engagement on behalf of our clients. We also do a lot of other things, like issue management, crisis communications.鈥�

How many companies do you work with?

鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 working with about 20 clients, and it鈥檚 not just me. We have a great team. We have a full-time staff of four team members and three contractors right now, and so it鈥檚 clearly a team effort.

And when I look at our alumni base and see others who are successful in the field, it鈥檚 just truly humbling for me to work with the team I have and then just to see how different team members have gone on to be successful as well.鈥�

What has kept you going for so long in this industry?

鈥淚t鈥檚 fun. I still get a kick out of developing and implementing strategies, helping clients to message through situations, making connections on behalf of clients.

To me, it鈥檚 really something that鈥檚 a passion. I don鈥檛 think it can be taught. You know, you can teach a lot of the tactics and the strategies. But for me, I鈥檝e always just had a passion for helping others tell their story, and that鈥檚 why it just doesn鈥檛 get old being able to help a client who is in a good place and helping a client who鈥檚 not necessarily in a good place.鈥�

How did you land the contract to work with the Balloon Fiesta?

鈥淚 was working with the (Albuquerque) Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is now Visit Albuquerque, and Dick Gilliland, who was the CEO at the time, reached out and he says, 鈥楬ey, Tom. Why don鈥檛 you find out what those balloon people are doing up at the north end of town?鈥� And I said, 鈥榃hat do you mean? You mean the Balloon Fiesta?鈥� He says, 鈥榊eah. We haven鈥檛 really gotten too involved with them before. And we鈥檇 like to really increase our involvement.鈥�

So having covered the Fiesta and having won an Emmy for producing specials on Balloon Fiesta, I had some ties, and so I went up there and I talked to Jodi Baugh 鈥� she headed up the sponsors and she had landed part of the Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I said, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檓 with the CVB and I鈥檓 here to help.鈥� And she goes, 鈥楩antastic. You can coordinate the media. I鈥檒l take care of sponsorships.鈥� And so that鈥檚 how the relationship started. It was very much roll up your sleeves kind of stuff.

Marge Ruppenthal was very much in charge at the time as the executive director and was a great leader for the organization. 鈥� When I left to start my own firm in 1997, I said, 鈥楬ey Jodi, let鈥檚 turn (the Fiesta) into a client. And she said, 鈥楪reat. Let鈥檚 do it.鈥� And so that鈥檚 when The Garrity Group started working with the Fiesta.鈥�

What does this job entail during Fiesta time?

鈥淭his time of year is very fast-paced. We鈥檙e getting inquiries from not just a number of great local reporters, but we also are getting a lot of international (inquiries). And then we鈥檙e also just getting ready to host hundreds of media organizations to the event each year that travel literally from around the world to help tell the Balloon Fiesta story.鈥�

Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

鈥淚 have done a lot of trail running and just running in general 鈥� and occasionally fly-fishing. But I enjoy running, kind of going up into the foothills. Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to hike Kilimanjaro. I love anything outdoors and being active are things that I really enjoy.鈥