We’ve been going a hundred different directions lately, which is all good. Except there’s one thing that’s been on the top of my list that I just haven’t been able to get to — the introduction of Lisa Minken, our newest account director. She’s smart, talented and she can sing. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Lisa joins us from Opera Columbus where she served as director of marketing and public relations. But it’s more than her experience that brought her here. Once again, it’s all about relationships at ELEVATE. I’ve known Lisa for nearly ten years and I’m excited to work with her. Her personality, attitude and dedication fits right in with the rest of us.

Of course, her talents and skills are also a great fit. Her background includes work in healthcare, apparel, durable goods and propane industries, as well as profit, nonprofit and agency work. This is someone who knows how to provide amazing work in campaign development and implementation, event planning, community engagement and more.

Which is going to come in handy as she provides ELEVATE with stellar internal communication and project support on-the-ground at Adena. Well, not actually on-the-ground… We got her a chair on her third day. Along with adding another level of organization and account management to the group, we’re also proud that she’ll continue to support Opera Columbus while at ELEVATE.

Learn more about Lisa and ask her to sing you a song @LisaMinken

I’m excited to announce and welcome Darren Kautz to the group. Darren brings with him a decade of writing and creative experience. More than that, he brings a firmly established reputation as “that guy.”

Bringing Darren on board really highlights the ELEVATE philosophy of who we want to work with. It’s all about relationships. Sure, Darren is skilled at writing all sorts of communications from brochures and direct mail to print and broadcast. But he’s also someone I’ve now worked with at three organizations. His resume shows the talent, but my experience with him shows that he has a personality that fits our style.

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of working with and being entertained by Darren, you should know that his background includes concepting and writing for clients in healthcare, automotive, retail and public service to name a few. His big ideas and well-crafted words will be put to good use, helping our clients deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. In the studio he will be a source of entertainment and a catalyst for lively discussions that will most likely stay within these walls.

Learn more about Darren and discover why he’s “that guy,” give him a follow on twitter @dubledex