Introducing the New Faces of BOCA: Alyssa Marty

A California native and neighbor of the SF Bay Area, Alyssa grew up in Lodi – a town near Sacramento. Alyssa then found herself living in Arizona to acquire her degrees in Journalism and Human Communications from The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. Also a Yoga instructor, Alyssa breathes balance and harmony into her PR practices and her new role as Senior Account Executive at BOCA. We look forward to our first Yoga sessions in our offices. In the meantime, we’re excited to get to know her a little more…

What do you find most interesting about BOCA?
The thing I find most interesting about BOCA is the dynamic group of personalities. With more than 30 employees, we all come from different walks of life and that’s awesome because we all bring something unique to the table. In just over a month at BOCA I have already made some really great friends and I truly enjoy working with every person at the agency. BOCA is an environment where everyone can truly be him or herself and grow in what he or she is good at. I believe that one of the reasons our agency is so successful is because we have such a diverse group of talented people who together are unstoppable. Our clients are also crazy interesting. In the healthcare space, what these companies are doing will touch everyone’s lives and it’s pretty incredible and rewarding to be a part of it all.

What brought you back to California and what is your favorite place to visit?
I am a California girl! :) I was born in Sacramento, CA and raised just an hour away in Lodi, CA. I spent about seven years living in Arizona and I missed my family and friends back home like crazy. Coming from a small town, I grew up in a super tight community and I love going back to visit as much as I can; it’s something I can do a lot more frequently (almost every weekend) now that I am back in California!

Now that I’ve experienced living in another place, I can definitely say that I have no plans to leave California again… ever. I can’t commit to what climate I like best so having access to both the beach and the mountains within just a short drive is one of my favorite things about California. My favorite place to visit is Lake Tahoe. The peacefulness and the beauty of Lake Tahoe is second to none and I have a strange obsession with snow sports. I may not be the best skier but it’s one of my favorite things to try (and fail at).

What do you miss most about Arizona?
There are a ton of things I miss about Arizona. Most of all I miss the friends I made while I was there. I left some really great people there and I cannot wait to go back and visit them. I also miss the beauty. Arizona is one of the most beautiful states I’ve ever been to, especially the town of Sedona.

Who inspires you day in and day out?
This is a tough one. I have so many great people in my life and they all inspire me in different ways. I have a really inspirational group of friends that are all doing crazy cool things with their lives and their drive and success is something I really look up to. Last year, my best friend Gianna moved back from New York City to open a coffee shop in our hometown. She’s grown so much in the past year personally and professionally; it’s incredibly inspiring to see someone chase her dreams and make them a reality. We’re from a very small community and watching her flourish and make a name for herself has inspired me to start my own business. I started my business, SHINE Yoga, earlier this year and Gianna has been my biggest supporter. Through her coffee company and connections she’s made, I have built some amazing relationships and have started to build a recognized brand in our community. Gianna’s connected me with local developers and influencers who are helping me build out a plan to open a studio in the next few years. I teach classes twice a month at Gianna’s coffee shop and we’ve co-branded the classes to support both our businesses. It’s been hugely successful for both of us and it’s taught me the real meaning of giving back to the community. If you’re ever in Stockton, come check out our Sip N’ Stretch class. :)

Outside the BOCA environment, what are you passionate about?
My first love is yoga. The way that it makes you feel mentally and physically is something I’ve never been able to find anywhere else. I stepped into my first yoga class seven years ago and never looked back. Now that I am a teacher, I’ve gotten to experience sharing my love for yoga with other people and it’s pretty amazing.

Something else that’s special to me about yoga is the people that I’ve met through practicing at different studios. Some of my closest friends are people that I met in my classes or through the teacher training program.

What would you consider to be the key to success as a Senior Account Executive?
I think the key to being successful in any PR role is harmony. It can be incredibly difficult to juggle your personal life and your work life as a PR professional. Instead of focusing intensely on balancing everything, work at harmonizing the two. The biggest difference between balance and harmony is that harmony allows you to accept the times when you cannot balance both and practice being at peace with the fact that sometimes one part of your life is going to take up more of your time than another. At BOCA, one of the MANY things that makes us a special agency is that we support each other in finding that harmony. We all do incredible work and we’re truly able to lead healthy and full lives even when life is chaotic.

