Paula Mahony
President & Chief Strategist

Jenn Durgin
Marketing Manager

Eloise Melzer
Brand & Content Manager

PAULA MAHONY – PRESIDENT & CHIEF STRATEGIST
Creating successful solutions to clients’ problems is what makes Paula Mahony tick. Paula has built a reputation for creating interesting and yet ever-so-simple concepts that deliver incredible results. A bit of a rogue marketer, she specializes in envisioning new approaches and unique solutions. In her corporate life, her strength was her ability to build collaborative teams. As a business owner, she translates that strength into teams with one clear goal: client success.

When she established Words@Work in 1993, Paula committed herself to helping clients identify the key elements of their vision and plan. Since then, Paula has provided concept and copy direction for clients large and small including: QVC, collectiblestoday.com, WebMD, Schiavi Home Builders, United Insurance, UNUM, and the Towns of Falmouth and Cumberland, ME. Sometimes, ideas take unique form. Paula’s solution for VNA Homehealth Hospice resulted in the award-winning Ask for VNA campaign and set the organization well apart from other competitors. For the Town of Falmouth, addressing the needs of the retail business district led to the creation of Very Merry Falmouth – a three-day celebration that attracts hundreds of shoppers to the Route One corridor.

Paula believes that for organizations to succeed in today’s ever-changing world, they must focus on genuine messages of value, benefit, and need. Paula has carefully crafted Words@Work to be an off-site marketing department instead of an ad agency. Words@Work is centered on strong relationships—with, between, and among clients, team members, and vendors.

Paula is a member of the Portland Regional Chamber, a board member of the Falmouth Cumberland Community Chamber of Commerce and Dancing with the Dentists. She is on the Programming Committee of the Institute for Family Owned Business. She volunteers her time with Winter Kids and the Falmouth Land Trust. When not at work, she stays busy golfing, skiing, romping with her Black Lab and observing the behaviors of her Millennial children.

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JENN DURGIN – MARKETING MANAGER
Driving client success is at the heart of every project Jenn manages. Whether developing a digital campaign to target prospective buyers or creating a branded event from scratch, Jenn’s purpose is singular and goal driven. She began her marketing career at a national event management firm where she built and simultaneously executed large scale events in several locations. For her, creating signature events for Words@Work clients is a lot more fun. She enjoys working closely with her key contacts and helping them reach their goals. With her guidance, clients stay on track and on budget. Jenn manages digital marketing, social media content, email campaigns, and website content to provide clients with multi-layered marketing campaigns that are strategic and on brand.

“To me, what sets Words@Work apart is that we don’t ‘rinse and repeat’ the same tactics for every client. I like that we treat each client as a unique challenge. We work closely together and become an extension of the client’s marketing department. We are an advocate for the brand just as much as anyone on the client side. Our goal is to create unique campaigns based on the brand, culture, audience demographic, and voice.”

Communication is a key ingredient in creating and maintaining a collaborative partnership. Each client is recognized as unique and the solutions to each project are found by listening intently to the clients’ vision and creating solutions to achieve or surpass expectations. “Everyone wants to be appreciated and feel that their voices are really heard.” Jenn believes there is an art to listening to what people are saying, as the words being said in the moment don’t always convey the true goals. The culture and mission at Words@Work is perfectly in line with that philosophy.

Jenn received her B.S. in Business with a concentration in Marketing from University of Maine at Orono. She is has earned certification in Google Analytics. She has two sons, Jerod and Liam – both of whom are in college, and she enjoys spending time with friends and family, and spoiling her dogs, Jojo & Remi.

ELOISE MELZER – BRAND & CONTENT MANAGER
A big believer in the power of storytelling for communication and connection, Eloise joined the Words@Work team in 2018. Her curiosity and commitment to storytelling has led her to travel around the country in an airstream-trailer recording interviews and work with independent radio producers on various projects. With her background in oral history, Eloise has a knack for asking questions that go beneath the surface so clients can articulate their values in language that engages and inspires. From crafting email newsletters to developing powerful web copy to creating successful PR strategies, Eloise uses her creativity and keen listening skills to help businesses find their voice, define their values, and connect their story with the right audiences.

“It is such a rewarding process to help clients think deeply about what is important to their business and their brand. We get to collaborate with so many incredible Maine businesses and I love creating a space where clients get to talk about what lights them up in their work. It inspires me and is at the core of how we craft a powerful messaging strategy that will connect with others.”

Eloise holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Middlebury College and also attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Outside of Words@Work, she also teaches storytelling to new Mainers with the nonprofit In Her Presence. Eloise lives in Portland with her husband and two children.