Angel Robinson, founder of AR & Co. has a passion for creative and quality marketing. Having been in the business for 18 years, Ms. Robinson has an immense amount of multi-faceted media experience. She is a consummate professional and founded her company on the principles of hard work, dedication and creativity. Over the years she has worked with a variety of clients and takes pride in offering a quick response time. Ms. Robinson gives each client her utmost attention and works toward building a marketing plan that best meets their needs whether large or small.
Volunteer work is extremely important to Ms. Robinson. She is a proud member of the Paso Robles Lions Club; the second woman ever to join the club in its 68 year history. Recently she was awarded Lion of The Year, the first woman ever to receive the award. She was voted Lion of the Year because of her dedication to the core humanitarian values held by the Lions Club organization such as generosity, compassion and concern for others less fortunate. Past volunteer work has included serving as the chairperson of the board of directors for a local children’s non-profit organization and training and becoming a court appointed special advocate for children removed from their homes.
Ms. Robinson has been a San Luis Obispo County resident for more than 21 years and plans on staying many more years. She recently announced her engagement to Mr. Bill Platz and is very grateful to have found a partner that supports her in every way possible including the growth of AR & Co.
In her free time she enjoys gardening, traveling and entertaining. Hanzie, her prized pooch, also keeps her busy with long walks.
Ms. Robinson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice administration from San Jose State University.
Karen De Hoog Office Supervisor
Karen De Hoog recently joined AR & Co. as Office Supervisor.At AR & Co. Ms. De Hoog will oversee the entire operation, managing employees, monitoring workflows and acting as the primary client liason.
Ms. De Hoog comes to AR & Co. with a wealth of experience in marketing and sales.She has held positions in management, owned her own company, been a realtor, a loan officer and worked in the title and escrow industry for 20 years.
When not at work she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, golfing, hiking and entertaining.
Monica Navarro PR and Marketing Associate
Monica Navarro heads up the publicity department and media buying departments at AR & Co. She resides in Paso Robles, where she was raised. Monica graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing in 2007. As a valuable team member for AR & Co., her ability and desire to learn, combined with a passion for marketing, fuels her ambition to get the most effective and targeted media reach for all of AR and Co.’s clients.
Monica's ability to work hard and multi-task under pressure is a product of her life experiences; while a full time student at San Diego State University, Monica worked almost full time, volunteered at the local animal shelter, held a membership in the American Marketing Association, and in her senior year of college completed an internship in the marketing department of Dlush.
Outside of work, Monica volunteers as a board member for the North San Luis Obispo County Boys and Girls Club and spends time with her puppy, Bella. She also enjoys the outdoors, pilates, reading, biking, hiking and wine tasting.
Christine Di Mauro Marketing Assistant
Christine Di Mauro heads up the Promotional Sales Department and coordinates all monthly and quarterly newsletters for AR & Co clients. Her ability to be creative, meet deadlines, stay organized, and willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done, makes her an invaluable asset.
When not at work Christine enjoys her new puppy "Spaghetti," spending time with her family and cooking with her Mom. One of her very favorite places is the ocean where she loves exploring tide pools and watching the sunset.
Leahandah Soundy brings a wealth of knowledge pertaining to creative development, marketing strategy and creative leadership. At AR&Co. Leahandah is the Senior Graphic Designer overseeing all aspects of design, strategizing and developing company wide workflow efficiency.
Her experience lies in non-profit with an emphasis on conceptualizing from inception to completion. Leahandah’s experience derives from working at a renowned foundation. At Kaiser Family Foundation she was the lead designer on numerous campaigns that involved The Washington Post, BET and MTV, Viacom, and global efforts such as; AIDS 2004—2006, Coke-Cola—South Africa amongst other projects.
Prior to Kaiser Family Foundation, Leahandah worked at Zenger Miller/Times Mirror a leader in management training. For seven years she assisted creative development and Linda Moran on numerous publications including Keeping Teams on Track.
Leahandah mastered advertising with lead agencies whose client’s included 24 Hour Fitness, Palm, NEC and Dreamworks. Early days were spent at The Wall Street Journal in the advertising department. Leahandah has received a BA degree from San Jose State University with a major in Art and a minor in Political Science.
