An Inside Look: Morochian Selected for Buzzfeed’s “Better Money Habits 50 Under $50K” Camp, Powered by Bank of America

One of Moroch’s very own ended her summer with a special surprise: she was chosen as one of 50 young professionals to attend Buzzfeed’s “Better Money Habits 50 Under $50K” camp, powered by Bank of America. Caroline Padja, a Junior Media Investor, spent a weekend in Green Lane, Pennsylvania learning the ins and outs of smart money management. The program targeted 50 young professionals across the country who practice smart financial habits on salaries of $50,000 or less, which was the average starting salary for U.S. college graduates in 2017. Caroline was one of just a handful of Texans chosen for this unique opportunity. Here’s what she had to say: What led you to apply to this program? I originally heard about the program from a Tweet by Josh Peck. He said he was going to be at the camp to talk about better money habits and told his followers to apply. When I looked into it I thought it sounded super interesting, so I filled out my application and turned it in! I went through a couple rounds of interviews before being chosen but once I got there, I was blown away. The amount of work they put into Camp Better Money Habits really showed! We got to meet with so many talented people from different industries and learn about how to make smart financial moves to better ourselves. What were the days like at camp? Our days were mainly made up of lectures and group discussions on best practices for managing your finances; we had editors from Buzzfeed, executives from Bank of America, business owners, and even a hypnotherapist! They basically gave us an overview of everything we needed to make our 401k work for us and set realistic goals for the future. They also hosted lots of group activities throughout the weekend including this big scavenger hunt on the first day and a few fire-pit concerts with local performers. What sort of people did you meet? I met dozens of amazing individuals who wanted to better themselves and live well on good budgets. It was great to see that although our career paths were different, we all had similar mindsets and goals that we wanted to accomplish. I loved getting to know people who are just as driven as I am, and I can definitely say that I made life-long friends and industry connections. What did you take away from this experience? I think the best lesson I learned from this experience was how to set long-term financial goals instead of just short-term. I also walked away with a better understanding of how to make my savings account work for me and how to take advantage of my work benefits. Going to this camp was also an incredible networking opportunity. It was great to meet people who had been through all the ups and downs and made it out the other side with successful careers. I definitely feel more prepared for the future now!

Our Summer Mo(ROCKED)

Every summer, Moroch opens its doors to a new class of interns – students from all over the United States – who are equally as passionate about perfecting their craft as they are about impromptu pizza parties in The Den. This summer, the Moroch Family of Companies welcomed 23 exceptional interns, 16 in the Dallas office and seven in field offices throughout the country. Along with the opportunity to learn from some of the best and brightest professionals in the advertising industry at an award winning agency, students were given the opportunity to work on national accounts and learn what it truly means to Be Significant. There is no typical internship experience at Moroch. Each day is as unique and different as the people who make up this agency, including the interns. For ten weeks, interns embarked on what would become a journey of self-discovery, learning not only how to navigate agency life, but also gaining valuable skills that they will take and utilize throughout the rest of their careers. Brand Management interns, Haley Kirby from Texas Tech University and Kaylee Geiser from Texas A&M University, both said the internship has given them ample real world experience and that they’ve learned how to work with a diverse group of people who all have different learning styles. In addition to gaining valuable interpersonal skills, students also dived head first into real, meaningful agency work for nationally recognized clients. Shannon Staunton, an Account Services Intern in Milwaukee, WI and student at Marquette University, experienced this first-hand. During her internship, she supported a “Breakfast on the Farm” event where she helped educate consumers about McDonald’s relationship with local Wisconsin farmers. “This internship has prepared me to act quickly under pressure, tackle new projects, work outside of my comfort zone, and always ask questions,” she said. “Now I know that I definitely want to work at an advertising agency after graduation.” Other interns like Theresa Threfz, a Midas Intern from Roger Williams University, gained a strong sense of independence while living in Dallas and interning at Moroch. “Moving from Connecticut truly forced me out of my comfort zone,” Threfz said. “I learned how to live alone, and what it feels like to focus on becoming a better person and professional. I couldn’t have done it without the push from the internship team.” In addition to weekly intern meet-ups that allowed students to learn more about other departments at Moroch, interns participated in various socials throughout the summer, such as visiting escape rooms and spending time at Top Golf. This helped them learn a truly valuable lesson: “If you aren’t having fun, you’re doing something wrong!” “The environment is extremely conducive for producing creative work,” said Laura Walsh, a Creative Intern from Southern Methodist University. “Whether we’re kicking around a soccer ball, skateboarding down a hall or going down the slide, it’s nice to be able to take a break and hit the refresh button!” While every student may not come to Moroch knowing exactly what they hope to achieve post- college, they get exposure to every facet of agency life. “We’ve learned that sometimes it’s ok not to not know what you want to do as a career,” said Michael Consolo, a Media Intern from Texas Christian University. “Some people don’t find out until much later in life, but that’s why it is so important to take every opportunity you get. This internship was a huge one for me!” When interns aren’t working on impressive accounts like McDonald’s, Six Flags, Midas, Planet Fitness, Llano Estacado Winery, James Avery Jewelry and more, you can find them exploring everything that Dallas has to offer and documenting it on their personalized Instagram account, @morochstars. The name speaks for itself, and speaks to the electric personalities of the interns who contribute to it.  

