We were so excited to meet Vlad, and even more excited that he decided to come join the team! Without further ado, ladies and gentleman, our new Senior Analyst—who would be happy to brave the crowds of Wrigley with you at the next Cubs game.

Vlad Chaykovsky

Where are you from?

Originally from Kiev, Ukraine, but lived in Columbus, Ohio for most of my life.

What do you do at envisionit?

Senior Analyst.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.

The atmosphere here is really nice, everyone is so supportive and relaxed.

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

A veterinarian.

Fill in the blank: My favorite thing about Chicago is …

Going out to a Cubs game!

As Controller and Director of Marketing, respectively, Amy and Ben have been indispensable new members of our team, crafting up innovative marketing plans and keeping track of lots of numbers (don’t worry Amy, we know you do more than that). See what they like about working at envisionit! And what (and who) their childhood selves wanted to be as adults!

Amy Russell

Where are you from?
Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

What do you do at envisionit?
Controller.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
Working with such engaging people.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Dancer, which I still am when I’m not crunching numbers.

Fill in the blank: My favorite thing about Chicago is…
Living by the lake.

Ben Cox

Where are you from?
I was raised by horses in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

What do you do at envisionit?
I’m Director of Marketing, so I drive the strategic marketing bus. I’m responsible for understanding our clients and making sure we deliver delightful experiences that matter.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
Far and away the people. I love the youthful energy and genuine passion. And working beside seasoned marketers is equally rewarding and challenging.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Indiana Jones.

Fill in the blank: I’m really good at…
Making my three boys laugh until they drool.

It’s great to have Dan and Kerry aboard to help us stay organized, keep our projects on task, and add another layer of awesome to the office. We salute them and enthusiastically welcome them to the envisionit media team.

Dan Levengood

Where are you from?
I was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, and raised in East Moline, Illinois.

What do you do at envisionit?
My official title is Program Director. I lead the project management and account management teams.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
I love the entrepreneurial spirit at EIM. The “can do” attitude starts at the top and drives creativity, strategy and production.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Portillo’s. Are there other places to eat?

Tell us a story in six words.
My dog’s name is Mr. Deuce.

Kerry St. Joseph

Where are you from?
Crystal Lake, Illinois.

What do you do at envisionit?
I’m a Senior Project Manager.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
All the smiling faces! And the abundance of candy.

Fill in the blank: I’m really good at…
Running.

Fill in the blank: Three things I can’t live without are…
My running shoes, my family, my chapstick.

We’re excited to announce a new collaboration between envisionit media and TOYOTA Motor Corporation. EIM recently hosted an event in conjunction with TOYOTA Motor Corporation’s Corporate Value Creation Dept. This evening was put together to allow a diverse group of creatives and business professionals a sneak-peek into the next evolution of the Global Creatives Network, inspired by TOYOTA.

The Global Creatives Network brings together engineers, designers, artists, and thought leaders from around the world to generate solutions for sustainable mobility that will shape our world for the better over the next 100 years—and beyond.

Guests were invited into our new collaborative innovation space that we are very excited to be sharing with the network’s local hub, Creative Lounge Chicago. This new extension of our space is currently in the process of being built out, which provided an engaging backdrop for us to share plans for the environment as well as some of the programs that will be run out of it.

Presentations on the history of the lounge and mission of the network by Robert Karr, Trevor Hall, George Sipos, Satoshi Ishii, and our own Jason Goldberg complemented an evening of hors d’oeuvres and drinks provided by Mid-America Club of Chicago executive chef Michael Pivoney and a featured performance by Tatsu Aoki’s Experimental Unit.

Everyone who attended was also invited to leave an inspirational message on the frame of what will become a 40’ x 18’ magnetic whiteboard, one of the space’s key features and canvas for what we’re sure will be endless creative ideas.

The space itself will provide a unique opportunity for select partners to work side-by-side with envisionit team members, developing strategies and solutions for pushing their initiatives forward. We want to thank everyone for making the event a huge hit, and couldn’t be more excited to have the Global Creatives Network, inspired by TOYOTA, as the first program to take up residence with us.
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Erin and Kara came here to be part of the account team and chew bubble gum, and they’re all out of bubble gum. (So they’re still part of the account team, which is good). Their humor, hard work, and mad potluck skills have made them very welcome additions.

Erin Miller

Where are you from?
Planet Earth.

What do you do at envisionit?
I’m a Project Manager. I make sure projects stay on track by keeping everything organized and bothering the development team.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
I am learning so much, and everyone is really helpful. The beer on Fridays isn’t bad either.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Rich.

