Many professionals are lucky enough to be recognized, at some point in their career, for their years of hard work and the expertise they’ve developed. To be given the opportunity to take that one step further, in the form of giving back to our colleagues and industry professionals, is truly special and rewarding.
Image 4 has been triple-blessed this year: not only did we receive two Fab50 awards in 2018 (which now makes a total of 6), our senior leadership team has also been asked to engage with our industry peers by sharing our thought-leadership in two important and distinct roles.
Liz Hummel, our V.P. Operations, will assume the Presidency of the New England Financial Marketing Association. Recognized throughout the banking and credit union industry for her unique perspective on brand development and presentation, Liz has spent 16 years developing and honing her skills in the specialty practice of financial marketing. She will bring huge capacity, boundless energy and her steady hand to the Board at a time of great change in the financial industry. We all are tremendously proud to see her take on a senior leadership role in the industry and know that New England Financial Marketers will benefit from her commitment to this role.
Jeff Baker, our C.E.O., is co-teaching a class in The Future of Retail Design at Rhode Island School of Design. RISD, one of America’s premiere design schools, has developed a curriculum focused on the future of retail, and how non-traditional store design and implementation would challenge today’s design thinking. Thus far, it’s been a fascinating opportunity to engage with today’s consumers – as students in the course – and to re-think the activity and even the meaning of “shopping”. With a few months to go before final projects are due, the students are already creating the shopping experiences that you may engage in a couple of years. Experience design, interior design, technology, and non-traditional display methods all are swirling to create a very different in-store experience.
In both cases, the opportunity to affect the future course of the industries we work with and to share our hard-learned skills and lessons is a tremendously fulfilling experience. We all receive more than we give when we give freely of ourselves.
We’re proud to have been asked to take up these roles: It’s About the Experience®.