By Abby Breckenridge

Scott came to us pre-vetted. He had been in the Foster graduate program with two of our consultants which translated to two glowing recommendations. I consider hiring to be a huge challenge with an even huger upside—Scott was an easy choice. During his interview, he asked smart questions about the future of our business, and handed out milk.

Since he joined 2A, we’ve gotten the chance to build our own glowing opinions of him. Here’s a glimpse.

He loves words

Shortly after he joined, Scott asked if he could read an original poem at the holiday party. This was a first for me, and not the kind of request you say no to. Over wine and appetizers, Scott recited this poem to a room full of new colleagues and their loved ones, much to the delight of the room. His knack for poetry has sparked the recurring idea that 2A launch a business poetry offering (email us if you’re interested).

Before Foster, he spent five years at Gordon Thomas Honeywell in their governmental affairs consulting group where he flexed his language skills by bringing together stakeholders from across countries and industries.

Scott’s passion for words does more than entertain us at parties. His command of language (English being one of four) also brings a much-appreciated edge to his client work.

He collects information

Some people scroll through Instagram during lunch, Scott reads the Economist. And he listens to The World Next Week and Stuff You Should Know. From niche scientific factoids to international relations, Scott enjoys understanding how systems work.

Other items on the long list of things Scott has chosen to learn in his free time include: to play the bagpipe, to make soap, why Dalmatians are associated with fire houses, how aspartame impacts the body, to coach Special Olympics skiers, to be a karaoke rock star.

As marketing consultants, we’re called on to quickly get up to speed in a variety of industries. Scott has both a knack and hunger for just that challenge. Hopefully we’ll get a project in chemistry soon so he can put his knowledge of the periodic table to use.

He’s democratically goofy

A few months back when Nick and I were waiting for the elevator, we heard a thump, thump, thump. The door opened and there was Scott, a little embarrassed, dancing by himself.

He doles out “later ‘gator” with equal opportunity, and made an unexpected choice for his Skype profile photo.

One of our 10 rules of client management is that clients are people too. No one wants to work with a robot and we all owe each other a little leeway, as we’re just moving through life as humans. You’re not going to be a successful consultant if you’re struggling to be something you’re not. Scott’s ability to be his goofy self in all company makes him a pleasure to work with. We think you’ll agree.

By Scott Knackstedt

It’s not uncommon on a Friday afternoon to hear an 80s power ballad, a kitschy 90s chart-topper, or a pop hit from the 00s spring from “the design pod” at 2A.  Our team of designers has recently doubled in size, and it is exciting for us to showcase our top-tier chops in graphic design.  Evan Aeschlimann – the source of the musical interludes – is much more than the self-assigned 2A DJ. In his short time here he not only gets our feet tapping but has demonstrated some design wizardry worth talking about.

He’s a visual storyteller

Evan has a keen sense for transforming an idea into a visual narrative.  He sees the message and knows what color expresses it, what image defines it, or the composition that captures it.  He listens carefully and structures his interpretation faithfully.  He has put those skills to work at 2A with multiple identity projects, from industries as varied as finance to traffic control, and has shaped new brand identities from the ground up.

He’s a team player

Evan picked up the 2A way without a hitch: he’s collaborative, convivial, and shares his unique qualities to support the team.  Although he has plenty of experience in the field – including previous work with an agency – Evan knows how to strike a balance between his professional responsibilities with his personal pastimes.  An avid sports fan, Evan has leveraged his crafty savviness into a board game, Red Zone Football, that unites his design clout with his passion for the gridiron. It is this sort of cleverness that makes him a clutch player in our starting line-up.

He has the right rhythm

It is easy to charge headfirst into a project and whip out something uninspired, but Evan has demonstrated a thoughtfulness in his work beyond his years.  He knows that high-quality deliverables take time to get right, ensuring that the finer details of a new logo, website, or keynote presentation demand an attentiveness that sometimes cannot be rushed.  Evan has been praised for showing a solid aesthetic – and we’re grateful for his commitment to getting things right.

Evan may have waded into the 2A pool recently but he has made a definitive splash.  We are excited to learn more about Evan, someday meet his energetic dog, Clementine, and look forward to him quietly posting one of his quick-witted memes on the wall.  And though his computer may periodically blare a catchy pop song from a bygone decade to lift the office, we are thankful that Evan’s classical eye and new wave soul continue to produce visual stories that rock.

By Abby Breckenridge

Building the infrastructure to support a growing business is less of a straight path and more of a series of jumps and plateaus. Every time we’ve made one of those jumps, we think to ourselves, why didn’t we do that sooner?

There’s no exception to hiring Kristina—Operations Manager of 2A. How did we get by without her? I’m not sure, but here are a few reasons we’ve come to rely on Kristina to do the heavy lifting.

She’s an expert process builder

Before joining 2A, Kristina spent 10 years in health information management, designing and managing procedures to improve operational efficiency. Lucky for us.  Since she joined, she’s put her process skills to work and streamlined our back office. Our clients may not know it, but they are benefiting from her skillful contributions every day.

She digs in

Thorough is an understatement. Her commitment to excellence means she doesn’t shy away from the hard tasks—a challenge makes Kristina double down. This is obviously an asset at work, but it also pays off in her free time. Commitment and persistence led Kristina to compete in her first weight lifting competition last year, and now she’s training for her next.

