Eight years ago at SGDP, we set our sights on being a “premier” design and marketing communications firm. At that time our goal was to become a market and industry leader that is recognized by its peers and targeted clients as being among the best at what we do. We wanted to be known for producing the highest-quality work through multiple product and service cycles (for instance, making the transition from drawing boards and rapidographs to the digital age, moving from print to the Web, and from design to integrated marketing). We wanted to build an organization based on creative teams that wasn't dependent on an individual leader or personality. We wanted to grow in a sustainable way and be profitable on a quarterly basis.

We’ve made great strides toward all of these goals and have done amazing things together, but these are all moving targets: As soon as we touch the line, the line moves. That is the whole idea. It forces us all to reach farther and dig deeper. As we look forward to ’08, I want to ask the question, “What does it mean to be a premier design and marketing communications firm now?” What firms would you call premier and why? What makes a great strategist, account manager, designer, writer or creative director? Who do you respect and admire? How do you define premier?

I would love to hear from everyone inside the firm and out. I want to know what other creative professionals have to say, and it would great to hear from current and prospective clients. So thanks in advance for your time and your effort. Let’s start the conversation and see where it takes us. — Ted Stanaszek, Managing Director

French Lick.

It was worth the trip just to see some people’s faces when I say I went to French Lick, Indiana, for vacation.

I feel compelled to explain the name. The area was originally a French trading post. Springs are often called “licks” because that’s where deer and buffalo would go to drink water. Once you know that, you can stop snickering and learn some history.

Starting in the 1840’s, French Lick became one of many spa towns that sprang up across the country. By the early 20th century, there were several luxury hotels in French Lick. The crowds came by train from New York, Chicago and other towns, drawn in by claims that the area’s sulfur waters could cure everything from sterility to senility.

Over time, it became more of a hot spot for drinking, gambling and carrying on with lewd women. Visitors included Joe Louis, Al Capone, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby. NBA star Larry Bird was born here, but that was much later.

Today just two of the grand hotels remain: West Baden Springs Hotel and French Lick Springs Hotel. They went through hard times during and after the depression but both have been recently and extensively renovated in hopes of bringing back glamour and gold to the rolling hills of Southern Indiana.

We visited West Baden first. When you enter this National Historic Landmark, you are standing inside a magnificent domed atrium. Natural light streams in. Narrow hotel room windows with lace curtains line the walls. Miniscule tiled floors, murals, columns, arched doorways and goldleaf … all of it, along with the surrounding grounds, jaw-dropping beautiful. No wonder this place was once dubbed “the Eighth Wonder of the World.” Inside the 27,000 square foot spa, massages were a whopping $130 to $165 for 50 minutes. This is more than I recently paid for a full-hour massage at a Park Avenue spa in New York, which is a two-hour flight away instead of a six-hour drive.

The other hotel in French Lick is just a mile down the road. It has the unfortunate luck to have parked in front of it a gaudy faux boat, surrounded by a ditch, presumably to get by the silly can’t-have-a-casino-on-land laws. This monstrosity was accessible from the hotel through a lobby that might have been more delightful to look at if my senses hadn’t just been assaulted by first, the boat, then by a row of shops selling what I call tacky luxury goods. Floor to ceiling windows offered a depressing view of, yes, the boat, a fast food restaurant and some other architecturally doomed establishment. A gas station perhaps. I don’t recall exactly. If I were a gambler, I might have found some hope or charm in this place. But to me, it was dismal. We immediately left for a nearby winery.

Lincoln’s Boyhood Home.

The next day, we drove further south in Indiana to Lincoln City, home of the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. The memorial and museum itself was impressive. Outside the building, majestic friezes cut from Indiana limestone showed milestones in Lincoln’s life. Inside, displays (including a video narrated by Leonard Nimoy!) told the story of how Lincoln’s family moved here when he was seven, in 1816, and stayed until they moved to Illinois in 1830. Inside is custom-made furniture from native timbers, built by local furniture makers. Lincoln’s father was a furniture maker and the museum collection includes a hutch he made.

It was at this place that Lincoln’s honesty, his belief in the importance of learning and his compassion for his fellow man was shaped. Walk outside the memorial through a forest and imagine what the land was like when he walked it. Stop at the small cemetery where his mother is buried. (She died of milk sickness when he was only nine.) Visit a pioneer home meant to replicate rural life in the early 1800’s and marvel at the hard work and ingenuity that went into creating a door, a gutter, a woolen pair of breeches (from sheep to finish) or even a flyswatter. Feel shame at your own lack of self-reliance, slothfulness and stupid hyper-consumerism.

Mary Rose Herb Farm and Retreat.

Hasn’t everyone been dying to stay in a yurt? I know I have, so when I Googled accommodations in Southern Indiana, this place caught my eye. While it didn’t promise to cure my senility, it did offer “a holistic approach to well-being” and an array of services, from traditional Chinese Medicine to classes in Ebay marketing.

After a day of traveling, (including a visit to Angel Mounds near Evansville), we just wanted a scenic but comfortable place to relax. We found Mary Rose Herb Farm off Interstate 64, past Possum Junction and down Cattail Road. Our hosts were Dick Betz and Rosa Lee Sheard, escapees from high-pressured sales careers in Seattle. They searched for four years for a place where they could start a new life that would include an organic farm and retreat. Their criteria included clean land, air and water, near an Interstate and good Internet access.

