For 12 days coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games dominated the news and social media with posts, Tweets, blogs and more about the athletes, the games and the spirit of competition.

Tonight is the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games…and coverage has been little to non-existent. But that’s no excuse. If you’re not familiar with the Paralympics or the Paralympians that compete, let me sum it up – living life and achieving their dreams.

I received the following message from the U.S. Olympic Committee today via e-mail and instead of paraphrasing it I’ve decided to include the entire context here.

It’s important for all of us to understand where these athletes come from, their challenges and the amazing sacrifice these individuals made for themselves, their families and our country. And over the next 12 days as they reach for Gold, they need to know that we’re cheering them on. I know I will. I personally wish all the athletes success as they strive to do more than most ever will.  

Three stories. One dream.

Dear Ronele,

The Opening Ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games begins tonight. For Team USA, these games represent years of endurance and anticipation. Let me introduce three Paralympians who share one inspiring dream.

Alexi Salamone. Adopted from the Ukraine after being born with deformed legs as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Alexi just wanted to be like other kids. Wrestling and sled hockey made that possible. Now years later, Alexi has been named to his second U.S. Paralympic Team.

Heath Calhoun. After losing both legs while serving in Iraq as a squad leader for the 101st airborne, Heath learned to ski through the Disabled Sports USA Wounded Warrior Project and the Disabled American Veterans Winter Sports Clinic. Paralympic sport became a critical part of his rehabilitation. His three-year-old son now says, “Daddy, you can run with me again.” Heath has been named to the U.S. Paralymic Team and is honored to be the U.S. Flag Bearer for Opening Ceremonies.

Nikko Landerros. A high school wrestler, Nikko and his best friend were hit by a car in 2007. Both boys lost their legs. Shortly after, Nikko toured the Olympic Training Center, visited with Paralympic ambassadors, and was introduced to sled hockey. Today Nikko is a proud member of the 2010 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team.

Three stories. One dream.

For the next 12 days, your U.S. Paralympic Team will compete for Gold at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Please join us in cheering on the extraordinary athletes who make up Team USA!

Charlie Huebner
Chief of Paralympics
United States Olympic Committee

P.S. Thank you to the many who support Paralympic Sports Programs in 114 communities nationwide. Your generosity enables athletes with disabilities to participate in competition and in life.

What do you get when you invite the entire RKPR team to dinner at a gourmet steakhouse? Five raucous diners willing to try anything on the menu, before and after photos of plates of food, tweets and Facebook posts throughout the meal and more than three hours of good conversation and fun. That’s what went down when we all headed to the new Atlantis Steakhouse to try out the new menu and tour the completely renovated restaurant.

We learned a lot about the Steakhouse, like the fact that it took more than 100 hours to create the menu, from sampling dishes and fine-tuning recipes to designing and proofreading the final version. We also learned that the giant octopus, which was a light fixture on the ceiling of our dining room during its nightclub days, was auctioned off on Ebay to a nightclub in the Midwest.

But perhaps the most important thing we learned was that Atlantis Steakhouse fits perfectly within Reno-Tahoe’s new marketing identity. It’s a “far from expected” dining experience and one that’s sure to alter people’s perception of the casino resort property. As a longtime resident I recall the Purple Parrot days of Atlantis with its traditional coffee shop fare. And that’s what stuck. But our lavish meal has completely changed that perception. So cheers to Atlantis for creating a fantastic dining experience!

Now to the nitty gritty: what did we eat? Here’s a quick list and a few comments about each.

·         Crispy Calamari – Perfectly crisp, just the right amount of salty and a tasty caper dipping sauce

·         Ahi Tuna Tartare – Refreshingly light and very fresh tasting

·         Escargot – If you’ve never had it, try it here first

·         Maine Lobster and Blue Crab Cakes – Red peppers in these give them a bit of a southwestern flair

·         Oysters on the Half Shelf – We downed a dozen and Liz invented Lizsabi sauce, a mixture of wasabi and horseradish, to dress the oysters

·         French Onion Soup – hearty and a good portion size, and the bread and cheese on top were just right

·         Prime Rib and Barley Soup – also hearty and delicious

·         Spinach Salad – prepared tableside with a warm dressing that smelled fantastic

·         Wedge Salad – served in a slight bowl so it’s easier to eat

·         Filet Mignon, 12 oz. – a huge steak, perfectly cooked

·         Colorado Lamb Chops – the best I’ve had in town

·         Prime Rib and Diver Scallops Duet – a serious meal with a giant juicy portion of prime rib and golden seared scallops

·         Trio of Filet – a mountain of tasty with three petite filets, three toppings and mashed potatoes

·         12 oz. Kobe Chopped Steak Burger – probably the size of Emily’s head, juicy, and perhaps the best burger she’ll ever eat

·         Sides including creamed corn with a kick, truffled mac and cheese, sautéed spinach, asparagus and broccolini

·         Almost every dessert on the menu, all of which were phenomenal, including Chocolate Mousse, Cheesecake, Warm Cinnamon Apple Crisp, Bananas Foster, Crème Brulee and Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Torte

We highly recommend the Atlantis Steakhouse and when you go, let us know what you had.

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to represent one of our clients at the GBK Celebrity Gift Lounge for the Oscars in Hollywood. Since working at RKPR I’ve definitely assisted with my fair share of events.  However, this event seemed to be quite different than previous ones that I’ve experienced. While I had overwhelming help for the preparation of the event from the RKPR team, it was just me and the client when it came down to the actual event. Travel, event set up, media and celebrity interaction and representation of our product, it was all up to me and our client.    

Prevennia, a dietary supplement that is scientifically proven to block the initiation of breast cell mutation, was the client I was representing. Each celebrity and selected media outlets were gifted with a one year supply of Prevennia, a $550 value. While other event sponsors were promoting fun products including eyelash extensions, skin care lines, clothing, food and beverage products, we were there educating guests about a very important issue that affects everyone in some form or fashion – cell mutation. It is a serious issue and reaching out to the public to insure awareness was much harder than I had anticipated. 

Nearly every Hollywood star and media outlet that visited our booth was totally onboard with what we had to share. They showed genuine and positive interest about learning more and seriously investigating Prevennia for their use.

Comments about passing the word along to loved ones and the product being a GBK Oscar Gift Lounge favorite is what made Prevennia be the talk of the event. With as much time and effort being put forth prior, during and post event, it is such a rewarding feeling to know that RKPR’s efforts may someday change the lives of millions.

Check out our Flickr gallery to see who we met with and what they had to say about Prevennia.