Who is Plaid Swan?

Ever want to know a little more about the staff here at Plaid Swan? Who’s an avid gamer or a horrible cook?  Can you guess who used to tour the U.S. with a ballet company? Here’s a sneak peek into the faces behind your campaigns. Let us know what surprised you the most.

 

Vicki D.| Principal Partner

Facts most people don’t know about you?

1. An avid gamer; unique board games and video games and particularly those that involve strategic thinking.
2. A volunteer cheerleading coach to 4th-5th graders

Some of your bucket list items:

Travel to all 50 states, Take a backpacking trip in Europe, Attend a concert of their choosing with each of my two girls, and Go to Comic Con in San Diego with my husband.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?

1. Take risks so you can grow in your career and as a person
2. Have a backup plan in case the risks don’t pan out
3. Initiative will take you farther than you think

A bad habit you have:

Procrastination and Skittles

Reason you love Plaid Swan:

We are passionate about the work we do. I see it in the people who work here and the clients we work with. The vendors we work with often comment on this. We love what we do and it shows.

 

Betsy McC. | Principal Partner

Facts most people don’t know about you?

1. I am an avid hiker
2. I am a terrible cook
3. I am probably a little OCD if I had it checked out

What are some boards/organizations you’re involved in?

1. IWLC-Iowa Women Lead Change
2. NAFE-National Association of Female Executives
3. PAWS for Cause-Abused Dog Rescue

Three words that describe you?

Positive, Fearless, and Hyper Organized (to a fault)

Bucket list items you have

1. Travel to Tibet
2. Restore another Century farm
3. Help the women’s movement advance across the world.

How do you balance your career and family?

Live by a structured day. I plan and place both my work days and my home life on the calendar before the month starts and I live by that schedule. Still a work in progress. Sometimes family comes first and sometimes work has to come first. Life balance is a myth, created to drive women crazy.

What advice would you give to recent new hires?

Jump in to everything. Don’t worry about making mistakes. Expertise comes with experience as well as trial and error.  I would much rather you try and fail than hesitate and never take the shot. BE RESOURCEFUL!

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?

1. Pretty much everything can be fixed. There are very few actual fatal errors.

1. Hold your cards close. I don’t mean that you shouldn’t trust people, but you should take time to see what their agenda is before sharing your own.
2. You are not actually a leader until you create another one. Delegate; lift and support others.

Your favorite book or quote:

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
 Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Something you’d like to be famous for:

Writing and passing the law that makes animal cruelty a felony and at time a capital offense.

A bad habit you have:

Sour Cherry Balls. They should be outlawed as a drug.

Reason you love Plaid Swan:

I think our business model brings together an eclectic group of people. Our partners are all very different. By allowing people to live and work where and when they choose we get their very best on each and every project. Everyone involved wants this model to succeed as it gives everyone the flexibility to live in a manner that suits their families and impacts their quality of life.

 

 

Maggie W. | New Media Strategist

Most embarrassing moment at work:

At my very first internship within the first few days, my supervisor let me stay after to finish a few projects. Our office was very small with cords everywhere. I am pretty clumsy, so of course I tripped on one of the cords which caused a laptop to crash off a filing cabinet and slam into my supervisors family photos. Every single frame’s glass was shattered. I came back to work the next day with three new frames and was really happy to keep my position.

Favorite book:

Bossypants by Tina Fey. She wrote a great book about her journey to where she is now. Please, only read if you are prepared for laugh-out-loud laughter.

What advice would you give to recent new hires:  

• Don’t be afraid to ask thoughtful questions.
• Work hard. The more you give, the more you will get.
• Take advantage of the vast knowledge within the people you work with. Everyone has their own strengths which you can learn from.
• Just give in. Drink the wine.

Reason you love Plaid Swan: 

Plaid Swan allows me to explore a field I love while being guided by professionals who I respect. I am able to dip into all kinds of projects ranging from traditional advertising to public relations, and I am able to do so while learning from awesome coworkers like Betsy, Vicki, Brittani, Craig, and Jolene. I love Plaid Swan because of the combination of people and work.

1-2 facts most people don’t know about you: 

1. I spent years touring the United States in a ballet company, Von Heidecke’s Chicago Festival Ballet. If I attend any other Nutcracker production, my feet come alive against my will.
2. My favorite hobby is kayaking, specifically spring fed rivers. I wish they made a waterproof laptop so that I could just turn a kayak into my desk.

 

Brittani V. | PR Specialist

1-2 facts most people don’t know about you?

1. I love to SCUBA dive and dove with nurse sharks in St. Marteen in 2012
2. When I was 16, I spent 2 weeks in Australia and 1 week in New Zealand for an Ambassadors program.

A word that best describes you:

A client once told me I had “Crunk”.  A special blend between Charisma and spunk.  I’ve loved that word ever since.

3 bucket list items you have:

1. Scuba Diving through Jellyfish Lake in Palau
2. Qualify for the Boston Marathon
3. Become fluent in a second language

What advice would you give to recent new hires?

Take initiative.  If you have an idea, run with it.  Especially if it’s off the wall crazy and it’s never been done before.

Take the time to listen and gain from everyone’s past experiences with clients.

Your favorite book or quote:  The Servant by James C. Hunter

Reason you love Plaid Swan

When I moved back from Des Moines I wanted to make sure my next career move was long term.  The culture of the company was just as important as the position itself.  I definitely had my fair share of interviews, but never found a position or company I felt excited to be a part of until Plaid Swan.  Plaid Swan was exactly what I was looking for.  It has an amazing culture and the position itself was exactly what I was looking for. It’s an opportunity where I feel valued every day, empowered to make my own decisions, and have the ability push the boundaries with unique and creative ideas.  Everyone here has experiences for me to learn from.

 

Jolene D. | Marketing Strategist

Organizations I am involved in:

MVRA, Ainsley’s Angels, ARK Advocates

Favorite Quotes:

“Don’t sweat the small stuff” and “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”

Bucket Items:

Learn to surf

Run NYC marathon with my husband

Take my girls to Paris

Advice for new hires:

Trust your instincts, more often than not they are right.

 

Subscribe to the Plaid Swan blog here.