The Transition to Value-Based Care: Technology Opportunities and Challenges

The transition from fee-for-service to value-based healthcare affects everyone, from payers to patients to employers. While this transition opens up complex healthcare challenges, technology companies are viewing it as an opportunity to deliver valuable solutions that can solve these challenges.

For example, using the latest database technology, companies are mining patient data records to predict which patients are at risk for developing a disease, such as in-hospital sepsis, a bacterial infection that kills millions per year.

Payers (insurance companies) and providers (hospitals and hospital groups) are leading the way in adopting new technologies that will help physicians transition from charging for office visits (fee-for-service) to charging based on the value of the services they provide for patients (value-based care).

The roadblocks standing in the way of the transition to value-based care are many, and most are based on physician, provider and payers’ willingness and capability to adopt and implement new technologies that, in their experience, they think will be difficult to support from an IT infrastructure standpoint.

Implementing the very same systems that payers and providers fear will cause stress, will in fact bring relief to the IT systems and the people that are overburdened. For example, big data companies like Altiscale are advancing precision medicine by helping providers determine optimal treatments based on genetic information, molecular analysis, environmental factors and statistical clustering.

As healthcare organizations navigate this transition, technology will play a key role in making it smooth and effective. Check back soon to see how technology can ease the transition.

Introducing the New Faces of BOCA: Briana Coons

BOCA isn’t a traditional communications agency. We have a specialist model to ensure that employees are happy and clients experience the highest results, which is why we first created the PR Analytics and Research Team. We’d like to introduce you to Briana Coons, one of our first additions to the team and our BOCA family.

Originally from Las Vegas, Briana went to college in Reno and has lived in the Bay area over the past seven years. She previously worked as an emergency 911 dispatcher, is a huge SF Giants fan, loves food and spends most of her free time training for triathlons or planning for her upcoming wedding.

What brought you to BOCA?

Believe it or not, fitness brought me to BOCA. I'm part of a local workout group and Brittney Danon, an SAE at BOCA, posted about a job opening at BOCA. I've known Brittney for 3 years and she always spoke highly of the people she worked with. Previously, I never really thought about working in PR, but now I'm happy I took a chance on BOCA. 

How would you describe your position?

I came in as part of the PR Analytics and Research team. Most of my days are spent conducting news sweeps for the agency and clients, tracking and sorting coverage, logging data and keeping my ears peeled and my fingers on the on the pulse of hot, timely news topics for clients to comment on. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve received a crash course on the media side of PR and excited to keep learning more about media relations.

What were you doing before BOCA and how have you been able to transfer your skillsets over to the world of PR?

Over the last seven years, I was a 911 dispatcher for a local police department. Prior to that, I worked as a dispatcher for the real "Reno 911.” My favorite saying at BOCA is, "It’s PR, not ER." Dealing with emergency situations has given me a calm demeanor that translates well into PR. I'm able to think quickly on my feet, remain calm and speak professionally in any situation.  

Outside the BOCA environment, what are you passionate about?

I'm passionate about fitness, specifically long distance triathlons. And food. I love to cook and love to eat. In the past year, I've competed in Ironman 70.3 races -- for those of you unfamiliar with triathlons, that’s a 1.2 mile open water swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run, all on the same day. While it may seem crazy, it gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. I'm also very passionate about health and wellness and am in the process of finishing my bachelor's degree in Healthy Lifestyles Coaching at Arizona State University Online. I'm also taking an online course to become an Ironman certified triathlon coach. Many people in this country lack the resources, time and money that triathlons require. As part of the Women for Tri ambassador group, I hope to get more people involved in the sport. Maybe I'll even convince a few BOCA staffers to join me in a race next year!

Is there anything you're currently training for?

