Intern Excitement

We are coming down to the final interviews to fill our summer internship position. With so much going on over the past few months, we knew that taking on a summer intern would be helpful and exciting. We are looking forward to the fresh perspectives, ideas and energy we hope our intern will bring to MBM.

Megan and I have been reviewing resumes and interviewing over the past 2 weeks, in hopes of finding the perfect fit! I have already been amazed at some of the classes that our potential interns have taken as preparation for the real world. It wasn't that long ago since I was in college, but they certainly didn't have classes about social media back then!

Smart Beginnings

I spent this morning at Lewis Ginter at the Greater Richmond Early Childhood Summit learning about the importance of making sure children are prepared for life, from prenatal stages to preschool. There was amazing data presented about brain development in infants and toddlers: did you know language skills are most impacted in the first six - eight months of a child's life!?! And the Minneapolis Federal Reserve economists studied the cost benefits of preparing young children for school, with outcomes of a $16 to $1 benefit cost ratio (with an 18% annual rate of return!). Most importantly, I learned that the Richmond Region has been, and is committed to continuing, to make sure every child is "ready for school, ready for life." Check out Smart Beginnings and see how you can make a difference!

64 West

A recent client photo shoot took MBM to the coal mining town of Man, West Virginia. Our client needed photos of their coal mining operations and headshots of their office management team. With our trusty photographers, Doug and Ron, we headed west to Beckley, WV then west some more to Man, WV. We had an exciting 2 days and learned a lot about coal mining and saw some beautiful, mountainous scenery. See me above on the Komatsu 830E on in the shovel pit on the surface mine. And yes that is a hard hat and those are steel toes boots!

Inspiration and Emotion

The Raleigh Intercity Visit was awesome! The highlight for me, and for many others, was a visit to A.B. Combs School. For 2 hours the children at this elementary school made us smile, laugh, shake hands, ask questions and simply be amazed. And I was not the only one in the group moved to tears. I could go on for hours about the school, the principal and the students but the video does a better job. If you really want to know more, call me and we can talk.

What I really want to blog about is emotion in a business environment. Is it OK? Is it embarrassing? Is it just not done?

To quote a good friend, I "cry a supermarket openings" which is fine when I'm with friends. But more than once in business I've felt my throat tighten and my eyes fill up. Circumstances have ranged from seeing a client come to a difficult conclusion, having heart-to-heart conversations with employees, to talking with non-profit clients about how they serve the community. (Every meeting with Comfort Zone Camp was "laughs, tears & hugs").

Honest emotion can't be faked, and it's healthy to let it go. But when? Do you wait until you're alone like Holly Hunter in Broadcast News (I couldn't find a youtube link, sorry) or do you go with it on the spot? And does it matter if everyone else is doing it too? I'm curious - what do you think?

Adventure Awaits

I'm leaving in the morning for an intensive 3 day trip to Raleigh, NC with the Greater Richmond Chamber. This InterCity Visit promises to be as great as the ones I've been on in the past (Oklahoma City, Miami, Louisville and Charleston) with long days, challenging agendas, lots of thinking and conversations about what we can learn from Raleigh to continue to improve Richmond. It's a privelege for me to be part of the trip, and a great opportunity for MBM as it increases our exposure and our insights how we can help contribute to the growth of our community.

As we focus on technology, schools, development, and leadership there'll be plenty of networking as well. Of course, I'll be checking my phone to keep up with what's going on at MBM - and there's a lot going on. I'm glad there's such a strong team here to keep business moving forward, and to support each other.

Raleigh's not quite Madrid, but then again, I haven't spent that much time there - yet.

Wunderlust?

Megan's currently on a plane (with an iPad) somewhere between Las Vegas and Richmond. Kelly & Courtney are hovering (literally, in a helicopter) somewhere above a coal mine in West Virginia for a photo shoot. I'm still reveling in the sharp memories of 10 days in and around Madrid.

We were all fairly sedentary for awhile there - work was steady and travel was minimal. And now all of a sudden we're scattered about for work and for fun. Personally, I'm looking forward to next week when we're all in the office together again - sharing travel stories, laughs, and phone duty! They say it's lonely at the top, but it's even lonelier when you're in the office by yourself...

Changing Seasons

It's amazing how warm weather can change your state of mind. People get a little friendlier and suddenly have a kick in their step. You see neighbors you haven't seen in months and suddenly you HAVE to find something to grill.

What's been interesting is to see this change in my son who is not yet two. As if he needed more energy, this warm weather has him bouncing off the walls and begging to be outside. This picture of Jacob (my son) and his cousin Grace is an example of that energy just waiting to be released. Plus it makes me laugh everytime I see it so I had to share!

We are seeing some of that spring energy here at the office. New logos, product promotions, and direct mail campaigns are underway! We'll be working on bottling up all this good mojo for when summer makes us yearn for cold again. Let us know if we can put it to work for you!