Ryan Gerding
Chief Public Relations Officer
(I was told there would be barbecue.)
When I grow up I want to be:
Not gonna happen.
A favorite read:
The EAG employee handbook. It’s a crackling yarn.
Favorite food:
If I got to pick my last meal, it would be the burnt ends from Gates Barbecue.
Or maybe I should go with bottomless shrimp, because I could just keep ordering more and then my last meal would never end.
Significant people:
My incredible wife, Kelly; my three sons, Jack, Kyle, and Nick; and my cute doggo Alley.
Also, any server at Gates Barbecue.
Favorite movie:
Like many middle-aged men, I’m a Star Wars dork. So just about any one of them. Except Rise of Skywalker. That movie was trash.
Fun fact:
I have been struck by lightning. Seriously. It happened when I was a teenager, playing baseball in my back yard. When it struck it split into a bunch of tiny lightning bolts and one of them hit me on the head. I choose to believe this is why I’m bald. The only side effect is that any time I walk by a microwave in use, I wet my pants and forget who I am for half an hour.
What I’ve done and what I do:
I’m a proud graduate of the University of Missouri Journalism School (Go Tigers!). I spent eight years as a local TV reporter, anchor, and photographer where I covered everything from presidents to a two-headed pig (that’s big news in Iowa, where I worked at the time!).
As a public relations professional I’m proud to have worked on campaigns that landed coverage in major TV networks, top tier print publications, and tiny trade outlets. I’m always fascinated to learn how other companies get people to write them a check.
Outside of work I love to cook, and I love going on adventures with my lovely wife, Kelly. She could make watching paint dry a fun experience.