I'm currently training for my first full marathon in December. If you asked me five years ago if I thought I'd ever even train for a 5k, I probably would have laughed at you. After my marathon, I'll start gearing up for another Ironman 70.3 race and possibly a full Ironman in July. I did my first triathlon after a friend dared me to... but as a result, I've never looked back.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

After going through some difficult times a few years ago, I found the girls of Tone It Up, Karena and Katrina. Their energy and message spoke to me in a way no other diet or fitness program had before. They encourage women to be their best self and to lift others up. My inspiration is not one single person, but rather the entire community of strong, beautiful women I've been able to connect with from all over the world. I've met some of my closest friends through Tone It Up and have been inspired to try so many new things and make myself a priority health-wise. If not for this group of women, I doubt I would have gone back to school, changed careers or crossed any finish lines. 

What tip would you give someone looking to balance work, a healthy lifestyle and training for a race?

Balance is hard. I juggle school, work, training, wedding planning and commuting over three hours per day. While it’s not easy, and I certainly miss out on a few social events, I know the struggle and sacrifice is well worth it. Plan, plan some more and be flexible. Some days, I don't get my workouts in. Other days, I have Taco Bell for dinner. And on another day, I eat lean, clean and green, rock it at work and run 10 miles afterwards. Make the healthy choice 90 percent of the time and it will pay off.

Also don’t be afraid to take chances. I was stuck in a career I didn’t love for the last 11 years, working 60 hour weeks and missing holidays with my family. I took a chance on BOCA a few months ago and could not be more thankful for the people and experiences they've given me. BOCA has shown me what it’s like to work for a company that truly cares and gives me the flexibility I need with school. I work hard so I can play hard. And so far, it's paying off. 

What Is Value-Based Healthcare and Why Should You Care?

The transition from fee-for-service to value-based care in healthcare is affecting everyone, from payors to patients to employers. Fee-for-service is now an outdated model of patient care that bases physician payments on the number of office visits or medical procedures that they perform. Value-based care reimburses physicians and healthcare providers for the quality of patient service that they provide.

What’s driving the shift to value-based care? Two things: the rising cost of healthcare and the unequal quality of care between patients.

How much does healthcare cost? The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country – about 18 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). At the current rate that healthcare spending is increasing, the U.S. could be spending 34 percent of GDP on healthcare by 2040.

Why does this matter, and why do we need value-based care? Because everyone deserves equal access to quality, low-cost healthcare, and if we don’t reduce the increasing cost of healthcare we risk reducing the amount of take-home pay for all Americans, which would impact the continued economic viability of the U.S.

Competition under the fee-based service model has unfortunately encouraged U.S. healthcare providers to shift costs, accumulate buying power and restrict services. In their must-read book called Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results published in 2006, Michael E. Porter and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg argue that new benchmarks in the healthcare industry can be created by shifting to a new model based on competition to deliver the highest quality of care for patients at the lowest cost.

Today, the sea change in healthcare delivery that was recommended by Drs. Porter, Teisberg and many others is well underway. Major changes in U.S. policy have been enacted that are affecting the way payors, providers and physicians are delivering care. This, in turn, is creating new opportunities in the Silicon Valley and beyond for new technology and tech-enabled solutions to solve healthcare problems.

Introducing the New Faces of BOCA: Erik Fowle

Ready to meet another new face at BOCA? Erik Fowle joined BOCA’s writing team this summer! Originally from the SF Bay Area, Erik went to college in upstate New York and has lived in San Francisco the past four years. During the past five years, Erik has worked in tech PR, at a software startup and as a freelance writer. He’s a big Bay Area sports fan – football and hockey being his favorites – and is always up for a Giants game.

What brought you to BOCA?
Short story: Natalie Wolfrom!

Long story: I was writing as a freelancer for about two years. But it's tiresome and often frustrating when work is inconsistent and I spend every day by myself. BOCA was both the end of a long journey looking for a full-time writing position and the beginning of collaborating with a real team of other creative human beings.

What is your favorite part of being a writer?
Writing has always been a passion, an emotional and creative outlet for me. I love that about it more than anything. I think people view writing as something that's totally on the right-brained side of the spectrum. And that's very true of, say, writing a short story or jotting something down before you go to sleep at night. But with projects like press releases and ghostwritten articles, I find that writing often feels much more like putting together a puzzle. How do I turn this research into something interesting that people will want to read? How do I turn a CEO's answers into a poignant story? There's a lot more logic involved in writing assignments than one might imagine.

