Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Perrenial AMA

 

The Saint Louis Chapter of the American Marketing Association agreed to celebrate our shared committment to the study and practice of Marketing at Perrennial on Lockwood in Webster Groves this year. This was a small but mighty collection of individuals.  

Brandon Towl is a principal at Words Have Impact (WHI) and he enjoys the challenge of taking technical topics and making them more interesting. Brandon has a PhD in Neuroscience and a Washington University professor. He finds himself enjoying appetizers with American Marketing Association Chapter President Nick Niehaus and Webster University Marketing professor Eric Rhiney and Ben Muehleisen from AMA Board. The dialog ranging from course evaluations, 360 assessment of educators, and the unique challenges of engaging students from China (in person or via Zoom). Jim Varney is a lifelong resident of Webster Groves and printing expert who reflects on a career of marketing communications with Dave Cox of Sandbox Creative over appetizers and a craft brew at my table. Mark Denk describes his career evolution from ad-man to Insurance broker with New York Life.                              
Our group is treated to the eclectic sounds of the three member Benbow City Shuffle of which our AMA chapter treasurer, Dave Shogren, is a member. He and band mates Rich and Al treated us to music selections from seasonal to classic holiday tunes. Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Thelonius Monk and more. Dave is on base and his wife Linda looks on as treasurer Dave provides vocals to Deep Ellum Blues.

If you go down to Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoes
The women in Deep Ellem, they give you the Deep Ellum blues
Oh, sweet mama, your daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues

The gathering was a pleasant holiday social event and a perfect way to consider the coming new year 2022 as I reflected on my own perrenial membership in this association for more than 25 years.

Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-1982) - American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. A quote from Monk was posted on my door when I was an account manager at an advertising firm in Raleigh, NC. "The only cats worth anything are the cats who take chances."