Our philosophy is Mitch's philosophy: Serve up a compelling message with an engaging design, keeping the technology transparent. And it works. After receiving a B.S. in communications, Mitch launched one of the world's first digital service bureaus. He quickly became an internationally sought-after speaker within the publishing and printing industries. Forging into interactive design and development, he again pushed the boundaries of an important new medium. And the hits just keep on coming.

After Ed earned a degree in mechanical engineering, his first job involved a combination of graphic design and hot-air balloon piloting. He blames this on his family, who raised him to embrace creativity as an essential life skill. As an early Mac Power User, Ed helped push desktop publishing ahead with advances in both hardware and software. Before long, he'd become a sought-after speaker and instructor within the publishing and printing industries. He went on to found iostudio. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Apparently teaching himself web dev in the Internet's early days didn't provide enough adrenaline for this adventurous theater major. So Chris became Editor-at-Large for GX magazine. This meant lugging notebooks and camera gear to destinations such as Iraq, Guatemala, the U.S./Mexican border and the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. When he's not busy running iostudio, Chris eats up military history. He's also an avid gun collector and dog lover.

Andy offers up a rare blend of military experience and big-league marketing savvy. A former Marine officer turned account executive, he’s orchestrated major sales and advertising programs from both inside and outside the military. His resume includes time as an AE at Foote, Cone & Belding’s San Francisco shop, plus managing director of global ad giant JWT’s Washington, DC, office. Strategy? Brand development? New business? The guy has this stuff down. He also looks surprisingly natural wearing a cowboy hat.

Lisa is an acknowledged expert and innovator in all facets of customer support. She leads our highly successful 1-800-GO-GUARD Customer Care Center, and knows the National Guard account inside and out. She also has an uncanny knack for fine-tuning processes and workflow. In short, she knows how to get things done. Lisa is a highly decorated Soldier herself, plus a member of the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, Alpha Phi Sigma.

From every angle, Patty understands what makes an agency tick and knows what it takes to keep one running smoothly. She has more than 20 years' experience in the Nashville advertising and design communities. Patty wrangles all our infrastructure and support teams. This includes Project Management, Finance, Operations, IT, Quality Assurance and Security. We've all figured out that if someone has a tough question, Patty is likely to have the answer.

As a certified Pilates master, Julia understands the power of balance, alignment and strength. So it's no surprise she brings these qualities to our Account Service team. She's wrangled accounts ranging from the Frist Center for the Visual Arts to Ebonite bowling balls, with casual dining, luxury hotels and sewing machines in between. Julia loves cooking almost as much as she does researching and pitching new business.

A gifted writer and creative visionary, Matt is always looking for the next idea big enough to impact the way the world sees a brand. Some of the clients that have benefited from his award-winning touch: PowerBar, BMW, Denny's, Beretta, CSX, HondaJet and washingtonpost.com. Before joining our team, Matt was doing great things at Mullen Advertising. His resume also includes Publicis Worldwide, Adworks and The Creative Circus. For some reason, it doesn't mention his boat.

Rob began his ad career getting beaten up as an art director at Atlanta's Creative Circus. Next stop: GSD&M, where he won awards and got beat up less while working on AT&T, BMW, Walmart, Southwest Airlines and The Onion. A successful jump to digital landed him at Possible Worldwide, spearheading interactive campaigns and product launches for Dell and Alienware computers. If Rob isn't working, you'll find him stand-up paddleboarding, cooking up an excuse to wear a costume, or both.

Kate is accustomed to seeing things done well. This may be a byproduct of her years in account service at Mullen’s flagship Boston office. But we assume she was wired for high standards at a much earlier age. While at Mullen, Kate worked on everything from Nutrisystem and Century 21 to Wachovia and the Department of Defense. She’s also provided PR and strategic communications for health care technology startups. Other things she likes well done: live music, travel, running and canoeing.

There’s more to life in Chicago than great pizza and a high-profile marathon. And Hadleigh would know, though she has experience with both. For starters, there are groundbreaking ad shops like Draftfcb and mcgarrybowen. She’s experienced those, too, working on high-vis brands such as Oscar Mayer, Windex, Similac and the weirdly lovable Scrubbing Bubbles. A recent addition to our team, Hadleigh is embracing Nashville and all the New South has to offer. Even if our pizza does seem weird.