I enjoy that I can be creative and still solve a puzzle. When a release I've written crosses the wire, a publication posts a byline I worked on or a client says, "This is great," I feel a big sense of accomplishment. Writing is so personal regardless of the topic or assignment, which is why I think it can be hard to accept criticism. There isn’t a better feeling than when you receive positive feedback or when you finally turn something into a finished product.

Who are your favorite authors/writers, and how have they influenced you today?
Oh, man. I love Ernest Hemingway. The fishing scene in The Sun Also Rises made me laugh because I can imagine sitting with a friend, drinking a few beers and having the same type of conversation they had. The Great Gatsby is my favorite book. The last page or so in particular is one of the most beautifully written things I've ever read. It's a reminder that not everyone has to be a minimalist. That there are so many different styles and so many ways to make a story work.

On the Road is a sometimes-unintelligible stream of consciousness. But it's amazing. I enjoy how so much of it is set in San Francisco and Northern California.

Cormac McCarthy is also an awesome author. Hemingway and McCarthy’s prose is a lesson in precision. In accomplishing so much with so little. In focusing on movement and action and dialogue.

Mario Vargas Llosa's The Bad Girl is an incredible love story. Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude is really something else. I wrote a paper in college on The Catcher in the Rye that I'm really proud of. I could go on.

What are some tips that you can suggest to the everyday person who wants to improve his/her writing?
Pay attention to what you read. The next time you read a book, an article or a story, find something that that author does well. Figure out why that style or strategy works. Then focus on that in the next thing you write. I find that writing, like sports, necessitates focus on one small thing at a time. You're not going to just go out there and get better at every aspect of soccer. But if you work on a skill until you've mastered it, then work on another and another, eventually the finished product is greater than the sum of all those individual things you've learned how to do. Writing is the same way. Focus on one thing at a time. Get better at it. Then focus on something else. It will all build on itself. Above everything, practice. Keep yourself writing something every day. Even if it's short or if you’re not happy with the initial draft(s). Write something.

My roommate has a New Yorker subscription so I'll open up to the fiction piece and read the first few paragraphs. If I'm hooked I'll keep reading. If not, I stop. It's helpful to see what makes those writers successful at developing a sense of mystery and suspense.

What is your tip for someone looking for a content position at a PR agency?
That's a good question. I really don't know. I got lucky with BOCA. When you're out there looking for a position, look for something that will allow you to focus on writing as much as possible. Once you've spent some time in a content-oriented role, it will be easier to move into other similar positions. Hopefully.

What do you do outside of work?
I play in a men's lacrosse league in the spring. We have games in Sausalito every Saturday and go to a big tournament at Lake Tahoe every summer - that's been a highlight of my summer for years. I play soccer in a few leagues in the city and try to play sports as often as possible. I don't like running for the sake of running - someone's got to be nipping at my heels if I'm going to get my legs moving.

I hike (Point Reyes is one of my favorite places for that) and sit in Golden Gate Park (or just the Panhandle) and go to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building. I like food. I like dive bars. I like Yosemite and I like kayaking. I like crossword puzzles (Mondays and Tuesdays, anyway). I love going to sports games. Hockey games are so much fun in person. It mixes the physicality of football with the fluid movement of soccer and, oh, yeah – they do it all on ice skates.

Do you have any current writing projects outside of work? If so, what are they?
I want to get a short story to a point where I'd consider submitting it for a contest. It would be fun to see what people actually thought of my writing.

Are you into spoken words or poem reciting? If so, what are some things you enjoy writing about?
Nope. I'm a terrible poet and don't enjoy the spotlight (unless it's playing sports under the lights). As far as writing in general, I write about whatever's on my mind. I write about things that keep popping up in my head over and over. I write about things I've done and seen. I write things I think I'd enjoy reading.

Here, There, Everywhere. BOCA on the Rise

This week, BOCA took the time to relax, have fun, reflect on the previous year’s successes and discuss what lies ahead.

To kick things off, we headed to the Mission District for some team bonding over a food tour hosted by Edible Excusions. Our lovely guides, Lisa Rogovin and Sophia Lorenzi, led us through a series of locations for tasty treats including Hawker Fare, Craftsman & Wolves, Bi-Rite, Duc Loi and Tacolicious. In typical BOCA fashion, the evening ended with dancing in the Castro. 

