Fresh coffee and fresh fruit makes fresh work. At least that's what we think. And having our four-legged friends with us keeps the stress level low. That's just a small sample of what it's like to work here. Care to join us?
THE ABORIGINALS
This is Jim Nash. He’s in charge. You can tell by the welcoming, yet authoritative smile. Learn more about him and the other partners by clicking that orange button above.
JIM NASH
MANAGING PARTNER
As partner in charge, Jim is the guy to talk to about, well, just about anything. His passion is DIY and all things outdoor. But he’s also worked in the healthcare, CPG and B2B sectors since he was about 12. A believer in collaboration, cooperation and consensus, Jim is really good at making you think it was your idea. Your decision. Your vacation that should be postponed in order to address a pressing client need.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“We’ve adopted the Mark Twain philosophy of not letting schooling get in the way of education. Around here, we learn in nontraditional ways and from unusual suspects – chefs, gamers, comedians, rocket scientists, physicians, kids, centenarians, our clients and each other.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“Quadrupling the size of the agency didn’t come without risk. But we learned pretty quickly that we could minimize that risk by surrounding ourselves with brilliant people, and giving them the space and tools to work their magic.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“It’s about team and all that team implies. Practice. Self-sacrifice. Collaboration. Celebration. Maybe a microbrew or two.”
MARK BACHMANN
PARTNER
Mark is the guy to call if you want to know more about us – but we’re not sure he’s quite mastered the elevator speech, so be prepared to stay a little while. He’s just proud of us, is all. In addition to leading our business development initiatives, Mark oversees our account service, connection and media planning teams. He’s also a maniac (in a good way) when it comes to channel marketing, home building, and all things digital and geeky.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“Media – the how-and-where-we-reach-people part of this business – has gotten insanely big and complicated. Channels are limitless. And we’re reinventing them every day.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“Big wins sometimes require a little roller coaster riding. You have to be willing to stick your neck out, take some chances. The best rides are the ones with the client sitting right next to us, hands in the air.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“We may not be saving lives, but we’re on call 24-7. We can’t take our eyes off our clients’ brands for a minute. Not in today’s environment.”
JOANNE KIM
PARTNER
As chief idea officer, Joanne accepts nothing less than the best. From herself. From those she works with. Even from her clients. You can try to run, but you can never hide ’cuz she’ll track you down on foursquare or Twitter. And if that doesn’t work, she’ll sic Beau Beau on your trail. We like that she keeps us on the hemorrhaging edge.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“Creativity doesn’t only happen at Starbucks®. And it’s not reserved for creatives. Ideation resides in every corner of our agency. It’s in the air, in our DNA, and it can get messy. Really messy. But that’s when the real fun starts.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“Risk or fade into obscurity.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“It’s our job to create ideas that create passion for brands. Ideas that challenge, calm, inspire, improve, tempt, terrify, incite or change. And each idea has to be better than the last. No excuses.”
JOE BLAHA
PARTNER
Joe is our chief financial officer, but we sometimes – affectionately – refer to him as our chief rambling officer. Let’s just say he’s not afraid to put down the calculator, pick up a cup of coffee, and walk the halls. Joe’s a wearer of many hats at the agency, adding his two cents (or more) to HR, IT, operations, and just about any other area of agency life you can think of. He’s one of those people who got lucky with equal amounts of the right-brain and left-brain genes. But because he’s Joe, you don’t hate him for it.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“Having the freedom to think out loud – without editing and without time constraints – is big fun, and always produces an idea or two. Sometimes pretty good ones.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“We believe in investing in our people, our clients, and in the future of our business. Planting ourselves on home base isn’t going to score any points. I say recruit the right people, train hard and go for the W.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“When I send an email in the wee hours of the morning, it’s always gratifying to get one right back. It’s not that we promote workaholic behavior, but we do recognize that ideas don’t punch out at 5 o’clock, and neither should we. Unless, of course, one of the boys has a game.”
HARVEY SCHOLNICK
PARTNER
Serving as chairman emeritus and source of general inspiration, Harvey is based out of our Cleveland office until the temps drop and the wind kicks up. At that point, you’ll find him, still connected, but somewhere in south Florida. The guy’s no dummy.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“The Browns could win the Super Bowl this year.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“I’m hanging on to my Indians season tickets another year.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“Nothing is more important or rewarding than giving back. We owe it to our community and to ourselves.”
