by Jen Frazier •
01.09.2023
President
she/her/hers
Hi everyone and happy 2023!
Like many folks I know, I take time at the beginning of the new year to reflect on the previous 12 months for patterns in the ideas and thoughts swirling in my mind. Particularly I’ve been focusing on what I’m grateful for.
I know lots of folks my age who are starting to lose parents or are struggling with serious diseases themselves, and I am so incredibly thankful for my good health and that of my immediate family and circle of close friends. I am grateful for the ability to live near both my parents and have them in my life and my children’s lives as they continue to grow older, and I cherish every day we have together. I know these are memories my children will hold close years later– even if right now they are annoyed on almost a daily basis. 😉 (winky face emoji).
But this year there is something else I am especially thankful for; celebrating 15 years of running the amazing company that has become my home and one of my greatest accomplishments in life.
I started Firefly when I was 36 and my son was 18 months old. And just this week, he got his driver’s license and drove himself to work for the first time(!) This agency became more than a job almost immediately. It was a challenge I accepted with a fervor I don’t think I knew I had. I hired my first employee, my dear friend Maureen Wallbeoff, a couple of months later and off we went, barely knowing what it meant to start, run, or grow a company. But run it we did.
Much has changed in these last 15 years, and we’ve gone through a lot here. Not every decision has been sound, but all those choices have taught me a hell of a lot. I’ve seen several waves of staff and clients pass through over the years and I value every single one of them—they are part of the journey that has brought us to where we are today. When I look around and allow myself to take a deep breath in, I am extremely proud of what we have built here, together.
I couldn’t be more thrilled to be rounding the corner into our 16th year with new faces, new energy, and a renewed determination to build something greater than what was before. The re-imaging of ourselves during the COVID years has made us stronger, more focused, and created a renewed sense of purpose. Our concentration on building inclusive and accessible digital experiences for our clients is core to our working together for truly equitable spaces. This is a wondrous and exciting place to be that brings me—and all of us at Firefly—a tremendous sense of joy and accomplishment.
I am personally very excited to unveil our new look and reimagined brand to you all in the coming months. Look for a new, fully accessible brand palette and a fun and creative user-centered website to be launched later on in the first quarter of this year. We are up to some cool new things over here at Firefly and we can’t wait to show them to you!
Thanks for an incredible 15 years; I am looking forward to what we create together.
Onward and upward!