Fill in the blank: I’m really good at…
Staring contests.

Kara DeWalt

Where are you from?
Oak Park, IL.

What do you do at envisionit?
I am an Account Coordinator focused on Magic Number.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
I love that everyone at EIM is very creative and there is a positive, dynamic atmosphere in the office. Having come from the financial software sales world, it is very refreshing to see people constantly brainstorming and thinking outside of the box.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My mother’s roast chicken with stuffing and cranberry sauce.

Name three of your favorite movies.
Sideways, Goodfellas, American Beauty.

Stefan Wissenbach has a mission: to help others take control of their lives, achieve more in life than ever thought possible, and have a lot of fun along the way. To do that, he and his UK team created Magic Number — and sought an agency to help make this dream a reality. After months of hard work and collaboration between EIM and the Magic Number team, we are excited to announce the beta launch of Magic Number.

Watch the video!

In just a few easy steps, anyone can get their Magic Number — the amount of money they will need to make work optional when, and how they want. A fully interactive experience guides each user through their own vision of how they want to live: what kind of house they want to live in, how they want to spend their time, what they want for their family, and much more.

After receiving your Magic Number, the website provides insights and guidance to help make your dream a reality. Future releases of the website will provide enhanced tools for keeping track of your vision and goals.

In late 2012, a Goal Manager will be released, to help “break down your big endeavors into manageable tasks.” Upcoming releases will also include a Habit Tracker to help stay on task toward your Magic Number; and a Vision Board to help you visualize what’s really important to you, and to keep you motivated.

To celebrate the beta launch, Magic Number is giving the first 2,500 subscribers a free lifetime membership. That means you get your Magic Number, and get to experience all the great upcoming tools and features, free and forever. We’ve all signed up, and shared with our family and friends, and we encourage you to as well!
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Over the summer, Mike and Marlon started coming to our office five days a week to write and program, respectively, and our lives have been all the better ever since. Read on to learn Mike’s favorite movies, Marlon’s hidden talent, and what they’ve been working on so far.

Mike Phillips

Where are you from?
New Orleans, and Chicago.

What do you do at envisionit?
I’m the Senior Interactive Copywriter. I write stuff that makes people want to do things.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
I really enjoy the environment. It’s open, creative, and collaborative. Working on the Binny’s TV spots and getting to meet Tony Esposito and Mike Ditka was fun, too.

Tell us a story in six words.
My great-grandparents were notorious bootleggers.

Name three of your favorite movies.
Goodfellas, Amelie, Rushmore.

Marlon Harrison

Where are you from?
Born and raised in Chicago.

What do you do at envisionit?
Senior Developer. I develop seniors.

Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
Getting to watch a British man dance to Easy-E.

Fill in the blank: I’m really good at…
Changing a diaper while getting kicked in the stomach by a baby that thinks it’s funny.

My favorite thing about Chicago is…
The street grid system.

Maria Kuznetsova, Graphic Designer

It’s clear the universe wanted Maria to join the envisionit team. Before she even applied for a position, she saw the office and liked the whole open creative collaboration-deal we have going on. As it turns out, she also designed the website for Blokes & Birds, where we had part of our 2010 holiday party. And now, she’ll be designing logos, websites, and print pieces for us.

Both form and function are equally important in her work. Her fine arts background in painting and studio drawing shapes the former, and her consideration for a user’s goals and overall experience is what leads the latter—so the result is a calm, aesthetically sound interactive experience. Win.

Tyler Beth, Web Marketing Manager

A connoisseur in the realm of SEO, Tyler came to us by way of organic search. Fitting. He looks at SEO as a big puzzle—putting the pieces together to raise rank so you can find it. But he’ll be exploring all of the pieces of SEO to do more than just optimize a site. Think social search, local search, mobile SEO, and social media strategy.

When he’s not SEOing websites, Tyler’s likely snowboarding down a mountain, following the ventures of the Cubs and Bulls, or going to a concert.

Those of you who follow envisionit media on Facebook know that we had an agency-wide potluck lunch a couple weeks ago. We all like to eat, a lot of us love to cook, and we happen to enjoy spending time together. So a late summer, mid-week food fest seemed like a lovely way to combine all of these things. There was quite a spread–enchiladas, pasta salad, sloppy joes, bruschetta, watermelon salad, mac & cheese, fried chicken, something called bread salad, and some subtly-sneak-seconds desserts. We’re still full. For a Friday treat, we thought we’d share a few of the potluck recipes. Click the thumbnail below to download the envisionit media potluck pdf! Happy weekend!