07Mar

Gonmit Sehmbi

Gonmit Sehmbi

Account Manager

Gonmit’s passion for brand development began with her work at Panera Bread and continued at globally recognized companies such as Timex, Stanley Black & Decker, and Melissa & Doug. She has extensive experience strategizing with clients and managing projects from concept to completion. Her background in brand/project management enables her to help clients cultivate a recognizable, consistent message that targets specific audiences through a variety of deliverables, all while enhancing the corporate message, department initiatives, educating employees, and encouraging measurable calls to action. Her dedicated work ethic and drive to provide a customized solution to meet each project’s unique needs makes her a great addition to the Spitfire team.

Gonmit graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double B.A. in Psychology and Communications along with a Marketing minor.

13May

Lori Barger

Lori Barger

Account Manager

Lori brings more than 10 years of experience in benefit communications. Her project management and customer service background spans non-profits, print and telecom. She is a proven go-getter, loves building client relationships and going the extra mile. Her benefit communications projects ranged from small firms to Fortune 500 corporations, making her a great fit for any of Spitfire’s clients.

With her background, Lori knows how to make content understandable and relatable for any audience. She is a creative problem-solver whose focus and attention to detail has allowed her to manage multiple complex projects, while making every client feel as if they are her only one.

After attending Purdue University for Retail Management she quickly found her passion to be project management and working with clients.

23Dec

NEEBC Best Practice Awards!

We’d like to congratulate all of the NEEBC Best Practice Award Winners. We were honored to play a part in two of the winners Ocean Spray Cranberries and Cabot Corporation for Employee Communication and Retirement Readiness in 2019.

25Mar

Web Developer/Graphic Designer

Web Developer/Graphic Designer

Got an eye for innovative, creative and most important, user-friendly print and digital design? Cool, we do too. That’s why we’re are looking for a web developer/graphic designer who can multi-task projects (and brands), develop and design print and/or digital content that will drive results.

We’re looking for a designer who can make a web ad, develop websites, build a 40-page guide, participate in a brainstorming meeting with a client, read and understand branding guidelines for multiple clients, and make copywriting recommendations when necessary. You will work closely with our Account Management and Design teams to ensure that all web and digital pieces are co-branded accordingly, look awesome and function impeccably.

Who will rock this role?

Tech-savvy. Fun. Detail-oriented. Motivated. Problem-solver. Inspired. Creative. Quick. Understands the printing process. Flexible and able to juggle multiple projects. Positive attitude. Ridiculously awesome knowledge of the creative suite. Copywriting experience wouldn’t hurt, either. Basically, someone who goes big All. The. Time.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Work in tandem with the Account Management team roles to ensure creative and design consistency in all internal and external branding
  • Manage workload for multiple accounts
  • Assist other designers when needed
  • Ability to both follow brand standards for clients as well as create concepts for new brands
  • Create all printed and digital collateral for internal and external jobs
  • Knowledge of the entire Creative Suite (specifically InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop)
  • Create web-ready content with a knowledge of HTML and CSS for implementation in CMS platforms (PHP a plus)
  • Design and code testable and efficient websites using best software and development practices
  • Wireframe and screen flow conceptualizing and execution
  • Assist in creation of daily digital content (emails, blogs, etc.) for all digital platforms
  • Internal and external site maintenance
  • SEO optimization
  • Maintenance of all security (internal and external)
  • Top-notch organizational skills
  • Ability to follow processes and procedures
21Mar

Spitfire Communications wins 2019 Eddy Award!

For Immediate Release

Spitfire Communications wins 2019 Eddy Award

  • The Eddy Awards, sponsored by Pension and Investments and presented at P&I’s annual East Coast Defined Contribution Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, honor the plan sponsors and service providers who exhibit best practice delivery of investment and financial education to defined contribution plan participants.
  • 66 defined contribution communication campaigns were honored at the March 11, 2019 annual ceremony.

News provided by Spitfire Communications.
SIMSBURY, CT — At the March 11, 2019 Eddy Awards, Spitfire Communications won first place in the Pre-Retirement Preparation category for their work on Cabot Corporation’s 2018 Retirement Planning Guide.

The Spitfire and Cabot collaboration focused on the rollout of a comprehensive retirement savings benefit across numerous communication channels, including the internal employee hub, the Cabot Benefits website, its HR Collaboration site, the retirement page of the 2019 Annual Enrollment Guide and in hard copy form at the 2019 Annual Enrollment Benefit Fairs.

