To say 2010 was a busy year for MSL Chicago is a major understatement. It was a great year, but busy. Since Top 10 lists are always in style at the end of the year, I thought it would be appropriate to create our own. Here is a quick recap of some of the MSL Chicago 2010 highlights:
1. Going Green. In September, we hosted the Sustainability Leaders event with colleagues from NativeEnergy, Motorola, and Natural Capitalism Solutions to share thoughts and best practices on communicating a strong sustainability story to internal and external audiences.
2. Silver Anniversary. Senior vice president, Nancy Brennan, reached the 25-year milestone of working at MSLGROUP, an unheard-of accomplishment in the agency business.
3. Adding to the Trophy Case. MSL Chicago won numerous awards for our work on the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and other clients. Our managing director was also named PR Professional of the Year from PRSA’s Chicago chapter.
4. Libations and Learning. We sponsored the Social Media Club event in September at the Palomar Hotel. Jason Steinberg, vice president of digital strategy, presented and discussed social media trends, infographic design, and intersections with PR, followed by cocktails and networking.
5. A Fond Farewell. Congrats to our finance manager of 38 years, Judy Huisman, who is now enjoying retirement and some extra time with the grandkids!
6. Digital Roundtable. We hosted an expert panel from the MSLGROUP network to share digital insights and real-time engagement best practices, including Jason, Lori Laurent Smith and Webster Lewin.
7. Moving on Up. Our staff has gone through a number of well-deserved promotions— most recently Christiana Brenner, to vice president, consumer practice, and Dawn McKenzie to vice president, corporate branding.
8. New Brand. This fall, the company launched the new MSLGROUP brand to tightly unite our capabilities and resources across the agency to meet the rapidly changing needs of clients and marketplaces.
9. Growing the Client Base. The Chicago client list continues to grow with the addition of Sealy, Masco, Verve Living Systems, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, and many other leading organizations and brands.
10. Growing the Leadership Team. Adding new clients means adding new leadership, and we’re very happy to have brought on Joan Cetera (SVP, consumer practice), Jason Steinberg (VP, digital strategy), Kevin Metz (VP, corporate branding), and Katie Feltz (VP, consumer practice) to lead the account teams!
Highlighting a year’s work in one blog post doesn’t seem to capture all of the accomplishments of 30 people…but reflection is an important step in assessing our focus, our direction and our opportunities for the future. We’re looking forward to 2011—and happy holidays to our clients, colleagues and friends.
