Younguns2Watch: Catalystas

So now its time for me to point out the strengths of Catalyst:SF's team of young people. I'll be focusing on permanent employees, and there are three remarkable people here making outstanding contributions. Each deserves his own entry, but I am combining them so they get fewer headhunter calls as a result of this post. I want them to stay here.

That being said, and yes, it is a selfish rationale, I want to point out all of their contributions, so this'll be a fairly long post. I am discussing them in the order in which they joined the company.

First up is Kevin Long, who started with Catalyst:SF about a year ago, and now runs a variety of accounts, projects, and financial duties for us. What has impressed me about Kevin from the beginning is his relentless focus on doing what's right as opposed to what's easy. Kevin's the sort of guy that doesn't give up and is always anxious to take on new responsibilities and learn by doing.

His contributions in the area of strategy are growing rapidly. He's taken the strategic lead on one of our more important accounts, and his work is always greeted with strongly positive reactions from our clients. For someone to be playing such a critical strategic role this early in his career is quite impressive.

With Kevin, you always get an opinion, backed up by a thorough and well reasoned argument. That's the stuff that makes for a great marketing guy.

Chris Schwarze has taken the lead in the area of media for Catalyst:SF, which is rather challenging as our focus is not on kerplunk banner buys but rather emerging media, including media that really don't have a well defined planning and buying process yet.

In other words, buying is never easy at CSF, but Chris makes it happen, and always has a positive and collaborative attitude in the process. Several people from which he has purchased media have told me that his intelligence and style make him a pleasure to work with, even when he brings them ideas that have never been tried before. And he does that a lot, he is not a path of least resistance guy.

He's also taken the lead on an important new media planning and buying initiative we'll be announcing shortly. And the plan he's developed is titanium strong.

The third Catalysta I would like to recognize is Adam Bergman, who is the most recent addition to CSF but who has made immediate and magnificent contributions in the areas of project management, strategy, and creative development. In creative in particular, Adam seems to have a Midas touch -- and since this is the aspect of our work that shows the most, I am very grateful for that.

I work with Adam on many projects and love my job in great part because of his contributions. With Adam, when he has a project, you don't need to worry about it getting done, and getting done right. And he has the marketing instinct -- that je ne c'est qua that separates the greats from the rest.

And he handles a long list of responsibilities with a positive and irreverent manner that makes me smile.

There's not a day that I am not grateful for their efforts. There's not a day that I don't get a great laugh from their jokes. There's not a day that I don't learn something big from each of them. There's not a day that I am not happy to work with them.

Too often, younger people in a strategically focused org such as ours are seen as minor players -- but that ain't the case with these guys. And they are NOT interested in new jobs, recruiters, so don't bother calling. ;-)

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.