SUMMARY

Financial Communications and Public Relations Manager with top-notch writing skills. A team player with the credentials and credibility to lead. Analytical, quantitative, and exceptionally creative.
•  Comprehensive financial market knowledge.
•  Savvy, strategic thinking about how to serve shareholders and investors.
• Valuable contacts and peer relationships in local and national media.


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Financial investor, writer
Self-employed, Denver, CO - 2005 to 2008
Markets:
•  Trading for my own accounts in stocks, options, commodity futures, currencies.
•  Trained, experienced in technical charting and analysis.
•  Expert fundamental research of tech, alternative energy, emerging market companies.
Media:
•  Monthly articles on residential real estate investing (published in the Denver Post since January 2007) on foreclosure and related consumer-protection law, mortgage lending and borrowing, property redevelopment, green building (www.larocque.biz/media-realestate.htm).
•  Contributor to online forums and blogs on economy, stock market, trading, real estate.
More:
•  Trained in foreclosure investing (seminars, boot camps), commodity futures and options strategies, technical chart analysis, foreign exchange and related economics. Extensive reading of real estate and investment books.
•  Wrote a 50,000-word novel (unpublished) about foreign exchange traders.

Senior Communicator
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO - 2001 to 2005
•  Lead writer, project manager of many U.S. Department of Energy and other government communications: newsletters, magazines, fact sheets, white papers, web sites.
•  Editor, 11 issues, Alternative Fuel News (www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/ccn/archive/archive.html). Covering transportation technology, alt fuels; also renewable energy, solar, wind, air quality and emissions.
•  Managed article assignments, writer subcontracts, graphic design, printing, distribution, web content.
•  Steadily increased publication scope, editorial quality, circulation, and client-negotiated budgets.
•  Innovative media relations led to many successful article placements in trade press.
•  Created and conducted writing classes for writers and technical staff.

Communications supplier, consultant
Denver, Chicago - 1996 to 2001
•  Serving primarily Amoco Corporation (now BP). Articles, scripts, speeches, releases, manuals, brochures. Published ongoing newsletters and magazines. Subcontracted print and web design, printing, distribution.
•  Produced sales-training videos, multimedia presentations.
•  Automotive media consultant to leading PR agency: Leo Burnett USA, Chicago.
•  Researched, wrote monthly performance updates for managed-futures commodity funds.

Additional accomplishments in journalism and public affairs

•  Contributing editor, New York Times Magazine Group's Snow Country magazine. Specialty in autos: buying, driving, travel (www.larocque.biz/autowrite.htm); lifestyle, sports features (www.larocque.biz/media.htm).
•  Articles in Motor Trend, Road & Track, Outside, Open Road, Ski Business, Redbook, Woman's Day, Men's Journal, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Denver Post.
•  TV, video producer. Creator, writer, on-camera host, Colorado Car Talk. Non-commercial public-access cable show available weekly in 90,000 metro Denver homes.
•  Writer of monthly updates to investors in managed commodity futures funds.

For Amoco Corporation, Chicago:
•  Managed editorial content and production for publications read by 50,000 employees; also franchisees, retirees. Company news and features; releases, executive speeches, scripts. Petroleum exploration, refining, marketing.
•  Editor, The Right Chemistry, magazine on formal quality-improvement at Amoco Chemical.
•  Developed corporate mission and vision statements, communication strategies.
•  Trained in quality management, crisis communications, financial writing

•  Numerous articles on auto service and technology for professional technicians. Electrical, mechanical, fuel and ignition systems; steering and suspension, etc. Devised vehicle-specific service procedures.
•  Certified in seven of eight categories, National Institute for Automotive Service.
•  Reporter, daily and weekly newspapers including the Post Register (Idaho Falls), Idaho Mountain Express (Ketchum/Sun Valley), Wood River Journal (Hailey).
•  Covered environment, education, government, courts. U.S. Senate and congressional elections, national conservation issues, local politics. Editorial writer and columnist.
•  Excellence Award, column-writing, Idaho Press Association.

 

EDUCATION
•  University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bachelor of Arts, News-editorial Journalism
•  Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
•  Coursework in finance, managerial and tax accounting, strategic planning, marketing.

 

COMPUTER SKILLS
•  Expert: Excel, Access - integrated spreadsheet and database skills.
•  Intermediate: FrontPage web design; PowerPoint presentations.
•  Experience in digital video, audio editing; video and still photography.

 

More than 100 work samples at www.larocque.biz