Meet Board Member Andrea Wasilew-Larson

At an early age, Andrea Wasilew-Larson learned the fine art of blending family and business from her parents.  She and her Sister were given the opportunity to work for pay in their parents' Northern Michigan Mini-Mart. "My big job was to help Mom bake the bread, make donuts and pies in the bakery. It was thrilling to help out with such an important job....and of course taste-test along the way. Customers could smell the aromas from down the street. The bakery was very popular I must say." Andrea smiled proudly while describing the fond memory. "The experience of working at such a young age and growing up with entrepreneur parents gave us a life-long appreciation and inspiration for entrepreneurship, work-ethic and a drive to succeed."

Andrea relocated to San Diego, California with her family where she earned degrees in Business Management and Marketing from the University of Phoenix. She interned at a private equity firm and then moved into challenging marketing and public relations positions in both public and private sectors in the fields of finance, oil and gas, insurance and advertising. As many of us have done, Andrea worked hard "climbing the corporate ladder".

While she always "gave it her all", she didn't always receive the credit that she deserved. Andrea decided to leave the corporate environment to start her own business when she was working in an advertising agency as an account executive. She recalls, "I created many successful campaigns and PR programs and won a few awards. This was a very rewarding job. One day, I arrived at the office to find a number of us were being laid off due to a slow economy, slow business. This was very surprising to us and unexpected. From that day on, the lights came on about starting my own agency with a different business model - one that would focus on small and large businesses without the obnoxious retainer fees agencies are known for. It took only one year to really start to feel the firm's success growing. I could never imagine changing this decision to start my own business."

Andrea has been at the helm of Elure Marketing Group now for 5 years. Elure has locations in both Bend and San Diego. Her ideal client, she says is "any size company seeking growth through marketing." Elure provides marketing plans, advertisements, direct mail, special events, and press releases. Each client receives customized  services targeted to their specific needs. Best of all, Elure delivers top-notch marketing without charging huge retainer fees. In addition, Andrea offers potential clients a complimentary hour of professional consultation.

Andrea truly enjoys living in Bend with her husband and 14-month-old daughter Adella. An avid runner, she also loves hiking, skiing and snowshoeing.  She also appreciates vacationing abroad and has traveled to Spain, Portugual, Australia and New Zealand.

As a busy mom, Andrea loves the freedom that having her own business gives her. Her success is an inspiring example to us to always believe in ourselves and follow our passions.