The weather is getting warmer; the days are getting longer; and the sound of rumbling bikes is in the air. It must be summertime in Central Illinois! During the work week, Simantel Project Director, Jan Curley, takes her business seriously, monitoring all projects moving through the agency. Come Friday afternoon, however, she lets her hair down and trades in the earrings, high-heels, and McDonald’s iced tea for leather chaps, sun glasses, and a bandana. You will not find her at her desk, but on the open-roads in her 2009 Harley-Davidson softail. On May 15th, Jan will help fight breast cancer by participating in the 2010 Ride for the Cure. Look for Jan at a stoplight near you!
Sometimes the blog updates get bumped for “real work,” and over the last few months it happened a lot. Here’s a gallery of stuff we never got around to posting. Fast-forward to 2010!
Way back in September, Rhonda Pelka took over the controls at the front desk. If you haven't met her yet, this is what she looks like.
Last Friday we reluctantly said goodbye to our longtime friend, Deanna Hood, the smiling face of Simantel’s front desk. She’s moving with her family to Tennessee, where she will be learning to appreciate things like sour mash whiskey and volunteering to fight at the Alamo.
Good luck Deanna. Keep your feet on the ground but never stop reaching for the stars.
Deanna smiles as Barry tries to seem nonchalant about wanting cake.
Another month, another contest – this one to see who can make the most outstanding salad. Before making their ruling, the judges gave us all a lot of baloney about how it was such a hard decision, everything was so delicious, blah, blah, blah…then made the only call that really made sense, awarding first prize to Operations Coordinator Sue Impens. Her Cha-Cha Chicken Salad was tangy and savory, with a hint of curry that made your taste buds say, “What the…?” Congratulations Sue. You deserved it. (Recipe after the jump.)
Sue shows off all that's left of her award-winning salad after a pack of dingos attacked the office.
Account Manager Barry Littlejohn owns a beautiful cream-colored suit. He wears it (to work!) without irony and without apology. Needless to say, we ridicule him mercilessly as a result. Here are some of the latest tributes to Barry and his suit, compliments of Matt W., Andrew T. and Jake:
Twenty years ago last week, The Cosby Show was going strong, Billy Joel was electrifying the nation with “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” unleaded gas cost $1.12 a gallon, and a young Kevin McConaghy began his employment with a crazy little ad firm called Simantel. We celebrated the occasion by making Kevin very uncomfortable.
Simantel co-owner Kevin McConaghy squints to read the name on his anniversary card.
Simantel is happy to welcome our newest pod-member, Matt Williams, a recent graduate of Bradley’s Multimedia program and an avid fisherman. He will serve as our Digital Designer, with occasional fishing assignments as needs arise.
Matt Williams. Hobbies include fishing, web development.
One of our favorite clients, Mark Johnson, recently retired. We hate to see him go, so we decided to give him his own honorary office right here at Simantel. It’s cozy.