Dallas Media Team Helps North Texas Food Bank

Twice a year, our Dallas-based media team hosts a Media Outreach Event. This year, the team volunteered at North Texas Food Bank to help sort, box and bag food for those in need. It was literally tons of fun! In just two short hours, our team filled over 400 boxes with 4,278 pounds of food and drinks. That’s enough to feed over 1,300 families! Thanks again to all who participated. To learn more about how to get involved with the North Texas Food Bank visit www.ntfb.org/get-involved.

Walk For Wishes Raises More Than $300,000

On Saturday, April 1, Morochians rallied together for Walk For Wishes® DFW, the 12th annual 5K fun walk to benefit Make-A-Wish® North Texas. The event raised a record $300,060.38 to support more than the 650 wishes Make-A-Wish North Texas hopes to grant in 2017 alone. Special shoutout to our friends at Side Chops for capturing the true spirit of the event in the video above!  

Operation Kindness

Every year, Moroch puts together a holiday card to send to our clients, partners and vendors. This holiday season, we decided to surprise them with the cutest gift of all…puppies. You see, this video couldn’t have been created without the help of a local organization here in DFW, Operation Kindness, and of course, the puppies. However, these puppies don’t have SAG rights and could honestly use our help. If you’d like to support Moroch in helping our furry friends, please consider making a donation to Operation Kindness’ Holiday Gift Guide. No amount is too big or too small. Happy Holidays!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Throughout October, Moroch employees came together to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a cause that has touched so many of us. To commemorate the strength and bravery of friends and family who have been impacted by breast cancer, on October 14, Moroch celebrated Pink Day. Not only did our Moroch offices look pretty in pink but we also showed our support through sidewalk tributes and balloon releases. While this day helped spread awareness throughout our company, we knew we wanted to do something more. The following day, 29 Dallas employees represented Moroch at the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure® and Mike Wexler, Senior Media Investor from our Atlanta office, hosted a benefit concert to raise funds for the cause with his band. Through these efforts, we’re proud to announce that we were able to raise $2,230 in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With 40,450 estimated breast cancer deaths this year, we know this might seem like a small drop in the bucket, but spreading awareness, donating and supporting local events can make a significant impact in saving the people we love. For more information about breast cancer, please visit www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer.

Making A Wish Come True: Wish Night® 2016

This May, Moroch helped our friends at Make-A-Wish® North Texas set an all-time record for their annual Wish Night® with an estimated $2MM+ in donations received. The event, which celebrated its 20th anniversary, is dedicated to raising money to grant wishes for the hundreds of children affected by life-threatening medical conditions in North Texas each year, and this was our 13th year in a row supporting the cause. From redesigning the event website to developing the theme and stylebook to creating the invitations, raffle tickets, signage, billboards, and ad layouts to managing social media content to public relations support to staying up until midnight the night before tying ribbons around programs, we’re proud of all our Morochians who contributed to the success of the evening. And with this year’s theme being Reflections, how sweet it is to be able to watch the video of the evening and reflect on the magic of making a wish come true. For more information on how you can get involved with Make-A-Wish, please visit: www.wishnight.org.  

