As we enter our tenth year, it’s kind of remarkable to look back and think about all the good people who’ve come and gone through Element 79 (luckily, as an advertising creative, I’m blessed with a short memory for the less-than-good ones). But it’s even more remarkable to think about the ones currently working here, the people who make showing up each day a constant adventure. Those are the ones you’re truly thankful for…
I’m thankful for Lisa Dauderman, who is both incredibly focused and simply a hill of fun as a traveling companion… I’m thankful for Katy Denny who keeps everything wonderful on Central DuPage Hospital even as she balances work with her wedding plans… I’m thankful for Ali Dolan who has grown into her producer role with a gracefulness few could achieve… I’m thankful for Amie Dowker whose prodigious intellect is matched only by her warm humanity… I’m thankful for Stacie Dunn whose easy wit feels like a comfy old glove… I’m thankful for Ken Fill who cares deeply for his clients with a good-hearted infectiousness that impacts the entire team… I’m thankful for Justin Frosolone not simply because he’s a ridiculously handsome man but also because he’s a ridiculously warm and attractive person (and Sox fan)… I’m thankful for Michael Gabriele whose knowledge of film making comes first hand and thus is hard-earned and personal in a way that is difficult to teach… I’m thankful for Phil Gant whose prodigious experience and knowledge makes me count my blessings to have him impacting the department simply because people want to learn from him… I’m thankful for Gus Gavino who makes movies and reminds me what it means to be dedicated to your craft not only because it’s your job but also because it is the passion that fuels your soul… I’m thankful for Marzena Grecki whose hunger to learn the American idiom fueled her desire to work at E79 to the point that she learned English from a five year old boy as a Polish immigrant… I’m thankful for Lisa Groot who knows much, fears little and keeps her team thinking positively whatever the workday throws her… I’m thankful for Jess Hanebury simply because I can’t imagine a world where her biting wit didn’t exist… I’m thankful for Konrad Hedrich who handles both the mundane and the exotic work requests with equal aplomb… I’m thankful for Jill Hefner who in less than a year, handles Harris with a sure-footedness of a seasoned pro. I’m thankful for the smiles of Amy Henning who remains irrepressibly positive through the most challenging times… I’m thankful for Cindy Hicks whose diplomacy and sharp mind encourage her team’s arched eyebrow irony without veering into the sardonic… I’m thankful for Amanda Hogg who can make anyone laugh even as she moves mountains of work… I’m thankful for Julie Howard who in any truly accurate org chart, would be in whatever position is just above ‘Grand Royal Potentate’… I’m thankful for the charming Rick Janusz who knows the great mysteries of computer code and translates them freely and deftly for all of us…
I truly am thankful for all of these wonderful people. And I’m not even halfway done…
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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79
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