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History
A2AC Then and Now
The Ad Arbor Ad Club started small, although not as small as anticipated. Designer Jill Wagner and writer Toni Voss figured the time was right to start an Ad Club in Ann Arbor. They expected about 15 people to attend the first organizational meeting in September 1991. Surprise. Over 30 showed up, a definite sign that Jill and Toni were on the right track. They agreed to serve as organizational co-chairs, and the seed was planted.
The first slate of officers, Brian Connelly, Sue Emens, Linda Fitzgerald, Rachel Foran, Jeff Gretzinger, Cathy Hunter, Karen Nestor, Mark Paris, Judy Seling, Toni Voss, Jill Wagner, Dick Wellman and Kathy Woodard, was elected in November 1991. The next steps were clear: locate others who might be interested in joining the Club; start signing up members; write bylaws; establish attractive program content and schedules; and, oh yes, try to figure out what to charge for dues.
By January, 1992, 29 people had become the first paying members of the brand spanking new Ann Arbor Ad Club. The Club’s first officers were Toni Voss (President); Kathy Woodard (First Vice President); Tim Woods (Second Vice President); Sue Emens (Secretary); and Rachel Foran (Treasurer).
The first program meeting in February attracted 132 members of the advertising community and affiliated industries. Even better, 17 new members joined, and soon the count was up to 72 paying members. During that first year, six program meetings were held, and by the end of the season, we had a total of 141 members. Other accomplishments included holding the first ADDY creative competition in association with the National American Advertising Federation (AAF); establishing relationships with the education community and government; creating scholarships; raising money for local charitable organizations; and developing strong ties with other Clubs.
Thanks to the energies and efforts of many members, by the end of Club season, we became nationally recognized. In the 1993-1994 AAF Club Achievement Awards, we were named Club of the Year, and Kathy Woodard was named President of the Year. We also won First Place Awards for Club Management; the Sid Bernstein Award for Communications; and Third Place for Membership. In the 1995-1996 competition, we were again named Club of the Year, and our President, Richard King, was named President of the Year. We also received First Place awards for Communications, Club Management and Diversity. In addition, six of our members received regional awards in the American Advertising Awards competition, and one won at the national level.
By the end of the 1996-1997 season, the Club had grown to 189 members. We also became more ambitious in our projects. We developed and established a Creativity Workshop for members, and held our first AdForum portfolio exhibition (in partnership with the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce) to showcase our members’ talent to the local business community. We also established an Internet Committee to develop our website.
Once again, we made our mark on the national level in the AAF Club Achievement competition. We were again named Club of the Year, and Deb Babcock was named President of the Year. We also received First Place awards for Advertising Education; Communications (again!); and Membership.
The following year, for the 1997-1998 Club season, we are again named Club of the Year, and Karen Nestor was named President of the Year by the AAF. We also received First Place awards for Advertising Education (again!); Communications (again! again!); Membership (again!); Club Management; and Programs.
In addition to continuing our community service projects, a series of fundraisers enabled us to present two $1,000 scholarships.
Over the next few years, we continued to improve our services to members and the community at large. New activities included presenting workshops on creativity; establishing a government relations committee; increasing our diversity and scholarship efforts; enhancing internship opportunities; and creating a pair of awards for “Volunteer of the Year” and “Company of the Year” to recognize outstanding contributions to the Club.
We also maintained our tradition of excellence, winning First Place for Club Management (again!) and Second Place for Communications in the 1998-99 Club Achievement Awards.
We’re still doing what Jill and Toni set out to do that night in 1991: create a vibrant, educational, social and fun environment in which members of the area’s creative community can meet, chat, network and learn.
It started with a seed of an idea. Look how we’ve grown.