On the Job: Straight Outta Solon

It’s no surprise that Rachel, one of our production superstars, was almost a cheerleader in junior high school. If you substitute school spirit with a general kick-ass company spirit, she would certainly be our finest ambassador, albeit an ambassador obsessed with zombies and Bruce Campbell.

Born in Nashville, her family moved to Twinsburg, Ohio, when she was five. In school, she says she was mainly interested in “drama club and artsy crap.” Fond memories during high school include wearing gold turtlenecks and appearing in a production of “Romeo and Juliet,” among other plays.

“I just wanted to be in high school forever,” she says. Only 20 years old (she turns 21 in a few weeks), she plans on attending college “once I know what I want to do. By the time I graduated, I was just mentally not capable of going to school anymore,” she says.

In her free time, she enjoys hanging with her boyfriend Kenny (sorry, fellas), crafting, baking and shopping for suspiciously girly things – all from one of the finest practitioners of karate this company has seen.

Recently, Rachel went on a road trip to North Carolina with fellow coworker Mandy. One of the highlights of the trip, according to Rachel, was “yelling at hippies” from their car about their fanny packs and dirty shoes. That’s really all you need to know about the magic of Rachel.

FAVORITE THING AT THE DOLLAR STORE: “Toys that break in three seconds or off-brand drinks.”

FAVORITE SNACK FOOD: Cheez-Its

LUKE OR HAN? “Are you kidding? Han.”

FAVORITE “EVIL DEAD:” The first one.

-- Rob @ L.V.

On the Job: America's Next Top Designer

Like her hero Tyra Banks, Luscious Verde graphic designer extraordinaire Beth moved to New York at a young age to pursue a dream in the fashion industry. Also like Tyra, both left the fashion industry to focus on lifelong loves. Even more fatefully, both have been romantically linked to N.B.A. stars Rick Fox and Chris Webber.

OK, just kidding about that last fact (I hope her fiancée won’t kill me). Beth is a hardworking and calming influence on the design department, doling out both design wisdom and droll humor.

Beth was born and raised in Maple Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and attended Kent State University. In college, she says she “did really well, never partied, and got good grades.” (We’ll really have to take her word for that.)

She moved to New York City shortly after graduation (and a stint in a flower shop) for a job in the center of haute couture. However, she soon “started counting the days” until her lease was up, due to her dislike of city living and a blossoming romance with her high-school crush, Kevin. (They’re now engaged, with the wedding just under a month away.)

In her spare time (when not wedding planning), Beth watches “America’s Next Top Model,” while continually critiquing the contestants, a la a young Janice Dickinson. She also works on “artsy-fartsy” crafting, evidence of which is located in the picture below. Let it be known: Beth has junk in her trunk.

A FEW OF BETH’S FAVORITE THINGS

Pets: Stinky, Furby and Corky, her cats

Article of Clothing: Pair of Via Spiga shoes (and socks), Prada bag

Favorite Restaurant: Don Tequila’s

Favorite Video Game: Super Mario Brothers (the original)

Biggest Influence: “My friends”

-- Rob @ L.V.

On the Job: Burden of Proof(reading)

We all knew that proofreader Alicia was the right choice for Luscious Verde when we received, after she was hired, two boxes of hand-delivered cookies thanking us for the opportunity. Anyone who wants to impress a future employer should definitely take note.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, and raised in rural New Springfield, Alicia graduated from Youngstown State University. She traveled extensively, as a result of her father teaching archaeology and anthropology. She tagged along with her father on a few digs, and she says the experience taught her to “appreciate other cultures. It makes you realize how small your personal world is and how big the world is.”

The path to Luscious Verde, for Alicia, is a familiar one: Craig’s List. In her first interview, she realized that Luscious Verde has a world-renowned low-key office culture, complete with flip-flops, off-key office karaoke, and impromptu dance-offs.

In her job as proofreader, she ensures that every proof (and thereby order) received by the customer is set up exactly to the specifications asked for. As head proofreader Ted says, “She has a passion for the English language, and is meticulous and organized.” We’re glad to have her aboard the good ship L.V.

