What’s with the name K-ROQ?

I’ve been asked by many people what K-ROQ stands for and the short answer is: Kristen Randalle Okerman Quillin. This is my full name that just so happens to have a cool acronym.

Coming up with a name can be hard. As Al Ries & Jack Trout wrote in Positioning, “The most important decision in the marketing of a product is what to name it.” I’ve been involved in many naming conversations, the most contentious being with my husband when we were debating what to name our son. We finally had to stop sharing our preferred names and bring our lists to the hospital to review after he was born.

Landing on K-ROQ Communications was easy though. It is a true reflection of me—not only in what the acronym stands for, but also in its slightly edgy, fun implication. I’m not the only K-ROQ though. There’s also the world-famous KROQ alternative rock radio station in LA. As a music lover, that makes the name even more rockin!

Not many people know my middle name. It wasn’t the coolest girl name when I was growing up and I was so embarrassed about it, I didn’t even know how to spell it until I was 16 and had to sign my full name on my driver’s license. While I didn’t think it was a cool name, it did come from a cool uncle, Randy Garretson. He was a professional ski jumper and was headed to the Olympics before a fall that paralyzed him in his 20s. Rather than letting his injury define him, he had a full life as a farmer, investor, and storyteller, with a wicked sense of humor and a little mischief mixed in. Trips to Uncle Randy’s farm often included hard work, play, and getting into trouble, and I learned resilience, grit and being a self-starter from him.

I won’t bore you with the details of where my first name, maiden name, and married names came from, but know that they are equally as meaningful to me.

Someone asked me recently if I thought I was lucky to get to where I am today. I initially answered no, but I’ve since changed my mind. I was absolutely lucky to have been born into the family I did and to marry into the Quillin family. The rest has been hard work, tenacity, and a little bit of being in the right place at the right time.

Since I’ve launched my business, a Polish friend told me KROQ means “step” in Polish. I love that. K-ROQ Communications represents the next step in my career, and I help my clients take the next step in leveraging AI to communicate and go to market smarter.

So that’s the K-ROQ origin story. How can I help you tell yours?