On whim, beginning on New Years Day 2010 I decided to challenge myself to take at least one picture every single day for the entire year. No rules, no parameters – just looking to have some fun with the camera! Follow my progress at SmugMug.

Some photos from a good passion project I had the amazing opportunity to work on – and a couple years in the making! When Levy took over the operations of Qwest Field in 2006, we put together a master-plan that included concepting of both the General and Premium levels of the Stadium in addition to the attached Events Center. While the Club-Level Mini Restaurants were completed in-time for our first season operating the stadium, it was not until 2008 that the General Concessions were redone. I was not able to go out for a game the first season, but had the opportunity to see head out for the Seahawks-Niners game last November, see all the work first-hand, and snap a couple photos!

Had a blast yesterday shooting some photos at Millennium Park here in Chicago for my friend and co-worker Jennifer Tinimbang and her awesome family. Have never really went and shot people formally like this before, but was pretty happy with how the pics turned out…

As I’m reading through my latest book, The Leadership Code, one line on the principal of integrity really stood out…

“As a leader, you have the responsibility to pass the New York Times test every day: If your actions showed up on the front page of the New York Times, would it look OK?…”

What a great way to objectify your approach to each and every situation you encounter. Imagine if we could all use this approach as a filter for all our actions how much easier it would be to keep our priorities in line. Powerful.

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell is filled with stories of success – from Bill Gates to the world’s smartest person you have never heard of…It is a book that digs deep into corners you would not typically consider to find equations of success. An interesting read from cover to cover.

My mom sent this one along to me – such a great story of love and dedication. have a watch. 

Between some of the personal struggles, and the collapse of the economy, 2008 surely won’t go down in the books as one of the best years ever – though even through it all, there were still plenty of special memories…I look back at the summer and remember those lazy weekends laying out at the pool or beach, a sharp contrast to the summer before when we were spending our weekends condo hunting. For those of you who have been through that process, you can probably sympathize, so having that behind us is surely a blessing…

I look back and remember lots of good dinners with great friends, seeing OAR at Northerly Island, and a Hootie concert at Ravinia, a handful of baseball games at Wrigley and the Cell, a bunch of OSU games – including the Michigan game with my dad, celebrating an anniversary with Mandy by going to see Wicked, numerous trips back to Ohio to see the fam, taking my little niece and nephew to the Lincoln Park Zoo, A once-in-a-lifetime trip to the night race at Bristol, the 20 hour road-trip from Tampa to Chicago with Kurt, and of course having the best (and cutest) roommate that I could ever ask for move in ☺

2008 was also a year of lots of positive growth professionally as well. I was challenged this time last year to take on a role of managing a team of designers at Levy, and although there have certainly been some bumps along the way, I have learned so much about myself, elevated my game as a designer, and taken great strides to become a leader of the group…But with that said, I really have to give kudos to my incredibly talented designers in addition to the rest of the Innovations team who have been nothing but supportive and helped me along this path. So even with the promotion to Director of Design, I won’t let myself or the group become complacent…and I vow to keep pushing us all to be a little bit better each and every day!

So looking ahead to 2009, though there are sure to be challenges, it is my hope that we can, as a nation, look at this as an opportunity to really do some good self-evaluating as to how we can get this thing turned around…because each and every one of us needs to do our part.

With all that said, I’ve got so many blessings to be thankful for, and even in the tough times. I have great friends and family to lean on, the best girlfriend in the world, a cute little pooch that can somehow always put a smile on my face, a brand new condo to call home, and an awesome job that I feel both challenged at and respected for the work that I do….I am truly blessed.

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2009!

The holiday season is typically a little slower than usual at Levy, but not this year…! With the economy in flux, were pounding the pavement harder than ever to position ourselves a step ahead of our competition competing for all the new business that is to be had out there…So the month of December has already brought trips to Cleveland, Green Bay, and Atlanta – and the months to come are sure to be just as intense. On top of that, were going to be hiring on a new designer to our group, and there is always that transition period that is a little tough on everyone.

Also got a little early Christmas present yesterday with a promotion to Director of Design for Innovations. Really excited about the opportunity to both lead such a talented group of designers, but also to be put in a position that will allow me to keep pushing us to get a little bit better each and every day we walk in the door.

As the winter rolls in, and we all head to our caves for hibernation, wanted to share a couple of great books that I’ve read recently – 2 of them are must reads for all you designers and creatives out there (Made to Stick & Do You Matter) – one that may on the outside seem like it’s only for the avid football fan, but really relates well to every facet of life (The Winner’s Manual) – and 2 by my favorite author that should just be tucked away for a couple rainy days. (Tuesdays with Morrie and the 5 People You Meet in Heaven) Enjoy!

a little spot done up in our office that was featured on CNBC’s “Mike on America” – pretty cool…and even some of our team’s design work gets a brief highlight there when their talking about pitching work to the Indiana Pacers.

Mike on America – Levy Innovations