JENNIFER HIRT-MARCHAND
ASSOCIATE PARTNER
Jennifer heads up our research operations, which these days means she plays the roles of psychologist, cultural anthropologist, statistician, behavioral economist, neuroscientist, sociologist, and let’s not forget, consumer. Aside from these few responsibilities, Jen is a master of all things operational. We’d have to say nimble-ty is her #1 specialty; she coined the word, so it must be so.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“Smart decisions are based on insight, not just numbers. In lieu of insight, behave like a 5-year old. Ask why and keep asking it.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“The reward of risk-taking doesn’t lie in what you achieve by risking. It lies in who you become as a result of the process.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. That’s Maya Angelou.”
JIM SOLLISCH
ASSOCIATE PARTNER
Jimmy could talk anybody (including himself) into anything – and then back again. That’s largely because he’s a master with the English language, a constant observer of the world, and a straight-A student of the consumer. Not to mention a charmer. His likability is surpassed only by his conviction to his ideas and ideals. Frequently published in The Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor and other mainstream press for his provocative opinions, Jimmy’s real passion remains guess what? Marketing.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“The smaller you can make the box, and the harder you can make the problem, the easier it is to be creative. That’s the counterintuitive beauty of the creative mind.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“I want the creatives to risk wildly and passionately. (The intelligence comes later.) I want them to smash the boundaries and burn down the fences. It’s my job to pull them back a bit.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“The best way to work passionately is to spend time each day not working. And I mean, passionately not working.”
JAMIE VENORSKY
ASSOCIATE PARTNER
Around here, we still celebrate the day that Jamie chose the ad biz over his architectural interests. Clients really benefit from his design sensibilities and crazy-close attention to light, color, size and spatial details. A lawn and garden fanatic, Jamie mows his lawn twice weekly in perfectly crisscrossed lines – just like they do in the big leagues. We try not to tease him too much about his meticulous landscaping or any of his creative analities. They give him an enviable edge.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“My two favorite words are “what if.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“In the words of T.S. Elliot, ‘only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.’ Nothing is more exciting or rewarding in this business than taking a big leap with the client at your side.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“Success requires time, hard work and usually more than a few mistakes. Failure is part of the journey. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Learn from it.”
LORI PENNICA HEDRICK
ASSOCIATE PARTNER
Lori is not your father’s HR director. Awarded Northeast Ohio’s most innovative human resources executive, Lori thrives on change and newness. She embraces technology and is considered a social media pioneer among her HR colleagues- frequently speaking on the topic and training others. As social as she is, Lori also is a trusted confidant to many. Her counsel is thoughtful, practical and fair. She certainly picked the right profession. But if she was going to do something else, she’d play piano in a really bad blues band. That’s what she said. We actually believe the band would rock.
THINKS CREATIVELY
“The coolest ideas come from near-impossible situations. By just keeping an open mind, we can yield things we never thought possible.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“Fly a plane. Sing Karaoke sober. Walk into a crowded elevator and face the back. Just some suggestions.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“My biggest fear is running out of coffee at the agency. There is a direct and positive correlation between coffee and working passionately. No one will convince me otherwise.”
TODD MORGANO
ASSOCIATE PARTNER
In a zoo, Todd would be a bird – a rather tall bird – sitting high in a tree, taking in the whole picture and flying down to the rescue when there’s trouble. Of course, there’s a part of him that likes dropping little surprises on people, too. For teams to be effective, Todd believes they must be empowered – that’s code for available to work evenings and weekends. Nah. All kidding aside, Todd’s pretty smart. He has an uncanny way of simplifying the complex – which comes in handy in the B2B space he’s known to play in much of the time. His secret stress relievers? Biking and drumming. He claims both have a certain rhythmic quality. Which must mean Todd has rhythm. (Who could ask for anything more?)
THINKS CREATIVELY
“What inspires me? Fear, a kind heart, innovation, a great idea.”
RISKS INTELLIGENTLY
“Every leap of faith should begin with a candid look at what could go wrong. It doesn’t mean you don’t take the leap. It means you understand the risks and do your best to mitigate them.”
WORKS PASSIONATELY
“I believe respect is something you earn. So I try to earn it every day – along with enough money to pay my kids’ tuition bills.”
MEET THE
REAL TALENT
Of course, we all know where the real talent lies. But the consultants tell us we have to talk about the agency partners. Partners-fartners, that's what we say.
THE OTHER INHABITANTS
These are the people that make our clients look like geniuses. Because that's their number one goal in life. THEY ALSO LIKE TO SURPRISE. WIN AWARDS. AND OTHERWISE DELIGHT. In their spare time, they enjoy playing cornhole, weeding, eating snack food, and throwing the football around. Maybe sometimes kicking back with an adult beverage at the end of a long day. THE USUAL STUFF. Want to know more? Play our Sort the Staff game. You won't regret it.
SORT IT OUT
We organized our employees using a scientific personality test.
Simply click a personality type and our handy sorting system does the rest. We all agree it’s scary accurate.