Dallas Life: Lending a Helping Hand

As part of our Dallas-based media team’s bi-annual community outreach event, 45 Morochians volunteered at Dallas Life, one of the largest homeless shelters in North Texas. Over the course of three days, the team had an eye-opening and joy-filled experience serving lunch to Dallas Life residents. Giving hope to those in need since 1954, Dallas Life offers shelter, food and water for up to 500 residents at a time. No matter the reason as to why an individual is homeless, Dallas Life has a renowned rehabilitation program that provides residents an opportunity to gain needed skills to turn their situations around. Lasting anywhere from six months to a year, programs focus on an array of topics such as addiction recovery, job readiness, men’s and women’s issues, budgeting, and more. Upon graduating from Dallas Life, the hope is that residents will be better equipped for a new, independent lifestyle. While Dallas Life runs on very low overhead costs, through community partnerships they are able to give hope to those weathering the storm. The Moroch team was honored to help out and see first-hand that doing something as simple as serving a meal can make a difference in the lives of others. We look forward to continuing our media outreach program and finding new ways to give back to the communities we live in! To learn more about how you can support Dallas Life, please visit http://www.dallaslife.org/.

Women’s History Month: Reni Aldrich

Reni Aldrich began working as an entry level admin in our Oklahoma City office in 1985 but was quickly dubbed a “profit center” in our office for her ability to single-handedly take on the roles and responsibilities of a ten-person team. On top of her administrative duties, she ran the agency’s traffic operations, managed client relationships and even dabbled in studio. Then in 1993, a call came from our Dallas office. We were developing a new operation system for the agency and needed a structured, organized person to help our multiple markets and offices come together as one. More specifically, we needed Reni. This was the very beginning of what is now known as our Maccom team and we will forever be indebted to Reni for her leadership in spearheading this essential piece of our business structure. Over the years, Reni continued to lead our agency to new heights, leaving a lasting mark on whatever piece of business she touched. This includes developing our very first spot log and reporting grid that to this day is considered our broadcast traffic team’s bible. A true Renaissance woman, she has forever shaped who we are as an agency today. As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we wanted to take the time to honor this amazing woman for her contributions, leadership and dedication these past 30 years. Our agency would not have been the same without you and for that, we thank you. Congratulations Reni!

Morochians of the Month: March 2016

Our biggest asset is our employees. They are the heart and soul of our family of companies, and each month we like to recognize those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. However, we’ve decided to switch things up a bit. We’ve realized that we need to do more for the individuals who consistently exceed our expectations and over-deliver time and time again for our clients. Moving forward, each of our Morochian of the Month employees will be entered in to win a chance at the end of the year to go on an all-expense-paid, week–long trip for two to an exotic destination. While one might be considered the lucky winner in the end, we’re truly the lucky ones as our business would not be what it is today without these very special employees! So please join us in congratulating the following nine Morochians of the Month for March and good luck to each of you in the drawing later this year! Morochians of the Month

Alyssa’s Wish

Imagine if you had ONE wish to make, what would you choose? Would you think to use it to help others? For one unique and awesome kid, this is exactly what happened. In 2014, Alyssa Rooks – daughter of long-time Morochian, Lisa Rooks – was diagnosed with Moyamoya Syndrome, an extremely rare disease that can cause debilitating headaches and seizures. After two back-to-back surgeries at Stanford and through the help of countless doctors, nurses, family members and friends, we’re happy to report that Alyssa has not only made a full recovery but has made it her mission to help others in need. After qualifying to receive a wish from Make-A-Wish® Oklahoma, Alyssa has decided that what she wants now more than anything is to help children like her who had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Her wish, which came true on February 23, was to build a website that could be a resource and place of support for those kids and their families. Something that makes this wish even more special, is that another long-time Morochian – Jana Corwin – and her husband Jay, were selected as Alyssa’s Wish Granters. On top of the wish, Alyssa has also set a goal of raising $10,000 through her website with all funds going towards the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Foundation. Over the past week, Alyssa has already raised over $5,000 and today, Moroch Partners is honored to announce that we will be donating $1,500 towards her cause. Please join us in congratulating Alyssa and the Rooks family on the launch of the website: Alyssa.wish.org! There is no doubt that this will become a source of strength and inspiration to many, including your Moroch family. Alyssa Rooks

Introducing Our New Class of Fifth Year Morochians

Traditionally, a fifth anniversary is celebrated with a gift of silverware or wood. But at Moroch, we celebrate our fifth year Morochians with caricatures. This year we celebrated 21 very special fifth anniversaries. Why caricatures? Our answer: why not? While some may have a love/hate relationship with their caricature, we adore these fifth year Morochians and could not thank them enough for their hard work and dedication. Our agency becomes stronger each and every year because of you.

