Work with us and grow your community
We’ll put your community into the spotlight. We believe tourism equals economic development. We have the passion and experience to help your community shine. We want you to prosper.
Our experience | Our awards | Contact us
Work with us because we understand your challenges
Roxie is the primary writer for Roxie on the Road, an Expert Contributor for Travel Awaits.com, and a Destination Expert for TraveltheSouth.com. She co-authored the book Midwest Road Trip Adventures and the best-selling book 100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die. The 100 Things book sold its first printing in two months. Its success led to another book contract, Kansas Secrets: The Weird, Wonderful and Obscure.
Before Roxie became a travel writer, she worked with destination marketing organizations.
Destination marketing experience
Roxie worked as a destination marketer for five years. That experience taught her about destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and tourism coalitions’ concerns. Marketing organizations are trying to promote destinations as efficiently as possible. You need value for your marketing dollars. We will provide value.
Roxie’s DMO years were full of accomplishment. Along with two other counties, her office helped to establish the Land & Sky Scenic Byway. Designating a byway requires a huge amount of paperwork. Kansas Department of Transportation approved the byway’s application in record time. Plus, she designed numerous publications, logos, banners, and billboards. Her office won numerous awards. The awards included wins in print marketing and digital marketing. The digital-marketing awards included social media. Through her DMO experience, she’s learned how to create strong marketing pieces.
During the same time, she also served as the administrator for a large tourism coalition. She made sure all the organization’s projects were accomplished. She and the members developed travel bloggers’ itineraries and worked with the attractions that those itineraries included. She’ll complete your projects, too.
Media experience
Ten years in newspapers taught Roxie how the media works. She was a sportswriter for four years and an editor for six. Newspaper people understand deadlines. The media is always in need of good stories. With 10 years of making deadlines, she learned how to meet deadlines. She can provide high-quality stories, along with the photos that make a story extra compelling.
Public relations experience
She also served four years in collegiate sports information. (Sports information is public relations for athletics.) In sports information, she learned that engaging the broader community is crucial. Organizations are most successful when they have strong community support.
Let’s build your brand together
Roxie has loved every second of her career. She would love to use what she’s learned to help you.
Work with us and let’s build your brand together.
Our experience | Our awards | Contact us
Work with us and let us shower recognition on you
Everywhere we’ve been, we’ve earned honors and awards. We would not receive any honors without the organizations we’ve worked for. We wouldn’t deserve honors without quality work and quality people to work with. Our goal is not to win more recognition. Our goal is for you and your community to receive recognition. We shine best when you shine brightest. Let’s talk about how we can work together.
Honors and awards
The 2020s
2022 — Authored the book Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Signed contracts to write Historic Roadside Kansas and Amazing Kansas.
2022 — Received the Kansas Leader of the Year Award in the Creative Arts category from the Huck Boyd Institute for Rural Development.
2021 — Authored the book 100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die. Signed a contract to write the book Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.
2020 — Received Midwest Travel Network’s Rising Star Award for travel bloggers who have been in business for two years or less.
2020 — Co-authored Midwest Road Trip Adventures with members of the Midwest Travel Network.
2020 — Named honorable mention Visitor Experience Award from National Scenic Byway Foundation for featuring Land and Sky Scenic Byway’s communities and points of interest during the Big Kansas Road Trip in May 2019.
2020 — Named honorable mention Interpretation Award as part of the Kansas Byways Program’s new kiosks and interpretive panels. Many of Roxie’s photos were included on Land and Sky’s panels.
The 2010s
2018 — Won Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK) Visitor Guide (Designed In-House). The award came in the Small Budget Division (under $100,000 total income).
2017 — Earned Kansas Destination Specialist in TIAK’s certification program.
2017 — Won the WeKan! Award from Kansas Sampler Foundation. WeKan! recipients “have a cooperative spirit, show enthusiasm and dedication for their community, and [their] efforts have made a real difference in rural Kansas.” The award has no nomination process and is given once in a lifetime.
2016 — Won TIAK Print Marketing for Kansas I-70 Association’s Seventy on Kansas I-70 (PDF) campaign brochure.
2016 — Placed first and second in the Summer category in the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s photo contest.
2015 — Won TIAK Online Marketing Award (PDF) for VisitGoodland.com and its Twitter and Facebook accounts, @VisitGoodland.
2015 — Named fifth of the Top 10 Kansas-Related Facebook Pages You Should Like by F*ck You, I’m From Kansas. FYIFK is a Facebook influencer with 108,000 likes.
2014 — Won Best of Show at High Plains Artfest in Oberlin, Kansas.
2013 — Named Juror’s Choice winner at High Plains Artfest.
2012 — Won Best in Class at High Plains Artfest.
2011 — Won TIAK Print Marketing Award for The Ultimate Guide to Northwest Kansas. The Ultimate Guide is about travel in the 18 Northwest Kansas counties.
2011 — Named People’s Choice Award winner, Flatlander Fall Festival Art Contest in Goodland, Kansas.
The 2000s
2005-07 — Received Silver Award each year from L.W. Barrett Co., Inc., for promotional product sales.
2001 — Won first place in Sportswriting (PDF) in Kansas Press Association (KPA) Daily Division I.
2000 — Named Friend of 4-H by Sherman County, Kansas, Extension District (Sherman County Extension is now Sunflower Extension District.)
2000 — Third place in sports coverage by KPA’s Weekly Division I.
The 1990s
1999 — Named Friend of Farm Bureau by Sherman County Farm Bureau.
1998 — Received Oscar Stauffer Award from Kansas High School Activities Association. The Stauffer Award honors KSHSAA’s sportswriter of the year.
1998 — Received Official Certificate of Congratulations from the Kansas House of Representatives.
1998 — Placed third in Sports Photography in Kansas Press Association‘s (KPA) Weekly Division II.
1998 — Placed third in Spot News in KPA’s Weekly Division II.
1998 — Placed third in Sports Photography in KPA’s Weekly Division II.
1998 — Placed honorable mention in Sports Writing in KPA’s Weekly Division II.
1997 — Won Sports Column Writing in KPA’s Weekly Division II.
1997 — Placed third in Sports Writing in KPA’s Weekly Division II.
1997 — Recognized for Distinguished Media Publicity from the Goodland Ambassadors Club.
1996 — Named Woman of the Year by Goodland (Kan.) Business & Professional Women.
1996 — Placed third in Spot News for KPA’s Weekly Division II.
1996 — Placed third in Editorial Pages for KPA’s Weekly Division II.
1996 — Placed second in Best Use of More Than One Color’s Weekly Division from the Kansas Newspaper Advertising Association (KNAA).
1996 — Placed honorable mention in Best Single Ad – Black and White in Weekly Division II from the KNAA.
1995 — Won General Excellence Award in KPA’s Weekly Division I. The award is given to the best newspaper in the category.
1995 — Placed second in KPA’s Weekly Division I’s Editorial Page contest.
1991 — Received Black & Gold Award from Goodland High’s Girls Athletic Association. The award is given “for support and service to Goodland High School activities.”
1991 — Placed third in Commentary category in KPA’s Daily Division I.
1991 — Earned honorable mention for Sportswriting in KPA’s Daily Division I.
The 1980s
1989 — Named Best in the Nation for single-sport brochure in College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division B.
1989 — Named Best in the Nation for women’s field hockey brochure in CoSIDA Division B.
1988 — Named Fourth Best in the Nation from CoSIDA for men’s basketball brochure.