Tag Archives: BrightWave

Office Buildout – It never gets old for me

. Agency, Culture, Culture, People, & Office Space . , , , , ,

I just completed the buildout of BrightWave’s new office in the heart of Buckhead (Tower Place 100, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA). It’s a phenomenal space that I’m extremely proud of, and I hope the team, our clients, vendors, and BW friends & family will enjoy using for many years to come.

This is technically my 8th office buildout (see list below) and although I’m very comfortable executing projects like these, I learn more than I expected each time and have a deeper appreciation for the talented team that execute these buildouts.

Buildouts for me are a lot of fun, it’s a way I can express my creative side, while still getting into the technical details which I also love. Each office I’ve built has been very different, with its unique opportunities and challenges (team makeup, financials, culture, etc.). I have to constantly challenge what I already know in order to improve the space for our people and learn the changes/trends that have shifted from the last time I did a buildout. It’s fun as you can see from the mixture of various buildouts I’ve done.

  1. BrightWave Atlanta Office – 2018 – 17,800 RSF
  2. Moxie Atlanta Office – 2014 – 65,000 RSF
  3. Moxie New York Office Expansion – 2013 – 10,000 RSF
  4. Engauge Columbus Office Expansion – 2011 – 10,000 RSF
  5. Engauge Atlanta Office – 2010 – 22,000 RSF
  6. Spunlogic Atlanta (Promenade) – 2006 – 14,000 RSF
  7. Spunlogic Atlanta (Zonolite) – 2003 – 8,000 RSF
  8. Spunlogic Atlanta (Colony Square) – 2001 – 4,000 RSF

I thought I’d share some considerations when embarking on projects like this. Continue reading →

BrightWave @ 48in48

. Agency, Culture, Culture, People, & Office Space, People . ,

What brought 17 rockstar BrightWave employees to donate their weekend (48 hours) in-order to build over 57 email templates for 48 local Atlanta non-profits?

Several weeks ago I rebooted a program at BrightWave called “Day of Awesomeness”, which was originally created by Simms Jenkins (Founder of BrightWave) to encourage employees to spend time on non-billable projects that would help us internally, push ideas for clients, and most importantly, do some good for our community.

In resurrecting the program, we defined some categories folks could focus on, provided some examples, extended the number of days folks could use (and the investment into the program), enabled folks to work in teams as opposed to individually, and introduced the concept of “Shared Values”. Continue reading →

BrightWave, A New Journey Begins

. Agency, Culture, People, & Office Space . , ,

Last week I started a new and exciting chapter in my career by joining BrightWave as President. I’ve known Simms Jenkins (Founder) for many years and have watched his agency grow over the years. BrightWave has one of the best reputations in the industry, specifically known for ground breaking work within Email and CRM marketing, which is no small feat in the ever-evolving agency environment and the marketing technology ecosystem. I’ve been lucky enough to consult with the agency over the last 5 months, providing advice where I could, but more importantly getting to know the DNA of the agency and the wonderful people that make BrightWave a special place.

The foundation, culture and reputation that BrightWave has been able to create provides an exceptional springboard for the agency to scale and become a dominating powerhouse in the space; the future potential is one of the key reasons that attracted me to join the agency as I can clearly see a path forward. It’s common for someone in my position to enter an organization that has a weak culture or a horrible reputation and have to spend a considerable amount of time and effort defining/executing in order to build a foundation to scale. In the case of BrightWave, we know exactly who we are, we have a strong culture, we have passionate and talented people (the most important element in any agency), we have pride in the work, and we are recognized as leaders in the space.

So, why did Simms and the BrightWave team want to bring in a President like me you ask? Its really quite simple:-

  1. Divide and Conquer – Simms and I have complimentary skills and we see this relationship as a partnership. This feels much like my first business, Spunlogic, where I had fantastic partners who all focused on different things and we shared the burden and adventure of growing a company. Running any company, small or large, is no easy job; you learn quickly that you can’t do everything, at least to the level of depth the business needs when growing. Therefore, having someone in the trenches with you, especially someone who’s gone through growth (good and bad) can help validate and keep the organization focused. In the case of Simms and me, I’ve got a heavy operational, creative and technology background, while Simms has a heavy sales & marketing background. We can easily carve out areas of focus that don’t conflict, while sharing a common vision and mission for the agency. This allows us to focus our attention on the front of the house (Simms) and the back of the house (me) in an effective way that can activate growth and scale while maintaining and building upon the culture, people, and reputation of the agency.
  2. Playing to win – You could say that I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to agencies, having founded one and merged/operated two larger agencies. I don’t have a secret recipe for success; however, I “get agency people”, the work we do, what it takes to operate an agency at different sizes and at different maturity levels, different types of work and clients, etc. This experience has exposed me to different challenges in scaling a business, mentoring and coaching our people, identifying new talent needs during growth, maintaining a strong culture, activating tools/process in order to deliver quality and ground breaking work, and finally, pitching creative ideas to clients utilizing complex technology products. In short, I hope to provide value to BrightWave and our clients, helping build an unmatched agency that’s sought after by the best brands and the best agency talent.

I look forward to a successful partnership with Simms and the team, and I’m thankful for the people at BrightWave I’ve already had the pleasure of working with. I’m truly excited to grow with them over the coming years.

Here is a link to the official PR: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/04/prweb13360213.htm