Part 9: Dashboard, then and now.

As Dashboard turns 10 in January of 2011, Barry Hillier, our CVO, looks back at the company on where we were and where we are going.

Where’d the time go?

Have you ever found yourself so engrossed in whatever you were doing to find yourself look up and realize that the day was almost over? You suddenly realize how much was accomplished. Suddenly we looked, in a moment of pause, to realize that Dashboard was turning ten. Ten! To look around the agency that we are today and reflect on who we were back in January of 2001 and what we’ve experienced since that time, is an amazing and interesting reflection. Through the highs and lows, we emerged as a strong agency with a world-class roster of clients and a collective of talent that is the envy of every agency in the Country.

Over the years, many people that didn’t know our name were shocked when they saw the work that we had produced. They were even caught off guard when they realized the strength of our client roster. Over the years, more people came to know us, but our work continued to surprise. I’ve been surprised at how much Dashboard has affected me and how it has guided me professionally and personally. Co-workers are usually surprised to realize that they aren’t working in an agency, but are working within a family while benefitting from friends who are also mentors professionally. We have experienced good and bad times, but integrity was never questioned and hard work was never averted, nor our desire to create great work. Each person pushed themselves and others to be better. The collective was stronger than the individual, but we still wanted that individual’s perspective to make its’ mark on the work and the agency.

I’ve said in the past that the strongest agencies that have made their mark in our industry really broke out between their 9^th and 11^th year in business. They did great work before this, but they were on fire between 9 and 11 years old and they exploded in the following years as industry leaders. Knowing what I now know, it is because they built the systems, hired the talent, and created the base for domination, not just growth. They developed personalities that were unique and true to themselves to create a unique story that appealed to both clients and employees. They evolved, but they never lost touch as to who they were in their heart of hearts. They understood their soul, even though their appearance changed.

When I look around our agency, I know that we are becoming the agency that we are capable of being. An agency that will make its’ mark in our industry. This is why in the fall of 2010, we began work internally to rebrand our agency to better reflect our work, our people, our passion and the agency that we have become. From humble beginnings, we have become an agency that has won national and international awards, built friendships, established innovations in technology and creativity and risen to compete with the best agencies in Canada. We can look around proudly knowing that our story isn’t complete, but just starting.

We have been looking back, but in doing this, we know that it is our future course that provides the real excitement and opportunity for Dashboard. Next week, there will be new face to Dashboard. We are rebranding for the next ten years with a new logo, collateral and a new website. Our core is unchanged. We know and understand our soul, even as our appearance changes.  The people at Dashboard are our strength and we are ready to create the next chapter for Dashboard. Next week you will discover why we are dashboard.