Growing up in Southern California, Joshua was drawn to the arts from an early age. After earning a B.F.A. in graphic design and illustration from Cal State Fullerton, he landed an internship at ABC. Other points of interest include packaging and product design, artist branding for several record labels, plus a poster silk-screening business. Joshua’s surfing has tapered off dramatically since the move to Nashville, but his passion for vintage Vespas is still going strong.

David was that guy in school—sitting in the back of class drawing monsters and comic book characters. In college, he studied painting and art history before earning a degree in graphic design. Beyond sheer talent, David’s wide range of experiences (he’s worked in bars, factories, fast food and real estate) gives him a natural ability to connect with a variety of audiences. His latest adventure: quietly adapting to suburbia with his wife, daughter and two dogs.

There’s no better crash course for interactive design than time spent in the music business. Bryan’s been there, doing brilliant work for big names such as Dolly Parton, Dierks Bentley and Lady Antebellum. He’s also fronted an epic thrash-metal band called Destroy Destroy Destroy. Still, we all tend to mellow with time, so these days it’s more like “create, create, create.” Bryan’s secret energy source: insanely hot chicken wings, combined with unquenchable excitement about the future of the Web.

Laurel is an award-winning InDesign junkie with over a decade of experience in the fast-changing world of custom publishing. Her whirlwind career has carried her to New York City; Washington, DC; and New Delhi, India, before landing her in Nashville. Laurel is an art director by day, social worker by night. She's a passionate and active community volunteer with the Junior League, Young Leaders Council and a local women's shelter and a street newspaper.

During Mark’s 20-year career in journalism and publishing, he’s covered everything from news and sports to the arts. A few of the landmarks dotting his career path: The Boston Globe, Newsday, Sporting News and World Book Encyclopedia (where he tells us they engaged in some wicked Trivial Pursuit tournaments). When he’s not wrangling words and ideas, Mark enjoys tennis and live music. He’s also highly accomplished at the fine art of not throwing away old books.

What will magazines look like in the future? How will we use them? How should they integrate with social media? As an industry thought leader, Keith actually has the answers. Over the past decade, this native New Yorker has spearheaded more than 90 brand publications for government, corporate and nonprofit clients including the Army National Guard. An active member of the Custom Content Council, Keith received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Maryland at College Park.

A certified experience junkie, Amanda helped launch an arts and culture magazine while attending grad school in Louisiana. She learned to cook while working as a senior publicist for a cookbook publisher. Oh yeah, and she managed social media and PR for the Idaho Division of Tourism Development while at creative hot spot Drake Cooper. Amanda has crossed the U.S. by car five times, and lived above a beach bar in Spain. Plus, she understands true 360-degree marketing like nobody’s business. There is only one Amanda, and she’s it.

Clearly, the National Guard is in Rob's blood. He joined up in his native Louisiana when just 17, retiring in 2005 as a master sergeant. In between, he held positions as computer operator, battalion retention NCO, area retention NCO, retention operations sergeant, area recruiting supervisor and more. He has an amazing collection of medals that he's far too modest to talk about. But he's not shy about the military expertise and precision he brings to our 1-800-GO-GUARD Customer Care Center.

Sterlyn spent more than 18 years in the Army National Guard before retiring at the rank of master sergeant. He has served as infantryman, personnel administrator, armament instructor, recruiter, guidance counselor and more. He was named Michigan's top recruiter two times, receiving numerous medals along the way. Sterlyn also worked as a software trainer and as a senior IT analyst at Fort Knox before joining us. He has an ear for music, an eye for photography and the mind for guiding a successful dev team.

Rod has the sort of background you'd expect from a top money guy living in Music City. Before joining our team, he advised multi-platinum recording artists including Bon Jovi, Bette Midler, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks. We're talking deals worth hundreds of millions. A killer musician in his own right, Rod strikes the perfect left brain/right brain balance a person needs to keep the money straight when a bunch of creative types are involved.