Emily Almasy

Professionally
This year marked my twelfth year working with one of my favorite clients – Metrics. And it was a great year for them, one that I’m happy to have been a part of!

Personally
If you know me at all, you know that Pete and I embarked on a home renovation in January. Well, I’m proud to say that we made it through – still married – and have completed 98% of our planned work. It was a huge undertaking, but one I would do again, now that I know what its like to have a bigger kitchen and new bathrooms!

Shelley Bainter

Professionally
In 2012 we worked on several projects that I really enjoyed, but I have to pick one of our biggest digital marketing projects of 2012: Renovating Metrics’ website. It was a great experience to create for them a website that captures the company’s and its employees’ personality, while giving a lot of organized information to their web visitors.

Personally
I finished my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 28 in 4:18:44. Receiving cheers and support from US Marines while running through the nation’s capital was an incredible experience. I’ve run somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,250 miles this year!

Candice Hogan

Professionally
As a college graduate in 2008, at the start of the downward spiral known as the US economy, there weren’t too many options for jobs. You took what you could get and were happy with a job. Since then, through a few jobs, I’ve learned more about what I’m good at, what kind of work I want to do and the type of environment I want to work in. And this year I feel like I’m doing the work I’m good at and like to do, in the environment that facilitates the best version of my working self. I think this is what it looks like when your job grows up, into a career.

Personally
Anyone that’s known me for the past year probably knows I’ve been planning my wedding. Getting engaged at the top of the Rockefeller Center Building in NYC has to be one of my favorite memories of 2012 and planning our March 2013 wedding has been a lot of fun. But planning a wedding is also a lot of work and I’m really proud of the way things are coming together.

Karen Sinclair

Professionally
I continue to be amazed at the longevity of both our client relationships and of my wonderful coworkers at Sinclair & Co. This year marked the twelfth year of supporting pharmaceutical development and manufacturing client Metrics, which has celebrated its own big news this year, as well as launched a new website that we created and developed for them. Inside the agency, which I’ve steered for 24 years, I’m proud of the seasoned, smart, talented, and most of all, FUN individuals I get to work with everyday. Collectively, the five of us have more than 50 years working within Sinclair & Co. We have a great team.

Personally
I helped initiate, organize and execute a multigenerational Sinclair family reunion in November in Southern Pines. We traced the paths of our ancestors through the Sandhills of North Carolina, visiting old home places, schools, churches and long lost cemeteries, and in the process rediscovered that tie that holds us all together…the love and memory of our late grandmother and the good humor we were all fortunate to be blessed with. Of course, no Sinclair gathering is complete without good food, good wine and lots and lots of laughter.

If you’ve never attended a venture conference, it’s sort of a huge speed dating event with bright enthusiastic entrepreneurs on one side and savvy, sometimes skeptical, investors on the other. The main events are presentations, where entrepreneurs have seven to 10 minutes to summarize their organization, technology and market potential into a convincing “ask” of millions of dollars. It’s like American Idol without snarky judges and text voting.

These conferences usually feature keynote addresses by entrepreneurs and innovators, many of whom are legendary. At February’s Southeast Venture Conference (SEVC), I heard Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales one day and Google’s Chief Evangelist Vint Cerf (also known as the Father of the Internet) the next. Hearing them talk about the future of their companies is like traveling to the future itself. While I’m excited about Google Earth, they’ve moved onto Google Mars. Think Wikipedia is a great open source encyclopedia? That’s so 2009. Wikia is the latest thing. And are you worried about bit rot? Well, you should be.

I return from venture conferences rejuvenated and inspired, and not just by the celebrity speakers. I’ve met amazing people with tremendous ideas—from medical technology that detects cancer sooner to solar technology that powers roadside lighting with asphalt paint to my own client, Todd Pope of TransEnterix, whose innovative surgical device will change minimally invasive surgery around the world.

Heady stuff.

In the recent economic downturn, we’ve seen traditional industries struggle and sometimes collapse—from homebuilders to banks to big box retailers. Venture conferences remind me that innovation will lead us out of this recession.  (In fact, you could say recessions inspire innovation.) Either way, spending time around people with big ideas and big dreams is a great catalyst for generating your own big ideas and dreams. Or, in our case, helping clients spark theirs.

Today Emily received the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Leadership Award.  She shared the stage with a prestigious group of local professionals, including Luke Roush of TransEnterix.  Check out this year’s recipients on the TBJ‘s website and read our announcement here.

Charlie Johnson at Graphic Design Blog shares 25 examples that will either make you go, “HMMMMM” or “Wow, I wish I’d thought of that.”

Check it out. And get back to me if you knew there was an arrow in the FedEx logo.

I was immediately struck by the simplicity of the message and wished I’d come up with something half as eloquent for our own holiday greeting to clients. I struggled with trying not to be too somber, too heavy, too flip or too clueless as I contemplated what message to impart. The J. Crew message was perfect.

Of course, J. Crew has managed quite a few PR coups over the past few months, thanks to Michelle Obama’s fondness for the retailer for her own and her darling girls’ wardrobe. And the subsequent marketing impact has not been lost on Wall Street or in the mainstream media, as this Time magazine article shows. J. Crew is one of the few bright spots in the tattered retail industry.

What is J. Crew doing right? I think they start by understanding their brand and being true to it. With their advertising, their clothing, their colors and indeed, the simple messaging on a throw-away packing slip—it’s all in sync. Simplicity, quality, tradition and reality with a sprinkling of whimsy. There’s even a bit of hope in Sasha’s pink coat and bright orange scarf, and that’s what we’re all looking for.

But for me? Right now I really want Michelle’s green gloves!

Or, do your part to save the planet (and $1 in gas) and visit http://www.asseenontv.com.

Is this a great country or what?

Unlike a lot of agencies, at Sinclair & Co., we’re not big on awards. Sure they’re nice to receive. They give you a great excuse to do a press release. They permit you to call your work “award-winning” and keep a straight face. And the fact is, we have collected a few over the years.

But when we learned a logo we developed for our client, Buric, was selected to appear in Logo Lounge V, I have to admit we did a little happy dance.  Every year, Logo Lounge publishes book of the best logos and corporate identities IN THE WORLD. This year, they had over 33,000 entries. They selected 2,000 of them to appear in the their latest volume.

But we all know good work doesn’t happen without good clients. And good clients don’t happen without trust. So hat’s off to the fine folks at Buric, for trusting us with their rebranding project.

We‘ve decked the halls at Sinclair & Co. Of course, there are no swags of pine boughs or red velvet bows for this crew.

Around here, nothing says “It’s time to log onto Amazon, hide presents in your office, and plan those pre-work trips to Target” like this Charlie Brown-ish piece of pink tinsel.

Happy Holidays!