As I write my first letter as United Adworker President, I can say with all honesty I really miss Dave Hanneken. I didn’t know I’d actually have to work. So I proceeded by doing what every good creative does and looked to the past for inspiration. And like most disorganized creatives, my file of past president’s letters, again, merely to jumpstart my process, was nowhere to be found. I thought I could talk about the things I’ve learned from Dave these past two years. Like how he has never had a zit on his back. His entire life, not one back blemish. But instead, for this first address, we’ll keep it to what’s new with the club.
First of all, let’s get the introduction out of the way. My name is Joe Ban and I’ve been a member of Adworkers since its inception. Through the years my business cards have had writer, writer/producer, associate creative director and creative director printed under my name. The agencies and addresses have changed on those cards (several times), but the city has remained the same. In the interest of space, and in hopes you continue reading, I’ll leave the bio at that. Besides, I have to save something for next month, right?
There are a few new members to the board I would like to point out. As Dave mentioned in his exit letter, Heidi Sterricker has replaced Melanie Roach to become our new director. While we were sad to see Melanie step down, having worked with Heidi for many years, I can assure you her energy and passion for this club is unyielding and somewhat contagious. If there’s any question as to her dedication to the club, just take a look at her license plate. I’m sure many of you already knew “ADWORKR” was taken when you applied for your vanity plate, you just may not have known who had it. Mystery solved.
I would also like to welcome Peter Kim from Laughlin Constable and Brett Liljegren from Freight Train as our new board members. They join returning members Steve Clementi, Steven Wold, Steve Farr, Sandy Derhovsepian, Mike Holicek, and Andrew Nordquist. We had our first meeting last week and these newbies came right out of the gate with some great input. New blood is always good. New sweat is even better.
You may have also noticed we’ve changed the format of our monthly newsletter and incorporated it on our new Web site. This new site will be much more than a place to find the latest bowling and softball standings. In hopes of generating some dialogue among members, the site contains an open forum for discussions on all things advertising and design related. Bookmark it and check back for new additions and tweaks as we will be developing it over the next several months.
So, we have a new president, a new director, two new board members, and a new Web site. Sounds as though we’ve been pretty busy these past couple months. Well, we have been. So busy in fact, we had to push our membership renewal efforts back a month. I’m sure you were all wondering why we haven’t been pestering you to send in your membership dues. Fear not, you will be reminded, then nagged, then asked ever so nicely to have your checks in by the end of January. We are currently putting together a calendar of events and contacting guest speakers to stimulate your advertising and design prowess. United Adworkers has built a solid reputation of bringing in some of the country’s finest talent to share their knowledge and experiences, and we will continue to do so with your support. As ad clubs across the country continue to remain stagnant, or even disband, ours continues to grow and flourish.
So, there you have it. Lots of new happenings for the club driven by the same primary focus: to promote Milwaukee as a great community for advertising and design. I will do my best to continue the fine work Mr. Hanneken has charged me with. As he said, there are many more places this club can go, and I look very forward to the journey. Next time you see Dave, thank him for a job well done with a hearty pat on the back. His smooth, flawless, bacne-free back.