Elaina J. Spring, CMP - Guiding Principles

☺ Positive Attitude

Life is good.

I am a healthy, happy, intelligent woman in her early 50's with fantastic friends, a loving husband, and two wonderful teenagers.

I hold two passports, have traveled to more than a dozen countries, and have eaten at several of the best restaurants in the world.

Over the past three decades, I have worked on extraordinary projects (both enormous and tiny) with several of the most talented, creative, and inspiring people on the planet.

I pride myself in being a polite, passionate people person with a reverent and creative dedication to living life to the fullest.

I believe my positive attitude is as contagious as my smile.

Integrity

I don't believe we are born with integrity but instead it develops and grows within us through experiences. For me, integrity resonates in tiny butterflies that dance deep in my gut when it becomes necessary to make a decision about something unusual or uncomfortable.

Honoring my code of moral and ethical principles is a way of life that assures me peace of mind and confidence. Living without them is simply not an option. At the end of the day, when I look at myself in the mirror, I always know I've made the correct choice. To this day I carry a gut-check tradition forward, personally and professionally.

Integrity relates to honesty and honesty to trust. However, talk is cheap. I don't expect you to take my word for any of this. Trust is not accepted freely but rather earned over time. Ya simply gotta see it to believe it.

Growth Mindset

I am driven by curiosity, challenges, and a love of learning. From supporting myself through college to earning a business certificate and becoming a Certified Meeting Professional, I’ve always sought opportunities to learn and stretch. Following my passion, I moved to Vancouver to contribute to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games while managing corporate events, a thrilling period of professional growth.

Later, I returned to Oregon to help grow our family wine business, dedicating myself to sustainable farming and innovative winemaking. Over the past decade, I’ve launched award-winning wines, managed tasting rooms, and developed immersive sensory experiences.

My journey reflects a commitment to lifelong learning, embracing new challenges, and following my heart and curiosity wherever they lead.

Creating Order

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting multiple organizations and diverse businesses, yet the role that has truly honed my ability to create order out of chaos is my work as a wife and mother over the past 18 years. Managing a household, raising children, coordinating schedules, and keeping everything running smoothly is by far the most challenging, and rewarding, work I’ve done. Through cultivating a life in balance, I’ve learned to juggle priorities, anticipate needs, and maintain structure in a dynamic environment, sharpening my organizational and problem-solving skills in ways no professional role ever could. Thankfully, the joys of family life, especially the small, everyday moments, make all the effort more than worthwhile.

Team

Leo Obstbaum served as Director of Design for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, BC, for the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC). Not only did we collaborate, I had the unforgettable experience of working directly under his leadership. Originally from Buenos Aires, Leo was living in Barcelona prior to moving to Vancouver to lead our design team.

In addition to Leo, I provided support to our vice president as well as entire brand & creative services team comprised of 32 full-time graphic designers, brand managers and project coordinators. Together we developed the 2010 Winter Games brand strategy, related design elements and key deliverables such as videos, emblems, mascots, medals, uniforms, torches, victory ceremony components, and overall graphic identity.

To this day, Leo remains the most passionate person I have ever met. He was a dreamer and saw endless possibilities everywhere. His enthusiasm was infectious and inspired me to constantly be looking deeper, thinking wider, and doing more.

Sadly, my friend and mentor died unexpectedly in his sleep of natural causes on August 21, 2009, six months before opening ceremonies.

Above all else, Leo showed me that I need to believe wholeheartedly in what I'm doing, or it isn't worth doing. To believe so deeply that I simply have no choice but to bring 110% every day. There is something remarkable about working with amazing and talented people who consistently give their best. It makes you live to do the same. An intense burning desire to serve your team to the utmost of your capabilities and knowing that, regardless of the challenges, everyone is doing it.

The team photo below was taken exactly one year before the Games during the launch of the torch. It was one of our proudest moments.

Nothing is Impossible

After an uneventful pregnancy, my son Evan was born without a detectable heartbeat or breath. Thanks to a phenomenal team of doctors and nurses at BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver, life-saving measures were performed with skill and grace.

We were warned that Evan might not awaken, and if he did, the brain damage could be significant. While living each moment with intensity, I made a conscious choice to remain hopeful. One doctor’s words stayed with me: “We will remain cautiously optimistic until we have reason to do otherwise.” That moment solidified my commitment to a positive mindset, to dig deep and believe in the possible, even against the odds.

Against expectation, Evan opened his eyes, began breathing on his own, and continues to grow and thrive. Though his MRI showed some damage to key areas of his brain, including the basal ganglia, his progress has defied predictions. We have been told some pretty depressing things about the possible long-term outcomes based on these findings including that his chances of walking were 1 in 1,000. This year we celebrate his 14th birthday and all that he has accomplished. Now thriving as an 8th grader at the Oregon Episcopal School, he has a serious passion for shoes and is spinning his way into becoming a DJ.

This experience reminds me daily of the power of hope, perseverance, and belief in what’s possible, a philosophy I carry into my work, inspiring me to approach every challenge with optimism, courage, and the confidence that even the seemingly impossible can be achieved.

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