Bloggers

Molly Saunders – St. Louis, Mo.

My name is Molly and I work in the Digital Marketing department at Build-A-Bear Workshop. You’ll probably see that many stories will be written by me. I figured some of you might eventually want to know the person behind the stories, so here is MY story of becoming a bear.

I started with the company as a 12-year-old Cub Advisor to Maxine. I helped in the store as much as I could and worked in the store and Bearquarters throughout high school. I went away to college and realized that I had to write to be happy. I received a degree in journalism from the University of Central Missouri (although it will always be Central Missouri State University to me.) After graduating, like many my age, I was searching for a job. I worked in retail for a year while looking for a position where I could use my skills. As soon as a position opened up at the World Bearquarters I was on it! I’ve officially been back for two-and-a-half years, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else. It’s like home. And the best part? I get to be close to, you, our Guests!

I’ve been a bear for most of my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of such an amazing company that does so much good and helps so many people. I hope you will join me on this exciting new adventure in the digital world! I want you to share your comments and stories and feelings about each post, especially the ones that touch your heart. If you have questions or ideas you’d like us to write about, just let us know by sending an email to Blog@buildabear.com. Thanks for reading!

Julia Roberts – Atlanta, Ga.

Julia Roberts, a wife, mom, speaker/writer and business owner, she writes a personal blog at Kidneys and Eyes. In 2010, Julia co-founded Support for Special Needs.com, a social network for special needs families. Her kids, Gage and Quinnlin, have a vision disorder, a kidney disease and developmental delays as a result of a new syndrome with three known cases in the world. They’ve endured kidney failure, dialysis, mental illness and receive a lot of special education services. Married 18 years, she tries to have a sense of humor about life, which is why she and husband Julian joke that the first one to leave the marriage has to take the kids. Quinnlin’s story of special needs with Champerina, a Build-A-Bear Workshop bear, is the inspiration for her posts and is told with her input and approval!

New Store www.sliceofcrazypie.com/shop

Networking site for Special Needs www.supportforspecialneeds.com

Personal Blog www.kidneysandeyes.com

Twitter juliaroberts1 and supportSN

Dr. Rus Jeffrey – Newark, N.Y.

About The Original General Sarge
“Comforting Military Families One Furry Friend At A Time”

Dr. Rus Jeffrey and his wife Sandra’s son, PFC Benjamin Jeffrey, is currently serving in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Lewis, WA as part of 11B Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Battalion. He’s scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan in the beginning of 2012.

At the age of 10 they gave Benjamin a Christmas Gift Certificate for Build-A-Bear Workshop. For as long as they can remember Ben has always wanted to join the Army. So, it really came as no surprise that he named his bear Sarge and dressed him in an Army uniform. On his 18th birthday in August 2010 Ben joined the Army as an active duty soldier.

Before heading for Basic Training at Fort Benning, GA they gave Sarge a new uniform. Ben instantly recognized that Sarge was promoted to General Sarge. Dr. Rus started taking daily pictures of things General Sarge was doing each day and it has now grown into an organization that “deploys” Build-A-Bear Workshop teddy bears to military children.

For more information visit…
www.GeneralSarge.com

Candy Tai – Overland Park, Kan.

Candy Tai currently resides in the Kansas City area and is the Founder of a hyper-local website for families, KCMetroMoms.com and is the blogger behind Mommypalooza.com. She fell in love with the Build-A-Bear Workshop brand and philosophy in the summer of 2010 when she visited the World Bearquarters for a social media and blogging workshop. It was during this trip that she made her very first friend, Aloha Kitty, as part of her visit to the very first store in the St. Louis Galleria.

Candy is married to David – her high school sweetheart – and is passionate about mothering her three boys ages 8, 6, and 2. She is a die-hard fan of college football and enjoys hot summer days. In her (almost non-existent) spare time, she enjoys volunteering at her church, web site design, swimming, travel, watching reality TV, reading non-fiction, and playing on the Wii with her kids!

www.mommypalooza.com

At Build-A-Bear Workshop we are proud to partner with Candy in 2012. She is one of our official 15 Friends.

Angela Roy – Fort Lewis, Wa.

Angela is a seasoned Military spouse & mom of 2 daughters. In 2007, she stumbled onto social media and blogging, creating her own blog Mommy PR, in spring 2009. Bringing on 3 friends, they have created an online resource of product & travel reviews, giveaways and promotions, spanning over 5,000 articles alone.