Morochians of the Month: January 2016

Congratulations to the January Morochians of the Month! These stellar individuals are recognized through the Morochians of the Month program to reward employees who exceed expectations and shine for all of their contributions and efforts. January Morochians of the MonthLeticia Taylor Senior Project Manager, Dallas Leticia doesn’t just highlight problems, she provides solutions. She’s been integral in the integration of LimeGreen and Moroch through training, and providing creative solutions when current processes don’t work. Leticia is always determined to find the right path to ensure we succeed and never gives up. She goes beyond her role/job description of project manager by managing budgets, highlighting opportunities for efficiency and creating new ways to approach impasses between us and challenging clients. Leticia will work on whatever needs to be done, regardless if it’s technically supposed to be on her plate or not. She does this all with a smile on her face and cracks jokes along the way. We’re lucky to have Leticia on our team are proud to congratulate her as Morochian of the Month! January Morochians of the MonthSally Soames Accounting Manager, Dallas Over the past couple of months, with the accounting team being short staffed, Sally has stepped up and worn several hats. Sally has gone to extra mile to make sure our agency is on top of all our accounts receivable and payable. On top of this, Sally has keep control of all of her other responsibilities and is an accounting go-to for our all of our agency’s disciplines. We’re thankful that Sally exceeded expectations wrapping up 2015 and are thrilled to name her as one of our January Morochians of the Month! HJanuary Morochians of the Monthayley Pugel Communications Coordinator, Lexington For over a year now, Hayley Pugel, our Lexington PR lead, has combined Southern class with rock-solid PR savvy. Hayley is always the first to join a brainstorming call, give shout-outs to team members, and step in when any member of her team needs help. Hayley recently learned that she’d be stepping into a larger leadership role in her market and stayed extremely calm, quickly making adjustments to make sure her clients, plans and roles were updated. She exhibited confidence, exceeding expectations at her planning meeting, and talked about the solutions rather than the problems the change would bring. We’re so excited to see her expand her leadership in 2016, as she discovers and shares more awesome ideas! January Morochians of the MonthAshley Quimby Account Coordinator, Oklahoma City Ashley has exceeded all expectations by becoming the go-to person on the OKC account service team.  Ashley has taken every opportunity to listen and learn. Whether it’s business insights charts, tactical recommendations, dealing with the clients or leading conversations with co-op Presidents, Ashley has taken ownership of learning these new things and broadening her skillset! Over the last several months, Moroch has received calls from a Co-op President complimenting Ashley on her performance, resourcefulness, and communication skills. We couldn’t agree more with what the client shared!  We’re happy to give a big thank you to Ashley for her dedication!

Feeding America

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. and Canada are burdened by food insecurity, not knowing where their next meal is coming from. While this is a daunting challenge to overcome, by working with leaders and organizations in our community to provide meals to people in need, we can make and significant difference. Over the summer to support Midas’ Drive Out Hunger campaign, Morochians participated in our first annual “Canned Castle” competition to provide hunger relief in North Texas. Participants built 16 castles that weighed in at over 3,866 lbs. – the equivalent of 3,200 meals! All castles were donated to the North Texas Food Bank and Tarrant Area Food Bank.

Morochians put their castles on display to support hunger relief in North Texas.

Drive Out Hunger is a community effort supporting Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization that feeds 46 million people at risk of hunger. This holiday season, instead of spending money on cards or gifts, we’re donating those funds to the organizations near and dear to our heart, such as Feeding America. We encourage anyone who can to donate to your local food bank or to another organization in need. ‘Tis the season for giving and every little bit counts.

Ronald McDonald House Charities

For the past 26 years, Moroch has been honored to serve Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in over 26 chapters across North America. Because our Moroch family of companies has donated well over a million hours in service to the organization, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with all the work our Morochians have put forth. This past year was no exception. Morochians from coast to coast went into their markets with their sleeves rolled up, ready to serve RMHC in new and exciting ways. Below are a few of our favorite moments: This year alone, RMHC was able to ease the burden of 5.7 million families by providing a safe place to spend time with loved ones. After such an incredible year, we felt like the only way we could top it off would be to continue to do what we do every day – give. Instead of spending money on cards or gifts, we’re donating those funds to the organizations near and dear to our heart, such as the Ronald McDonald House Charities we serve. We encourage those who can to donate to one of these organizations or to one dear to your heart. ‘Tis the season for giving and every little bit counts.

