Farewell, Chelsea

It is with great sadness, deep pride and every emotion imaginable that we wish Chelsea, our Director of Operations, a heartfelt farewell to APW.

He has been part of our team for five years. In fact, when I first interviewed him, I loved him, but I didn’t hire him for the job (he would hate the part). But he followed me for the next six months and we even invited him to watch DJT’s (terrible) grand opening in our brand new offices before joining the team. After six months I finally found a position for him and he took the position and raced it. He went from general assistant to systems development and did almost everything right.

It hasn’t even been five easy years. During DJT’s presidency, there were four painful years, an office interruption, a staff shock, and two years of a pandemic, where we had to turn the company over and over and everyone working remotely. But I can’t imagine our team going through all these years without Chelsea, and their new team is so lucky to have them.

Plus, Chelsea has personally taught me how to be a good boss, probably more than any single employee has ever done. I’m so proud to see what he’s going to do next and I’m devastated that we don’t slow down with him every day. But hey… the best part of running a business is hiring employees, training them, watching them grow and gain skills, and watch them leave and do great things.

• Because he deserves it, here’s a completely incomplete list of Chelsea’s successes in his five years with APW:
• He has designed/directed many shots for APW.
• I immersed myself in modeling for some photo shoots (like the one below in Cottonelle’s shoot she modeled in. The photos ended up in the Ad Week!).
• I made a floral design (not small) for various photo shoots and events.
• She coordinated the details and oversaw the success of many events large and small (examples: APW’s 10th Annual Roller Tracks, The Compact Feminist Summer Camp, and many more).
• Designed and/or refined any eBook, graphic, branding or graphic you’ve seen on a website or on social media in the last five years (including but not limited to Practical Business School, MegKeene.com, Neiva).
• I went (literally) behind the scenes at APW (daily office and team management, project management, office moves, administrative tasks, human resources, social media, content and more).

Chelsea was also the content queen of APW, leaving us with some great chapters and summaries. She gave us a behavioral guide at San Francisco City Hall, an in-depth guide to wedding flowers (her secret sauce is that she’s been a florist for years and she’s a true pro!), her enlightening encounter with Shonda Rhimes, this elegant Palace of Justice. outfits, a list of must-have summer dresses for wedding guests, and more.

What future for Chelsea? It progresses and rises. He takes on a new role as Art Production Manager, combining his love for design, art and organization/planning. He can use power tools, work with his hands, play with plants and be the leader of people. And it will likely continue to quietly kick out of the background of the organization it deals with. It’s just who he is.