She has a hunger for learning

Whether it’s taking a UX design class at General Assembly, brushing up on how 2017 tax changes will impact our business, or dropping a new mix on her turntables, she’s less of an I-don’t-know, and more of a let-me-find-out. Her enthusiasm for the new makes her a perfect fit for the dynamic role of managing a budding agency, and also makes her interesting to talk to.

She’s been demonstrating her appetite for learning for a while now—Kristina is the youngest of five siblings and the first in her family to graduate from college (go dawgs!).

I am looking forward to learning more about Kristina. In the meantime, I sure am glad she does the heavy lifting around here—making the office run smoothly.

By Abby Breckenridge

We run an open, collaborative office so a new personality always makes an impact. Since Nick joined the team in July, he’s been able to strike the right chord of fitting in and standing out. And while his choice of shirt may have something to do with it, there’s more to the story.

He challenges the status quo

Through his willingness to take a step back consider the unexplored, Nick opens up opportunities for all of us to be more creative. This is a huge asset to our line of work, where helping clients succeed often relies on getting your message noticed. It also may be an explanation for how his non-traditional career journey has lead him to 2A.

Before returning to his hometown of Seattle to pursue an MBA at the University of Washington, Nick spent years designing projects and writing proposals for USAID programs throughout Africa and Haiti. This work took him to big cities and rural towns in places like Liberia, Congo, and Burundi, where he interviewed underserved locals and showcased their stories in proposals for healthcare, education, and land rights projects. While working abroad he learned how to tolerate lots of ambiguity, take a bucket bath, and change outcomes through a well-crafted story.

While we’re glad Nick has traded in his frequent flyer miles for a steady job in Seattle, we know his sense of adventure and penchant for doing things differently are intrinsic to who he is.

He’s a natural born storyteller

His first foray into public storytelling started in college, where he wrote and performed in a sketch comedy group called Penguins Without Pants and became comfortable on a stage. He then put his writing skills to use and helped start a creative writing circle after college.

Whether it’s a tale about renting out a yoga studio on Airbnb as a low-cost lodging solution for a group of sports fans, meeting a childhood-hero-fortune-cookie-factory-owner through a craigslist exchange, or explaining the origin of his big fans shirt that his wife had made for him in Guinea, Nick routinely makes us laugh at Monday morning meetings with stories of his escapades. Sure, he has a penchant for adventure, but he also has a knack for finding the story and sharing it.

He has an appetite for technology

Nick came to 2A with a strong foundation in marketing, years of client management experience, and a flair for organizing information, but we thought we’d need to ramp him up on B2B technology. Think again. His ability to quickly find the kernel of value in complex products makes him a natural with our software clients. Turns out, he cut his teeth at a large aerospace and defense technology contractor, where he worked to translate the dry specifications of high-tech products into value messaging.

All that is to say we’re big fans of Nick Dwyer. Once you get to know him, we think you will be too.

By Abby Breckenridge

I remember Jonathan from graduate school at UW Foster School of Business, he was the president of the class behind me and Renato.

I knew then that he was friendly and charismatic—the kind of guy everyone wants to know, and who chooses to know them back. I knew he was curious, with lots of interests that made for good conversation. I knew he was ambitious, as all class presidents are, and devoted to his community.

I didn’t know then, that like me, he grew up in the northwest and would later raise a family here. Jonathan is a 4^th-generation resident of Washington state. He attended tiny Nooksack High School, which is a few miles from the Canadian border and surrounded by dairy farms.

I didn’t know that he’d go on to build a rich and fruitful career in marketing, with work spanning retail, software, wireless, consumer electronics, and the emerging space of Internet of Things (IoT).  Nor did I know that Jonathan has also held a wide variety of jobs that he now refers to as “character-building”: security guard, delivery driver, barista, janitor, seafood processor, nurse’s assistant, postal service mail sorter, and produce salesperson at Pike Place Market.

And I certainly didn’t know that we’d work together at 2A, and that his thoughtfulness, creativity and domain expertise would become invaluable assets to our work.

With almost four months at 2A under his belt, we’re grateful to have Jonathan on the team. We’re learning that he’s unfailingly prepared, and that we all benefit from it. We’re getting to know that his seniority in our field spans both the subject matter of marketing as well as the life skill of understanding humans and how to work well with them. We’ve also gotten a taste of his passion for virtual reality and curiosity for disruptive technology.

You should get to know Jonathan too. Maybe he’ll help you with your launch strategy or make your messaging more customer-focused, or maybe you’ll grab a beer and talk about the possibilities of IoT. Drop us a line.

By Theresa Howe

What do a wine distributor, senior program officer, and marketing consultant have in common? Brian Maletis started Fat Cork with the aim of getting the best bubbly from the vintner to your front door, Saara Romu is a Senior Program Officer with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation working to eradicate health crises around the world, and Renato Agrella is the founder and CEO of our very own 2A.

What they have in common is that all three are all graduates of the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, and all three have been named to this year’s Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. We could not be more proud.

Renato is thrilled for the opportunity to engage with such an intriguing and accomplished bunch. Check out the article and some pretty sweet pictures on the Puget Sound Business Journal, or learn more about the other 40 Under 40 honorees.