FAVORITE BREAKFAST BEVERAGE: “Iced mocha from Phoenix Coffee, although the proofreading department is taking a self-imposed one-week break from coffee.”

FAVORITE COLOR: Ocean

FAVORITE “STAR WARS” FILM: “I’ve never seen one.” [Editor’s Note: For shame, Alicia.]

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Cougar

-- Rob @ L.V.

On the Job: True Grit

Ask anyone at Luscious Verde about production artist Laura, and a lot of adjectives come to mind: uplifting, enthusiastic, helpful, and…brawny. Yes, brawny. Her stature belies her tightly-wound ability to take almost anyone here down to the Pain Store when it comes to arm-wrestling matches.

This toughness was born in Cleveland and raised in Auburn, Ohio, a small town about 45 minutes southeast of Cleveland. The youngest of two boys and three girls, she attended Kenston High School in Chagrin Falls, and played a mean clarinet (and mellophone) for the Kenston High Bombers. She attended the University of Dayton “just to get out of Auburn” for a little bit.

Majoring in art education (she “had a lot of fun” in college but says she “was a good girl”), she got a job as a K-12 substitute teacher in her hometown, and did that for a few years. However, she lost her passion for teaching and went looking for a job that utilized her craftiness.

She started at Luscious Verde a year ago and has charmed and helped everyone she works with. “I help a lot of departments out by gathering supplies and doing pretty much whatever they want me to do,” she says.

In her free time, she likes singing, going to plays, and hanging out with her fella, Jordan. Her advice for any aspiring Lauras out there: “There’s a purpose out there for you and you need to find it.” It’s just that positive attitude that makes her a joy to work with. But we try not to make her mad. She might destroy us with her arms of steel.

ALL ABOUT LAURA

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Breyer’s Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough with M&M’s (“the only Breyer’s ice cream I like”)

Favorite Day of the Week, and Why: “Monday – I get excited about a new week. I don’t know what to expect.”

Favorite Channel: MTV

Favorite Canned Food: Pineapple

Favorite L.V. Paper Color: Rust Confetti

-- Rob @ L.V.

On the Job: Proof Positive

If Kelly is Luscious Verde’s younger sister, then 18-year-old Anthony (a.k.a. Tony), our newest graphic designer, is our younger brother. For someone so young, he keeps a remarkable calm under pressure, not the least of which is Lindsay’s propensity for giving him nicknames that reference his age. But, as Tony says, “It doesn’t bother me. Everyone who works here acts my age anyway.”

Tony was born and raised on the mean streets of South Euclid, Ohio, and attended Brush High School in Lyndhurst. He was in the chess club, but he is quick to point out that he only joined because they offered free pizza in exchange for membership. When asked for any memories of high school, he says, “I avoided doing as much work as possible. I’d actually rather not think about it – it was just a year ago.”

He attended Kent State University for a semester, but he “didn’t like it. I really wanted to work for a couple years,” he says. Despite his youth, he has ample design training, due to a two-year high school program in interactive media design.

His favorite part of his job is “when proofs are done. Seriously, I really enjoy talking to customers about design.” Outside of work, Tony is an avid record collector and was once in a short-lived rock band with his brother. “One time, 50 people came to one of our shows,” he says. “But they were our friends, and it was free.”

ALL ABOUT TONY

Favorite Non-Carbonated Beverage: Sunny Delight

Favorite Billy Joel Song: “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

Favorite Vegan Specialty: “Anything Middle Eastern”

Favorite Member of the 1997 Indians: Charles Nagy

Good Luck Charms: “My wallet was stolen a month ago. After that, I don’t have any.”

-- Rob @ L.V.

On the Job

At any business, you usually talk to a multitude of people every day, usually the same people you’ve talked to a million times before. Have you ever wondered about the hopes, dreams and aspirations of those phantom people behind the phone or card? Maybe they’re a Lil’ Jon trivia whiz, maybe they knit jumpers for prison inmates, or maybe they spend their idle hours at the library staring at people. Or maybe you haven’t wondered. Anyhow, here’s the third bi-weekly Luscious Verde employee profile. You may talk to us on the phone every day, or you may see our name on the “Made By” tag that comes with each order – but we’d like you to know a little more – whether you care or not.