Angela first found Build-A-Bear Workshop in 2010. With the travelings of the Military family, they had to say goodbye to many friends. Looking for a way to keep her daughters friendships alive, they began to incorporate Build-A-Bear into their daily lives.

Build-A-Bear has now become a positive staple in their immediate & extended family, and will be joining in their next adventure overseas! Pawsports ready!

Follow Angela on Twitter @MommyPR

At Build-A-Bear Workshop we are proud to partner with Angela in 2012. She is one of our official 15 Friends.

Lee Nadler – New York City, N.Y.

I had an opportunity to work closely with Maxine Clark and the fine folks at Build-A-Bear-Workshop when I was serving as the first Chief Marketing & Interactive Officer of RIDEMAKERZ.  I was very appreciative of the Build-A-Bear-Workshop approach to teamwork, perseverance and serving others.

I’ve enjoyed many other experiences along my 20+ year career Path, including: launching Snapple at ad agency Kirshenbaum & Bond; defining DoubleClick as first head of Marketing; building innovative marketing agency Digital Pulp as CEO; Working on NY/NJ Super Bowl bid; running marketing as CMO of eMusic; and founding Sherpa Marketing – a consulting firm I’ve run for ten years with clients such as: BMW, CNN, Gilt and Yahoo!

Along the Path, I’ve made note of unique experiences and people. Maxine is one of those people.

The most dramatic shift in my perspective came years ago in the Himalayas where I met Sherpas, guides who overcome incredible obstacles to reach the world’s highest Summit. I found their approach motivating and empowering. I will be on an expedition to Mt. Everest Base Camp in March/April 2012 to learn more about Sherpas and inevitably about myself.

The Sherpa Path shares what I am learning and I hope will inspire others to reach their “Summit of Success.”

I invite you to follow at http://www.TheSherpaPath.com/blog and to share by commenting and by inviting your friends onto The Sherpa Path.

onward and upward,

Lee Nadler

NYC

Molly Gold – Apex, N.C.

Molly Gold is a pioneer Mompreneur, launching GO MOM!^® Inc. more than a dozen years ago. Specializing first in consumer products and now an established and highly sought after brand partner, Molly is widely recognized as the voice of organized motherhood.

Easily found on Twitter and Facebook, Molly shares innovative content through her website, video blogs, and extensive appearances in all forms of media. Molly’s effusive warmth and candid manner have made her a favorite of both brands and agencies alike. Well respected by her colleagues, she has become a popular conference speaker and brand favorite for press events, conference partnerships, and ongoing social media consultation creating community engagement and customer centric campaigns.

At Build-A-Bear Workshop we are proud to partner with Molly in 2012. She is one of our official 15 Friends.

Brandy Walleshauser – Huntington, N.Y.

Brandy is a stay ay home mom of 3 kids, all under the age of 8, residing right outside of New York City. She started blogging in 2008 as a staple outside of her life as a mom. It turned into a full-time blogging job, working with brands like Hormel foods, and Build-A-Bear Workshop. When she isn’t chasing kids around she is writing at No Time Mommy.

She first found Build-A-Bear Workshop in 2009. After moving around a lot, her children had trouble making new friends, and being able to make their own furry friends made them feel at home. Now 3 years later her family has welcomed 20 more Build-A-Bear friends into their lives.

You can follow her on Twitter @notimemommy

At Build-A-Bear Workshop we are proud to partner with Brandy in 2012. She is one of our official 15 Friends.

Maricris Guadagna – Charlotte, N.C.

Maricris Guadagna is the co-founder and Social Media Director of Lake Norman Tai Chi Center, a martial arts school that embodies her love for everything zen; a philosophy that she applies in her nationally-acclaimed lifestyle blog, ZensibleMama.com. She is a self-professed geek with a comprehensive background in marketing and extensive training in sales and corporate customer service. She is a seasoned international traveler with a new-found personal mission to help homeless children in her community through charitable projects every year.

Maricris, who migrated from the Philippines nine years ago, was introduced to the world of Build-A-Bear during the 2010 Disney Social Media Moms Conference where she met Maxine Clark. Since then Build-A-Bear Workshop has become a part of her charitable causes, her life, her travel adventures and most of all, her family!

Maricris was recently featured as a Mompreneur in the Charlotte Observer and in a nationally-syndicated radio show, Coach Lynn Show. A firm believer of less talk, more work!

At Build-A-Bear Workshop we are proud to partner with Maricris in 2012. She is one of our official 15 Friends.