To create the Retirement Planning Guide, Cabot and Spitfire set goals to educate and support employees in every stage of the retirement planning process, evaluated the feedback from employees and HR team members about perceived challenges, customized a plan to support the key findings, and engaged with Cabot’s vendor partners to ensure the guide included the most accurate and extensive details about Cabot’s benefits, processes, tools and resources. The final product reflected the strategic vision and successful communications execution required to increase employee understanding and confidence in planning for a comfortable retirement.

Cabot and Spitfire Communications have worked together for over 10 years, engaging and educating Cabot employees on all aspects of their benefits packages to ensure optimal utilization throughout the organization. Spitfire shares in Cabot’s commitment to their groundbreaking You Matter Well-Being program, which encompasses an array of employee health and financial wellness initiatives, with particular focus on the retirement planning aspect of Cabot’s employee communications strategy.

According to Spitfire’s President and Founder, Jessica Palazzo, “we’re very excited for this second award win with Cabot! Very few companies help employees plan for retirement; it is an important topic to communicate that is often overlooked. Cabot realized this and planned accordingly.”

About Spitfire Communications

Spitfire Communications is a full-service employee communications firm creating and implementing communications that assist mid- to large size companies in successfully interfacing with recruits, employees and retirees — through strategy, branding communications and deliverables. Visit www.myspitfire.com to learn more.

Press Contact:
Nancy Haase
Account Executive
Spitfire Communications
860-323-0157
nhaase@myspitfire.com

25Oct

Account Manager

Manage five projects at once? No sweat. Support sales executive and marketing team with pertinent and accurate client information? Got it. Great! Spitfire is looking for a project manager that can do all of this and then some – including development of content, layout, editing and proofreading of deliverables, working directly with designers to ensure brand accuracy, quoting and coordinating production deliverables, and not to mention being a motivated Spitfire employee with exceptional communication skills.

Who will rock this role?

You’re basically a superhero to our clients – everyone turns to you if something goes awry, you can solve any problem while staying calm and you’ve got innovative ideas to keep clients coming back year after year. So epic project management skills are a must.

Key Responsibilities

  • Multi-tasking of clients and superb project management skills
  • Management of job from kick-off through delivery of materials
  • Project scheduling/calendaring
  • Budget allocation and recommendations
  • Grammatical and style proofreading/editing
  • Top-notch organizational skills
  • Ability to follow processes and procedures

To apply for this job, email your details and resume to jpalazzo@myspitfire.com.

22May

Christie Widman

Christie Widman

Office Manager

Christie is a motivated and dedicated employee with a history of proven success in customer service driven roles. She has five years previous experience in employee benefit communications. Her most recent role in retail management has heightened her ability to be proactive, responsive and efficient in managing her daily tasks. With her wide-range of experience, she is happy to help out in any way we need her!

She is a big book nerd and can often be found reading during her lunch breaks. She enjoys baking and shares her home-baked goodies to the detriment of our diets… but joy of our taste buds! She has travelled to six countries and looks forward to checking off more destinations in the future.

Christie is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Marketing.

14Feb

Erica Trenholm

Erica Trenholm

Graphic Designer

Erica is a versatile designer with a background in agency, non-profit, and freelance design work. Her range of experience has led to her proficiency in designing for both print and digital platforms. Erica is a fervent believer in the importance of cohesion and consistency to build a solid brand.

Described by many as a perfectionist, Erica has an eye for detail and a structural design aesthetic. She is passionate about producing clean typography and reader-friendly layouts, taking particular care in arranging text until it is eye-catching, engaging, and effectively portrays its message. She carries her conscientious nature with her in all facets of her life, perpetually driven to give 110% to any task or project.

Erica is a graduate of Roger Williams University with a B.A. in Graphic Design Communications and Music, and a minor in Marketing.

14Feb

Laura Dechaine

Laura Dechaine

Senior Graphic / Web Designer

Laura joined the Spitfire team over 4 years ago after 22 years of loyal service with another local and well-respected design firm. In that role, Laura served as Senior Designer and was the creative lead on brand identity programs, print collateral, e-marketing, environmental graphics and packaging for both corporate and non-profit organizations. Her experience includes a broad gamut of industries and companies including state agencies, utilities, financial institutions and retail food marketing.

Laura finds creativity in everything and her signature style is a sophisticated, clean design. She strives to be a part of the creative process from beginning to end – often stepping away from her keyboard for brainstorming sessions and conceptual development to providing technical advice for print and web. Laura’s “whatever it takes” attitude has ensured the best possible results from a design and cost perspective for our clients.

Laura is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in Fine Arts.