1. Perry Hines
Senior vice president. Marketing chief. Dreamer. His first dream — of leaving
his tiny Kentucky birthplace and its coal mining culture — took him to law school.
But law wasn’t for him. “I wanted to effect change in the boardroom, not the
courtroom. It’s a more honorable place.” So he took on marketing roles in
diverse industries. “My life has been trial and error, trying to find out what I
like.” He loves what he does now: “the creativity, the analysis, the ability to
persuade people to take a desired action.” Someday he may take persuasion to
another level. He’s worked on political campaigns and might like to go to
Congress himself. Or a pulpit. Both interest him. For now, he’s busy with civic
activities, church and family (wife Lisa, tennis player Harrison, 13, and school
safety monitor Bradford, 10). Irwin keeps him busy, too. Perry analyzed our
marketing needs, wrote a plan to address them and assembled a creative team to
carry it out. Now comes the favorite part of his dream: “I get energized by
surrounding myself with creative people.”
Kim McDonald
Vice president. Strategic marketing director. Fireball. Kim works hard, leads
dynamically and blazes through projects like there’s no tomorrow. After 11 years
in the Marketing department, Kim’s talent and deep knowledge of the industry
have taken her from marketing assistant, to senior marketing assistant, to
assistant manager, to manager, to assistant VP, to VP. Bob Griffith better watch
his back. Kim is also a hard-working mom of two active (and we mean active)
girls, Kyra, 8, and Olivia, 7 – proving you can have a successful career and a
family. Don’t tell anyone, but she’s also secretly addicted to the reality series “Big
Brother,” rents tons of movies at Blockbuster (the staff knows her by name) and
is a self-described tightwad (until recently, the woman wouldn’t even spring for
cable). Even though you won’t find her out in the sun (she hates to sweat), Kim’s
burnin’ up in the Marketing department and is a living testimonial to
thermodynamics – heat rises.
2. Carla Shead
Administrator. Company Store director. Hat lady. Carla is a dedicated
department caretaker who wears more hats than a Stetson model. Her
responsibilities range from filing and invoices to managing the Company Store
and keeping the Marketing department in line (no one wants to provoke her evil
eye!). Raised on Indy’s eastside, Carla has a can-do attitude and a huge heart.
Her life is full of Jesus, family and music. With a voice like an angel, she
produces her very own Christmas concert every year to raise money for charity.
She loves her birthday (April 6, but she celebrates the entire month), going to the
beauty shop, reading and naps. Carla enjoys a fairly simple, modest life, but
dreams of being a hardcore super-spy like Sydney on her favorite TV series,
“Alias.” But we like her just the way she is. Especially when she wears her “bring
the department homemade goodies” hat.
Ben Carney
Design manager. Visual nitpicker. Weekend athlete. To Ben, “kern” isn’t a
Broadway composer and “flush right” isn’t a plumbing achievement. They’re the
visual refinements he brings to Irwin’s ads and fliers. He became intrigued by
design when he was 8, visiting his art director uncle. Winning an art contest in
sixth grade confirmed his career direction. Following college training and a
career filled with agencies and freelance work, he brings his love of design to
Irwin, where he hopes to give all our material an appealing visual consistency.
He has his peeves — poorly used digital images, bad colors, ugly fonts (don’t get
him started on Courier!) — and he loves the sleek, the dynamic, the effective …
and Dawn, his bride as of Sept. 13. She’ll have to get used to his many ticks; they
come from the more than 30 clocks he’s collected. And he keeps them all
synchronized. It’s that visual consistency thing again.
Stacy Maglio
Designer. Ad guru. Rebel. Stacy likes to do things her own way and uses her
distinct taste to create fresh ads and other marketing pieces. As an experienced
Irwin marketer, Stacy has built rapport with the field and is trusted to get her
3. work done quickly and efficiently. She discovered her creative flair early, when
her clown drawing was published in her local paper at age 6. She fine-tuned her
craft at Indiana State, where she received a graphic design degree. Stacy loves
roller coasters, the Fourth of July and Harley Davidson motorcycles. When she
isn’t in class to learn how to ride, you’ll find her using “Trading Spaces”-inspired
ideas to decorate her new house, doting on her Italian husband (Vinnie) or
watching “Seinfeld” reruns (you gotta see her Elaine impression). She has all the
characteristics of a true Aries: spontaneous, outspoken, full of energy. Although
Stacy will always show up to work on time (being late — BIG pet peeve), she’s
truly a radical at heart.