Our yurt was 21 feet in diameter with hardwood floors, cozily furnished with antiques and quilts. I sat on the deck, popped open a can of beer and took in the view of beautiful, unspoiled meadows, gentle hills and noble forests, when suddenly the unmistakable aroma of a nearby pig farm wafted through my nostrils into my lungs. What kind of cruel joke was this? Luckily, the intruding odor wafted away before the dinner bell rang. Dick jauntily rode up in a golf cart to set up outside dining, which included sangrias (non-alcoholic), salad and a superb bean soup – all fresh, wholesome and prettily presented. Afterwards, we relaxed in the Japanese soaking tub, its water heated by an outdoor woodburning stove, and watched for shooting stars. In the morning, Dick rang the bell and delivered us another delicious, homemade meal. We hiked some of the trail and then, sadly, it was time to go. I took my outdoor shower with a view of the pasture, singing the theme song from Green Acres while I scrubbed the bug spray away. What can I say? The place had a good vibe. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but for me it was the place to be. — Sharon, Associate Creative Director – Voice

What an incredible phenomenon. Talking to someone across the globe. For free. For as long as you like. Crystal clear.

This sounds like some sort of advertisement – and I guess it is in a way. It's a ringing endorsement for Skype, a computer program I have only recently heard of but has already proved valuable. Last week, coincidentally, I talked both to my sister, studying abroad in Madrid, and my co-worker who is vacationing in Milan. The sound quality was better than any telephone I've ever used, and the best part is no more expensive calling cards. — Brea, Senior Designer

“Cancer is a very focusing event. You can let it be an event driven by fear or elevated by love.”

That’s from our friend and founding partner, Arnie. Since being diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia this fall, he has been opening his heart and sharing the view from that precarious, but brilliant vantage point only those faced with a life-threatening disease are allowed.

Additionally, our friend, colleague, and leukemia survivor, Rhonda ran the Chicago Marathon this past Sunday. Absent from Rhonda’s posting is mention of the mental and physical challenges she overcame to be out there Sunday – starting the day, six years ago, when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Like Arnie, she humbled us with her strength during her illness. And, she continues to amaze us with her selfless outreach in health.

The word courage comes from the same root as the French word “coeur”, meaning heart. I had not thought too deeply about that connection until these past few days and am now struck by the beauty of it. To open up in the face of fear, to choose love over despair is the by far the harder path, one that demands the greatest courage and strongest heart.

À vos coeurs mes amis. — Susan, Creative Director – Design

For the past 5 years, I have dedicated myself, family, friends and colleagues to an important goal – finding a cure for blood-related cancers. As a five-year leukemia survivor, I have found two ways of accomplishing this goal: using my legs and using my voice. This week provided opportunities for me to use both.

First, the legs: I ran the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 7. While much has been written about the chaos that occurred on the course – and yes, it was chaos – the important thing was not that I got to finish (which I did). What really mattered is that the charity I run for, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, raised $2.5 million during this marathon. This money will be used to support patients receiving treatment and to fund research to find a cure. As I trained this summer for the marathon, it was the good cause that got me through the miles – running for people who can't. Running because, in the words of one of our Patient Honorees, "that's what I do." It was a life-changing experience, and the mental and physical challenges were immense. But I did it – and I will continue to rally support for this good cause by putting on my running shoes and, as TNT likes to say, "Saving lives, one mile at a time."

Second, the voice: Five hours after completing the marathon, I boarded a plane and flew to Pittsburgh to speak at a ceremony that marked the opening of a new cord blood bank at the Magee-Womens Hospital. A cord blood stem cell transplant saved my life five years ago, and I was asked to share my story with the 150 attendees, which included physicians, benefactors and the press, to demonstrate how the new cord bank would make a difference in peoples' lives. Over the years, SGDP has also pitched in to support this cause, creating marketing materials for ITxM, the local public cord bank. While the timing might not have been ideal for me, the opportunity to grow awareness and funding for cord blood banking was too much to pass up. This good cause helped me walk off the airplane with cramped up and trembling legs, and step proudly up to the microphone.

We all have these kind of opportunities to give back, to make a difference, to do something amazing. Your good cause may be different and you may use other resources to accomplish your goals – be it your art, your connections, your money or your time. Find your good cause and, as that one shoe company says, just do it. — Rhonda, Director of Strategy

Around SGDP, food is a top priority. We've never met a cupcake we didn't like, a bowl of guacamole that we couldn't devour or an occasion so small it didn't deserve a celebratory treat. Working is the most important thing we do here, but eating is a close second.

So it's no surprise that one of the highlights of each day is lunchtime. In Evanston, we were spoiled. Within just a few blocks of our office, we had a multitude of dining options. But since our move to River North, lunchtime outings require a bit more planning. And that's where the Lunch-o-matic comes in handy. The Lunch-o will ask you a series of simple questions (What did you have for dinner last night? What did you have for lunch yesterday? Do you have a particular craving? Is there anything you are specifically not in the mood for?) and then BAM! It will instantly tell you where you should go. It's just that easy.

Now you're probably saying to yourself, "That sounds like a fantastic invention! Is it a Ronco product? Where can I get one of those?" The answer: There is only one Lunch-o-matic, and it is available exclusively at SGDP. Because the trusty Lunch-o-matic is actually our copywriter Steve, who has honed his skills by attending countless meetings only for the free snacks. —Kristin, Senior Account Executive