Her life mentors and influences stem from being raised in South Africa and volunteering. Her most memorable volunteering opportunities have been in her son’s class, Hope Rehabilitation, Second Harvest Food Bank. And more recently in New Orleans with PNOLA (Phoenix of New Orleans) where she produced a website/blog of her experience www.katrinanow.com.
Leahandah resides in Paso Robles with her fiancé Kevin and son Max. All three are aspiring artist and often you can find them in their garage working on their next art piece. Max keeps her on her very tippy-toes with constant jaunts for the *ultimate* skateboard park—so far Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park in Santa Cruz rules.
Angel York Internet Marketing Associate
Angel York has called Paso Robles, California, her home for over twenty years and has always been very active in the community. At AR & Co. she specializes in internet marketing.Staying focused on the client’s target market, Ms. York optimizes websites, sends out e-mail marketing, posts blogs, sets up google adwords and social marketing sites, updates website content and more.She has worked with the Paso Robles Main Street association, is active with the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce, and enjoys volunteering her time at Second Chance at Love dog rehabilitation center in Templeton, California.
Ms. York got her start in Public Relations in the Promotions Department for Budweiser, and later went on to model for a fashion designer in Los Angeles, California, for 6 years. While modeling she learned many skills that make her successful today, including; how important a strong first impression can be, selling techniques, confidence, professionalism and knowing how to keep up with market trends. Persistence was a key to her success then as it is now. While working in Los Angeles Ms. York became a Flight Attendant for United Airlines. She traveled the world experiencing different lifestyles, cultures, and perfecting her customer service skills. Ms. York received training in cultural differences, emergency procedures, and fast thinking. She is one who enjoys a challenge and is a go getter. If something needs to get done, she will find a way. She has a zest for life, has a great sense of humor, is personable, and enjoys helping people.
When not at work, Ms. York spends her time with her “family” which is of the four legged kind; a dog, two cats and a Mustang horse whom she trained herself. After a long day she enjoys sharing great Paso Robles wine and tasty food with her many wonderful friends.
Sara Stewart Public Relations & Marketing Associate
Ms. Stewart specializes in creative writing.With a tremendous passion for helping AR & Co.’s clients, she spends her time writing newsworthy press releases, media alerts, letters to the editor, website content, e-mail marketing copy, newsletter articles, creative copy for advertising, and more.
Ms. Stewart graduated from HumboldtStateUniversity in 2000 with a B.A. in Speech Communications.She’s worked for the Kodiak, Alaska Chamber of Commerce as a community relations director, has taught public speaking for the University of Anchorage (Kodiak branch) and has also worked within the advertising department for Kodiak’s local newspaper.Her diverse background in writing and public speaking make her a valued team member at AR & Co.
In her free time she enjoys hiking, kayaking, cycling and spending time with the people she loves most.She also loves to draw and paint and has been known to curl up with a good book.
Mr. Alexander Bugrov Web and Technical Support
Originally from Russia, Alex Bugrov came to the United States when he was just 12 and has been hard at work ever since. His very first job was selling firewood on the street corner in Bellevue, Washington – a job that undoubtedly taught him the value of hard work and the importance of an education.
In 1998, Alex moved to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly, and worked as many as three jobs at a time to put himself through school. In 2004, he graduated with a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Alex began working with AR & Co. almost from the company’s inception – assisting in web and graphics development part time while he was still a student at Cal Poly.
Previously, he was a factory engineer at a food processing facility, in charge of hands-on equipment repair, maintenance and upgrades. He also worked on web and graphics development for a technical school, developing advertising materials, web site, graphics, brochures and customer outreach materials.
When not working, Alex enjoys surfing and working on cars.
Starr Zani
Starr graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York in 2002 with a BS in Psychology.
At AR & Co., Starr provides clerical support. After college she spent 5 years working as a paralegal but decided to expand her skills by working in other industries. She is excited to learn a new business and is enjoying the variety of projects she is given at AR & Co.
In her spare time, Starr enjoys playing with her dog, a 4 year old cocker spaniel named Loki. She also practices yoga, loves reading and spends as much time outside in the sun as she can!
Ms. Angel Robinson
Starr Zani