Hi there. Thanks for visiting my website.

My name is Blythe Barbo; I live in Sequim, Washington, a small town situated between the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It’s a great place to live. The climate is just right for growing just about everything; we grow a lot of our own food. It’s also the perfect place for outdoor adventures: kayaking, surfing, hiking, camping, birdwatching, to name a few.

My business background is in technical editing, grant and proposal writing, marketing, and business strategy development, which I owe in large part to the Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory (MSL), where I worked for 14 years. The MSL is part of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is owned and operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy. Work there focuses primarily in the environmental sciences: ecotoxicology, chemistry, ecology, restoration, fisheries, oceanography, and biotechnology.  Clients span private industry to national agencies, such as the EPA, NOAA, and the U.S. Navy.

I left Battelle in 2005 to help my mother, who was dying from Alzheimer’s disease. It was a life-changing experience. During that time, I became keenly aware that life is short. I needed to find more balance in my life – to make time for things that give my life meaning, namely, my family, creativity, and getting out and enjoying the beauty of the world around me.

I also realized I was privileged to have gained a lot of really good experience – knowledge and skills that could be used to help others. Hence, I started Blue Heron Business Services, through which I’ve been able to continue working for the MSL and also have had opportunities to help small businesses and nonprofits.

My strengths are in marketing and communications. I particularly enjoy helping people figure out how to make things work, i.e., helping to create business and marketing plans that effectively target customers and communicate value. I like translating complex subjects into something people without the technical background can understand. I like writing copy that connects people with ideas.

I have a lot of experience with proposals, editing, and putting together polished documents.

I have a Bachelors degree in foreign languages and an Executive Masters degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing.

In addition, I grow over 20 varieties of garlic, pursue an assortment of creative endeavors, get out in the mountains or on the water as much as possible, and play a pretty mean harmonica.