Paper Chase – The Saga of Kelly Primozic

When asked if she has any words of wisdom for readers of the Luscious Verde blog, this print production artist says, “I’m still young. I have no wisdom. I don’t even have my wisdom teeth.”

While that may not necessarily be so, Kelly is one of the youngest people at Luscious Verde, and is sometimes treated like a little sister. That said, she’s an industrious and creative worker, responsible for about a third of the printing that goes through our doors. And, to boot, she’ll be only 20 next month.

Born in Ohio, she was half-raised in Willowick and Wickliffe, two towns on Cleveland’s far east side. She went to Catholic school and was “straight-laced” until the seventh grade, when, well, she stopped being straight-laced.

Graduating from high school two years ago, she got in touch with Luscious Verde through a friend and was hired as a production artist. Sasha, another production artist who helped train Kelly, says, “She was a very quick learner, and it was obvious that she was really good at anything she did.”

Future goals for Kelly include moving out of her parents’ house, and continuing to dominate the Cleveland indie rock scene. “I want to stay in Cleveland a long time,” Kelly says. For the sake of Luscious Verde, we hope so too.


ALL ABOUT KELLY

Favorite Style of Dance: Rave dancing
Favorite State: Ohio
Favorite Band: A Silver Mt. Zion
Favorite Animal: “Bunnies and puppies”
Favorite Snack Food: Spicy Nacho Doritos



-- Rob @ L.V.

On the Job

At any business, you usually talk to a multitude of people every day, usually the same people you’ve talked to a million times before. Have you ever wondered about the hopes, dreams and aspirations of those phantom people behind the phone or card? Maybe they’re excellent tuba players, maybe they can eat a whole box of corn dogs in one sitting, or maybe they once built a hovercraft from scratch. (That’s right – some of us have weird hobbies.)

Or maybe you haven’t wondered. Anyhow, we’re introducing a new feature to our blog: the bi-weekly Luscious Verde employee profile. You may talk to us on the phone every day, or you may see our name on the “Made By” tag that comes with each order – but we’d like you to know a little more – whether you care or not.



Takin’ Care of Business – The Story of Liz Oakes

On a common day, operations manager Liz Oakes puts out fires (not literally) and generally makes sure that the behemoth juggernaut that is Luscious Verde keeps on running smoothly. She also drinks a lot of tea and makes sure our lead designer Jason doesn’t play too much vulgar music that can be heard over the phone.

Originally hailing from Chicago, she attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville because she “wanted to go somewhere where I didn’t know anyone,” she says. Her parents were supportive of the move. “Once you make friends, college gets easier. I loved Nashville,” she says.

After graduation, she moved to Cleveland with her boyfriend, who studies biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Sorry fellas!

One fateful day, she saw an ad on Craig’s List for an artistic production worker at Luscious Verde. Bored with her then-job at a rental car company, she decided to apply and was accepted instantly.

“Everything we gave her to do, she did it so fast. It was wonderful,” says Wendy, co-owner of Luscious Verde. “At that time, there was basically no training, but she learned really fast.”

Liz recently celebrated her two-year anniversary at Luscious Verde and was treated to a delectable all-expense-paid lunch at Bravo. She has an amazing memory, loves olives, and she tends to shy away from the human touch. Until recently, she didn’t know the difference between the producer Dr. Dre and the co-host of “Yo! MTV Raps!” – also named Dr. Dre.



ALL ABOUT LIZ

Sign: Aquarius
Favorite food: Pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms
Favorite Journey song: “Don’t Stop Believin’”
Favorite office supply: “My giant red Sharpie.”
Favorite Monkee: “I don’t know any Monkees except Davy Jones.”
Favorite rapper: Chingy

(Part of this interview was conducted through assistant operations manager Lindsay Bruner.)



-- Rob @ L.V.