Reconvening at 9:00am the next day, the party-weary BOCAteers gathered to take family photos and “candid” shots for our new website (coming soon). After we filled up on breakfast from Specialty’s, our fearless leader Kathleen kicked off her presentation.

So where are we now? GROWING! Check out BOCA’s growth in both size and reach.

BOCA by the numbers:


BOCA by location:


Stay tuned for more posts about our exciting growth. But for now… here are photos from this week’s adventures:

BOCA loves its canine friends. Our dogs constantly invigorate our workdays with comforting hand licks and the sound of furry paws scampering across the floor.

The food tour kicks off! After chicken wings, mango salad and sticky rice at Hawker’s Fare, the BOCA team split into groups to enjoy the incredible edibles of the Mission, San Francisco’s most gastronomically inclined neighborhood.


Tour groups say a brief farewell to one another before venturing off into the San Francisco sunset for sumptuous bites and scrumptious beverages.

Ah yes, Craftsman & Wolves’ famed egg-filled muffins. The perfect meal after a long week of hard work.


Smiles abound as BOCAteers enjoy the best eats The City by the Bay has to offer


Banh mi sandwiches fill the belly with savory pork and the soul with dreams of far-off places


Bi-Rite ice cream cools our stomachs on a warm afternoon traipsing around the city’s hottest neighborhood.


Finally, Tacolicious graciously hosted the travel-weary team in their back room. Tacos and margaritas are a wonderful way to finish any evening. Until next time!

Still Dreaming of Dreamforce

They’ve done it again. Salesforce has pulled off another year of Dreamforce – four days of networking, innovation, education, parties and giving back.

Marching onto the pavement of Howard St., we saw more than just the Dreamforce Plaza… It was a Dream Park! It was as if we were walking past the gates of California Adventures or the spectacle of a State Fair. The streets were filled with chatter, business cards, bright lights and smart devices.

Months in advance, rumors spread like wildfire about what Salesforce would announce, who would be performing at Dreamfest and what would be the most interesting stunt. Salesforce delivered on all fronts.

In case you missed it, here are our top 10 highlights from Dreamforce 2015:

1. This year, Salesforce collected and donated 1,006,225 books. Talk about the largest book drive in the history of book drives.

2. Among one of the major announcements was Salesforce’s follow-up of 2014’s RelatedIQ with SalesforceIQ CRM solution—both for Small Business and Sales Cloud. Although Salesforce already has a CRM called Sales Cloud that integrates with over a thousand third-party software applications, SalesforceIQ for Small Business is an “out-of-the-box” CRM that automatically tracks and analyzes day-to-day business interactions with potential and existing customers.

Who the heck cares? Well this new advance in technology means making quicker connections and eliminating the pain salespeople endure while going back and forth analyzing emails.

3. Female executives hit the stage! Speakers Jessica Alba, founder of The Honest Company and Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, joined Gayle King for a candid discussion on women in the workplace and in leadership roles.

4. One of the keynotes quickly became a trending topic on social networks. Led by Parker Harris, co-founder of Salesforce, better known as the “Lightning Man,” and dozens of others came onto the stage in blue with stunning leotards and stage props that symbolized the mighty “Lighting” and “Thunder” platforms Salesforce now offers.

Parker demoed the ladder platforms and, more specifically, the new IoT cloud service, which augments the existing partnership with Microsoft. For the industry, this news was demonstrative of Microsoft and Salesforce, two former-CRM archrivals, putting their differences aside to integrate Microsoft’s Office Delve, Office Graph, Skype for Business and OneNote products directly into Salesforce.

5. Right next door to our office at Pier 70 on Wednesday evening was none other than the annual Dreamfest. This year featured performances from Gary Clark Jr., The Killers and the Foo Fighters.

6. Stevie Wonder opened for Marc Benioff, and it doesn’t get much better than that! The singer/song writer put on quite the show, playing his classics from the 70’s, and even changing the lyrics of his famous hit, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” to “Dreamforce is the sunshine of my life.”

