About this user
In 2006, Bev Oster celebrated the twentieth birthday of Oster and Associates—a true accomplishment for a small business in the volatile advertising, marketing and public relations industry. Bev's award-winning San Diego agency has helped many local, regional and national businesses build their brands. All the while, she has also acted upon a deep-seeded desire to contribute to the community.
Bev began her advertising career in San Diego in 1975, armed with a BA in International Relations with an emphasis in Economics earned at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She first worked in radio advertising sales and sales management and then founded Oster and Associates in 1986. In 1994, she added an MBA in Marketing from San Diego State University to her credentials.
Over the span of her career, Bev has won numerous awards. Most recently, she was honored with the 2006 Paula E. Sullivan Award, a lifetime achievement award given by the San Diego Advertising Club each year to an individual who has significantly contributed to the quality and growth of the industry and who has also been a leader in her community, volunteering time and talent. In 1998 Bev was named a lifetime member of Who's Who in American Business for the role she played in developing the global world of advertising and advertising.
Bev's kindness, generosity and commitment to helping others are the very heart of Oster and Associates. Called "a jewel in San Diego" in California CEO Magazine for her "contribution to the San Diego community and her commitment to corporate responsibility", Bev has used her seemingly endless energy to actively participate in many local charitable organizations. She is a founding member and current President of the San Diego Advertising Fund for Emergencies, which provides much-needed assistance to members of the local industry who are facing hardships in their lives. She is involved with such organizations as the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation and Multiple Sclerosis Society, and regularly goes to Mexico to help build homes for the disadvantaged.
On Bev's long list of accomplishments her commitment to the advertising industry is clearly evident. She was a founding member of the San Diego chapter of American Women in Radio and Television in 1978. In 2000 she received the San Diego YWCA's Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) award. She is a former President and Chairman of the Board of the Advertising Club of San Diego and has contributed her time to the American Advertising Federation, the connecting link between the local and national advertising industries. Bev also guest-lectures in marketing classes at San Diego State University, University of San Diego and University of California, San Diego. Bev has contributed articles to professional publications within the advertising and marketing industry as well has in her clients' industries. She has established an active internship program, giving many young women and men their first professional experience in advertising; several have become employees over the years.
Through Oster and Associates, Bev has always provided pro bono work to nonprofit organizations. In 2003, wanting to have a bigger impact, she started a program that would significantly help local nonprofits gain exposure and raise money. The entire agency helps select the organization to work with for a year, and then enthusiastically contributes with strategic planning and creativity, averaging over 900 hours a year. In 2004, ElderHelp of San Diego became Oster and Associates' first large-scale pro bono client. The San Diego Humane Society benefited in 2005; the company helped the organization raise 150 percent more than it had in previous years with a fundraising event. This year, Oster and her employees are contributing to the local arts community by taking on North Coast Repertory Theatre.
Bev has grown her agency from a one person shop to a fast-paced, respected firm making a mark on the San Diego community. In 2000 Ken Blanchard Companies and the San Diego Business Journal named Oster and Associates one of the Best Companies to Work For in San Diego. As recently stated in a spotlight feature in the San Diego Business Journal, Bev's philosophy is to "grow each individual on the team," a personal goal she accomplishes on a regular basis. She takes the time out of her busy schedule to work with each employee to help them identify and bring out their best. She's a caring and loyal leader who mentors and inspires her employees and stands as an example of how to do business with your heart as much as your head.
