AW Lends a Helping Hand
Each year, thousands of volunteers join forces at “Hands On Charlotte Day” to make a huge impact on the local community. On October 18, volunteers participated in dozens of projects, from beautifying area schools and parks to sorting clothing and food donations and much more.
Addison Whitney employees and their families joined in on the fun as part of a new corporate initiative called “AW Helping Hands.” We started our day with a kick-off celebration at the EpiCentre (Charlotte's newest Uptown hot spot). Starbuck’s coffee helped take off the chill at the open air pavilion, so we could listen to words of inspiration and get revved up for our day of hard work. Speakers included County Commissioner Jennifer Roberts and US Olympic Women's Basketball coach Anne Donovan. From there, we all dispersed to our individual project sites.
Our team’s project was at Irwin Avenue Elementary. We were asked to help beautify the school grounds by re-mulching playgrounds, pulling weeds, planting flowers and shrubs, and building planter benches. Our team did a fantastic job and had a lot of fun! We worked hard to see that everything was done well and looked great. Click here to see photos!
About Hands On Charlotte:
Founded in 1991, Hands On Charlotte, a nonprofit volunteer service organization, provides individuals, families, businesses and community groups with volunteering opportunities that are flexible, rewarding and fun. Over the years, they have become Charlotte's number one source for volunteering, engaging thousands of volunteers annually. Hands On Charlotte is an affiliate of HandsOn Network.
2008 Addison Whitney Pumpkin Carving Contest
After much rivalry, smack-talk, and closed-door sessions, the 2008 pumpkin line-up was revealed yesterday for AW's Third Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest.
Each year, the competition gets more fierce, and this year was no exception. Teams pulled out all the stops ... giving their pumpkins personalites, acting out skits, and even injecting a little multi-media into their presentations.
Check out the amazing entries below.
Read more
Great Expectations
Carvers of the Great Pumpkin Forehead team seem destined to win the annual Pumpkin Project this year. With representatives from all/nearly all departments, the team will no doubt benefit from a multi-disciplined approach to crafting the winning design.
The team includes Amy, Natasha, Kristin, Nihn, Betsy and Evelyn, and boasts the highest number of department heads of any team in this year’s competition. Other factors weighing-in for the win include:
Kristin has already proven her fruit and vegetable design skills. References available from Miss Ava Cado.
Evelyn brings collegiate-level carving experience to the team.
Natasha has been on every winning team since the competition’s inception.
The team members were unavailable for comment on their design strategy, but did say they were eager to live up to their winning potential.
Handicapping the Pumpkin Teams
As Laine reported in her post, the gauntlet has been thrown down for the Third-Annual Addison Whitney Pumpkin Carving Contest. The rules are a bit different this year, which means that teams are crucial … and as a completely unbiased handicapper, I can say with confidence that my team will be the group to beat.
Check out our lineup:
Clayton Tolley: Hungry for a win this year, Clayton has been part of some of the most memorable AW pumpkin teams in history, helping to create the terrifying and lifelike Jaws pumpkin in 2006, and the elaborate pharmacist “Dr. Feelgood” pumpkin in 2007.
Meredith “blades” Badinelli: A self-proclaimed whiz with the knife, Meredith has also performed extensive market research on potential pumpkin motifs, pinpointing the idea most likely to resonate with our target audience.
Vince Budd has never met a squash he doesn’t like, and his calm demeanor is sure to play a key role guiding the team through the contest this year.
Paula Weigel: A potter, artist, and fellow creative, Paula is a reigning champ with her 2006 New Year’s theme and is always strong competition. Rumor has it that Paula will be changing the name of her private venture “Plays with Mud” to “Plays with Pumpkin Guts” for the event.
And last, but not least is our rookie, Jonathan “I put the Hall in Halloween”: A fresh face to the competition . . . can anyone say secret weapon?
Contributed by: Maghan Cook
Expanding Global Reach
Addison Whitney recently hired Doug Powell as Vice President of the West Coast Division. Doug Powell has over 17 years of account and project management experience, nine of which have been in marketing services. Doug will represent Addison Whitney in the company’s newly opened office in San Francisco, CA. The new office will allow Addison Whitney to deliver enhanced services to our current West Coast clients and allow for the opportunity to build relationships with additional companies in the area. The addition of the company’s California office is part of a global expansion plan that includes current locations in New York, North Carolina and Germany.
Contributed by Laine Beyerl
Lending a Helping Hand
The other day our creative department was brainstorming ideas and activities to help keep our creativity fresh and our momentum going. We were suggesting all kinds of activities from visiting the local library to spending the day at an amusement park, when someone mentioned volunteering. What a great idea! Volunteering not only provides an outside activity for us to engage in, but it is a great team building exercise and, of course, it benefits the community.
I later came across an article on the CNN website titled, “Volunteer Work Can Be Good for Career.” The article talks about new ways in which companies are offering incentives for their employees to volunteer in the community. It also mentions an organization called VolunteerMatch which matches non-profit organizations with volunteers.
VolunteerMatch has a website on which individuals or groups can search for local volunteer opportunities. What I found particularly interesting are the Corporate Solutions that VolunteerMatch offers. Companies can join VolunteerMatch to promote volunteering in the workplace and gain access to VolunteerMatch’s resources. Several companies such as Target, Johnson & Johnson, and General Mills have already jumped on board. Companies that promote volunteer work and take an interest in the community are not only fostering a better work environment, but they are building their brand’s reputation as well.
I started thinking about ways in which our employees are involved in the community and serve as volunteers. Maghan Cook, an Addison Whitney employee spends a lot of her time volunteering for Planned Parenthood and United Family Services. Every year in December, Addison Whitney participates in the “Giving Tree,” a project sponsored by the local Department of Social Services. Employees can donate money or toys to help children in foster care or group homes have a happy holiday. inVentiv Communications employees contribute to GRACE, a charitable initiative to assist senior citizens in need access life-sustaining prescription drugs and other healthcare services.
What is the most interesting or rewarding volunteer opportunity you have participated in?
By: Jessica McGrail
The Knight and The Hare
My recent wedding presents me with a personal re-branding opportunity and a potential new revenue generating stream for Addison Whitney. I face a question that thousands of others do after marriage- Do I take my husband’s name, hyphenate or keep my current name? Could Addison Whitney solve this dilemma for me and thousands of other retired Bridezillas?
Below my current brand name and potential new brand name are run through an abbreviated review process.
Think Before You Ink!
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Addison Whitney employees are taking steps to make the office lean and green. Kristin Everidge and Maghan Cook enlisted the help of intern Kelsey Bryant, from Elon University, to design a poster encouraging everyone to reduce, reuse, and recycle print paper. The posters are displayed at each printer station with instructions on how to print on the reverse of unneeded printouts and a bin for collecting scrap paper.
Want to use this poster for your workspace too? Just follow these simple instructions.
1. Download the poster and accompanying instructions sheet
2. Open using Adobe Reader
3. Print the large format poster (page 1) on 11” x 17” (Tabloid) or scale to print on 8.5” x 11” (US Letter)
4. Print instruction sheet (page 2) on 8.5” x 11” (US Letter)
5. Hang by your printers and start to make a difference!
This resource will also be available on the DOWNLOADS tab on brand salsa.
Defending the Empty Vessel Approach to Naming
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Maghan Cook, Verbal Branding Associate for Addison Whitney, was recently published in the May 2008 issue of PharmaVOICE. Please click here to view an abstract of her article on Defending the Empty Vessel Approach to Naming.
By: Trista Thielker