7. Dreamboat was the newest Celebrity (Infinity) to reside in our cold San Francisco Bay waters; it housed over 1,100 Dreamforce attendees and guests. Towering over the buildings, the extravagant cruise ship was easy to spot along the Embarcadero.

8. Salesforce announced a significant partnership with AthenaHealth. Together, the companies are working together to create the WISDOM study, a new approach that will completely revolutionize breast cancer research and treatment. According to Laura Esserman, a world-renowned breast cancer surgeon and oncologist, the WISDOM study will use Salesforce to assist in analyzing whether annual mammograms or a more personalized approach to breast cancer screening is more effective.

9. As an SF-based company, we love seeing our sports teams represented! Bob Myers, general manager, and Rick Welts, president and CEO, of the Golden State Warriors (#DubNation) discussed their Strength in Numbers strategy and what they look for in building a championship-caliber team. Larry Baer, president and CEO of the San Francisco Giants (#SFGiants), discussed the team’s culture of success that led to three World Series titles in the past five years. NBD.

10. The Cloud Expo was not only a highlight because of the 400+ exhibitors drawing attendees to their booths to sit in on demos and sessions, have their badges scanned and to receive company swag (though exciting), but because of the 11 BOCA clients that were part of that number! Highlights include Birst, Clarizen, Druva, Hoopla, Jitterbit, Livefyre, NewVoiceMedia, Seismic, The TAS Group, Velocify and Vlocity.

There may not have been actual clouds, thunder or lightning during this year’s Dreamforce, but there was plenty in the digital and virtual atmosphere. Check out our photos below and thank you Salesforce for throwing yet another amazing event. We can’t wait for next year!

Perspective: From the Valley Fire to Silicon Valley

Everyone stop for a second and consider what’s happening around us. In the San Francisco Bay Area alone, Dreamforce is underway, Oracle and Adobe had their earnings calls and the anticipated iPhone 6s is projected to beat sales records.

While we’re in the Silicon Valley hustling and bustling…looking for the next tech unicorn, what’s happening with the rest of the world…with the rest of California…or even just two hours away?

The Valley fire, joining the Butte fire, is taking Northern California by storm. The source, to be confirmed, started in Cobb on Saturday afternoon. The smoke quickly expanded and hovered like clouds before a large downpour of rain, confusing many residents. Quickly, the dry grassland (thank you climate change and global warming) was engulfed by the flames. Steered by heavy winds, the flames were directed straight toward Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake.

Then, the evacuation process began. In a rural area with limited cell service, alerts were not triggered. Notifications were issued publicly online, people were rushing the streets shouting and calling loved ones, telling family, friends and neighbors to evacuate.

With construction on Mt. St. Helena (one of two routes to exit the mountain), it was clear traffic was going to be a nightmare. Many turned around in an effort to recollect additional belongings and find their pets, while others sat in panic and waited out the traffic.

Residents escaped to evacuation shelters across Calistoga, Clearlake and Kelseyville. Others stayed with close friends or family members.

The hardest part of the entire process is the waiting game. Waiting to find out if your house fell victim to the flames, or if by some miracle, it was missed. Of course the waiting game reignites each morning, in the case the flames took a new course overnight. Those with cable and Internet access scan the web, social networks and television networks for updates. Scrolling through photos and videos available for any sign their home is still there.

One by one, Facebook status updates and GoFundMe pages have been popping up left and right, supporting families that had lost their homes and everything in it. While the essentials are replaceable, many things are not. Those impacted are now haunted by the happy memories that were so easily burned away.

As of Wednesday evening, 70,200 acres were burned with only 35 percent contained, 585 homes destroyed, four firefighters had second-degree burns and one civilian fatality.

At BOCA, this reminds us to take a step back and to think about how lucky we are to have what we have, be where we are and to give when we can. This post was written, because the fire impacted not only our fellow California residents, but our very own friends and families. We do not take it lightly and want to do everything we can to help.

Please stand with us and give back to those who need us. Let’s unite as a city, county, state and country to donate what we can and rebuild when this is all over, whether it’s through awareness or physical donations.

All types of donations are being accepted and volunteer opportunities are available for disaster recovery efforts through American Red Cross. Families impacted are accepting monetary donations at their individual GoFundMe pages.