Jennifer Hughes
Designer. Music critic. Free spirit. Jennifer searches for beauty in the world
around her. Art exhibits, magazine layouts, detailed furniture design, luxurious
book binding — she stares at them, absorbs them, drinks in their forms and their
sense of space, then adds them to her design repertoire. Her life, like her designs,
constantly evolves. She studied screenwriting and photography in college, taught
English in Mexico, fashioned digital imagery for J. Peterman and Paul Harris
online stores, designs furniture, studied welding, writes rock music reviews for
indianapolismusic.net, loves learning and hates boredom. She brings her world
of experience to Irwin, where she designs ads, creates credit union materials, lays
out newsletters (her special love). And laughs. Often. She claims she was shy
and introverted as a child. You’d never know it today. She loves the silly, the
bizarre, the quirky. Know anyone who has a “dream death”? She does. She’d
like to die laughing. For Jennifer, that would be beautiful.
Tom Zaenger
Writer. Editor. Renaissance man. Tom does it all. With almost 30 years of
professional experience, Tom is able to tackle a hyperbole and wrestle a dangling
participle in a single bound. Actually, he credits his lifelong obsession with comic
books as the source of his writing superpowers – with a knack for cartooning, as
well. As a journalist, film/TV critic, corporate communications editor and
freelance writer, Tom has always enjoyed seeing his work in print and the
4. freedom to be creative. But his proudest accomplishment to date is being
husband to his wife, Susie, and father to his daughter, Allie. Inspired by heroes
like Superman and Popeye, Tom makes life decisions based on the advice of Davy
Crockett: “First make sure you’re right, then go ahead.” As Marketing’s most
“senior” member, Tom brings a polished writing style and lots of experience to
the team (and enjoys the benefits of his official AARP card). Despite being
ridiculed for his age, Tom believes, like a fine wine, you only get better with age.
Jenni Keller
Writer. Publicist. Event planner. Sponge. Jenni readily soaks up new
information and quickly turns it into effective fliers, press releases, advertising
and other marketing vehicles. Her passion for writing took root in her childhood
diaries, then flowered when she discovered the public relations field in college.
Today, helping our sales force increase its production is where she finds her joy.
And in cooking (sweet baked goods a specialty). And faith (she’s a preacher’s kid).
And family (husband Andy, and dog Ginger). Structure is the common thread
that runs through her writing and other passions — learning the rules,
understanding the form. Once the foundation’s mastered, she loves the freedom
of improvising, of exploring, of producing something dynamic and new by
bending the rules. Well, not all rules. If you’re in front of her on the highway,
you’d better signal your turns or you’ll tick her off. Some rules, she figures,
simply shouldn’t be broken.
Jennifer Gasiorek
Ad director. Media attention-getter. Magician. Jen is a sharp businesswoman
who plans to work magic in her newly created role as Irwin’s advertising and
public relations manager. Throughout her career, she’s worked hard to conjure
up a reputation as a great decision-maker and skillful networker (or “gabber,” as
Jen would call it). The Mexico, Ind., native immediately spread her wings after
college, taking her first job in Washington, D.C., where she cast her spell on the
NFL Players Association. Naturally, she’s now a huge fan of football. And of golf
(especially at Winding Ridge with her husband, Rob). And of working on her
house. She sees no contradiction in her passion for romantic movies and ballet —
5. and her strange fascination with the Mafia (big-time “Sopranos” fan). Although
she hasn’t yet mastered the sleight of hand necessary to pull coins out of ears (we
can all retire when she does), her ability to produce creative, cutting-edge
advertising and PR strategies is no illusion.
6. and her strange fascination with the Mafia (big-time “Sopranos” fan). Although
she hasn’t yet mastered the sleight of hand necessary to pull coins out of ears (we
can all retire when she does), her ability to produce creative, cutting-edge
advertising and PR strategies is no illusion.