Make-A-Wish® North Texas

There is something incredibly special about seeing a child smile, knowing their wish is about to come true. Luckily for us, we have the honor of watching this magic happen year after year. In May, Moroch helped our friends at Make-A-Wish® North Texas set a new record for their annual Wish Night® gala with over $1.7 million in donations received. The event, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2016, is dedicated to raising money to grant wishes for the hundreds of children affected by life-threatening medical conditions in North Texas. Since Wish Night’s inception in 1997, the black-tie affair has raised more than $14 million and has granted over 1,875 wishes for children in need. And for the past 12 years, Moroch has donated hundreds of thousands of hours in creative, studio, printing, public relations and social media services each year to help bring the event to life. With 2016’s event just around the corner, our team – many of whom are active members of Make-A-Wish North Texas’ Wish Night Committee – is already deep into planning and raising funds for the North Texas children whose wishes have yet to come true. So this holiday season, instead of spending money on cards or gifts, we’re donating those funds to the organizations near and dear to our heart, such as Make-A-Wish North Texas. We encourage anyone who can to donate either to Make-A-Wish or to another organization in need. ‘Tis the season for giving and every little bit counts.

Morochians of the Month: November 2015

Congratulations to the November Morochians of the Month! These stellar individuals are recognized through the Morochians of the Month program to reward employees who exceed expectations and shine for all of their contributions and efforts.   November Morochians of the MonthKristin Smith Client Relations Specialist, Dallas Leading an integration effort is hard work – merging two different agencies, processes, personalities into the new LimeGreen Moroch over the past four months has required an endless stream of meetings, late nights, and coordinated efforts. As we’ve come across many obstacles, Kristin has always been able to talk about solutions and has taken full ownership of launching this new entity.  From ensuring the transition from limegreen.net to lgmoroch.com took place flawlessly, to announcing the new entity at NBMOA, to creating and helping manage the trinkets we’ve given to owners, to managing the endless list of accounting needs, Kristin has been relentless in attacking every problem that comes up and is always looking for ways to make every process better.  Although the integration is far from complete, we want to recognize her determination to do what’s right and not give up!   November Morochians of the MonthKristen Hamilton Senior Media Planner, Dallas Over the past several months, Kristen has consistently made significant contributions that not only impact the overall product her team puts in front of the client, but also the behind the scenes pieces that make our internal workflow planning much more streamlined. To start, Kristen has been an integral part of our new buying/billing platform team, involved in intense training/work sessions, set up and testing.  Additionally, Kristen has spent many hours over the last several months creating a tool that is instrumental to streamlining her team’s workflow and reducing potential errors. Throughout this entire process she questioned why and thought through each step to make sure we were setting everything up to be smarter and more efficient. On top of this, Kristen has gone above and beyond in delivering her normal planning duties, managing seven high profile markets across four regions. She continues to raise the bar to exciting levels and is truly a pleasure to work with!   November Morochians of the MonthBethany Wilcox Senior Account Executive, Denver Since Bethany joined the Denver team a little over six months ago, she has been a total rock star.  From her first meeting, she’s been wowing our clients with her personality, knowledge, and dedication to their business. She cares about our clients and takes time to truly get to know about their lives and connect with them on a personal level. Bethany recently assumed the role as the team’s tech guru, providing clients with new reputation management tools and helping them understand the functions and benefits. She’s also found ways to make client meetings more fun, incorporating polling tools and “word bubbles” into planning meetings. Bethany does a wonderful job of keeping us all entertained with her hilarious anecdotes and sense of humor, reminding us all that even in the craziness we all have to take time to enjoy yourself. She exemplifies Moroch’s principles day in and day out and truly deserves this recognition as Morochian of the Month!   November Morochians of the MonthLana Avila Account Supervisor, Sacramento Even though Lana is an Account Supervisor, over the past three months with one team member down, Lana took ownership and stepped into the Account Executive Role. During this time she continued to train the Account Service staff about Moroch, the business and putting our team in the best position to grow. Although Lana was taking on an extra role during this time, she was still able to exceed expectations with her training and in turn, two of her team members were promoted. On top of all of this, with Lana’s leadership, the Sacramento team just completed the initial round of client planning meetings for four Co-ops. For the past nine years, we’ve been honored to have Lana as a member of our Moroch family. This month, we’re honored to congratulate Lana for her efforts and for this much deserved Morochian of the Month recognition!