A former bank marketing manager has big plans for the Blue Ridge Humane Society.

by Mick Kelly . photo by Matt Rose

Terri Thompson isn’t exactly switching careers. The Hendersonville resident says she is simply a marketer, so whether she’s a marketing coordinator for Carolina First Bank (her most recent gig) or running the Blue Ridge Humane Society (where she became executive director in September), both could use her big vision and marketing savvy.

At Blue Ridge Humane, a 60-year-old Hendersonville animal welfare agency, one of her goals is to get cute photos of adoptable dogs and cats out in public. She’ll be revamping the humane society’s website, making better use of Facebook and teaming up with local businesses for adoption days. And this year, for the first time, Blue Ridge Humane Society doggies had a booth at Hendersonville’s Apple Festival—at least their faces did. “It’s amazing. Someone sees the face of an animal and they just have a connection and that’s the pet they want,” she says, explaining that, a few days after the humane society put large framed photos of dogs and cats up at the Labor Day festival, people came in and adopted seven animals. She’d like to start showing images of Blue Ridge dogs and cats at businesses that have large TV banks.

The group will move its offices and thrift shop into a new 5,000-square-foot facility off Spartanburg Highway in Hendersonville next month. They’re also in talks with Denver architect Stephen Jensen about whether and how they might revamp their eight-acre shelter in Edneyville, which comfortably houses around 60 animals.

So is she intimidated about leaving the banking world and heading for a nonprofit in a tough economic climate? Not at all, she says. “Even in hard economic times, people still have a sense of generosity for animals.”

For more information, check out www.blueridgehumane.org.