“I’m am ’16, going on ’17.” – 2016
CGR’s President & Founder, Julio Colmenares, has told us today that he’s planning a surprise outing for our annual holiday party, and to say that we are excited is a massive understatement. The suspense is killing us!
As we talked about the upcoming surprise party, we started reminiscing on the year as a whole.
In 2016, we’ve welcomed new clients, completed a limitless number of projects and watched as CGR has continued to grow and evolve. There’s been so much to celebrate! It’s been an exciting year for the company, but we’ve also made many wonderful memories as a team.
We work hard, but even we know when to celebrate and have a good time together!
Here were a few of these good times.
Birthday Pranks
It was the night before Julio’s birthday, and the team got together and decided to do a very The Office themed prank! So we wrapped his chair, desk and accessories in leftover wrapping paper from the holidays and covered it all in well-wishing Post-It notes.
Writing for Web Seminar
In February, after much preparing, Hayley presented her first Writing for Web Seminar. She could not have done a better job of educating, while also making people laugh. We were incredibly proud of her!
The Paella Party
*Not pictured because with food this great, who has time to take a picture?*
The paella party! Or as Stephanie (Account Services) called it…PAYAYA! In celebration of Julio’s 40 Under 40 Nomination in February, he hosted a paella party for the entire team. Without fail, this was the favorite memory shared from each of us. This party was at the start of the year, and although we’ve had plenty of fun times since, nothing (and we mean nothing) can out-shine Julio’s paella.
Oh, Snap! Marketing Podcast
In March, we recorded our first Oh, Snap! Marketing episode! It’s been another great way of sharing our best marketing tips with everyone.
40 Under 40
In the middle of March, the team got together to celebrate Julio at the CBJ’s 40 Under 40 Awards, and we, obviously, spent the majority of the night in the photo booth.
Easter Egg Hunt
We hosted an Easter egg hunt in March, and one of our spring interns was the winner. Full disclosure: We’re still finding eggs from that day!
Food Truck Fridays
After a busy week, there’s nothing better than heading to Food Truck Friday at Sycamore Brewery.
The Digital Summit
Our SEO team attended the Digital Summit in May. Online marketing is constantly evolving, which is why we’re always doing whatever we can to stay educated and informed.
Meeting the Mayor
During a client event, the CGR Creative team had the chance to meet the Charlotte Mayor!
At this same event, we toured the Bank of America Stadium. (Not pictured: Three team members took a wrong turn and had to be escorted to the front by security. Oops!)
The YPs
In May, Julio won the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce’s YP Entrepreneurship Award. The team gathered at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 26th to celebrate him!
Knight’s Baseball
A few members of CGR went to a Knight’s game in June. BB&T Ballpark is one of our favorites!
Froyo Friday
It was a HOT summer, and all we wanted was a froyo bar. So we did it one Friday, with every topping imaginable.
The Book of Stephisms
To celebrate Stephanie’s birthday in October, the team got together to write and illustrate a book in her honor. Stephanie is known at CGR Creative for her signature sayings and catchphrases (“Until the banana splits!”), and giving her this gift was definitely a highlight from the year.
Pumpkin Decorating
The week before Halloween, we all got together to pain pumpkins and decorate the office.
We can’t believe it’s already time for 2016 to come to a close! Don’t worry–this won’t be the last you hear from us (puh-lease). But as we were reminiscing on the many joyful moments from 2016, we really wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you–our families, friends and clients–for making this year, and every year, so wonderful!
