Melanie Reed
SVP

Show-wise, the Coca-Cola 100th Anniversary event, the Northern Telecom Meridian Launch, and the IBM Beyond Excellence marathon are at the top of the thousands of shows I’ve participated in. The memory that I will always cherish is our employees’ response to the aftermath of 9/11/01. Like many other companies, we made significant cuts to remain in business. We told our hourly employees they would be limited to 35 hours a week, and our salaried employees’ pay would be cut by 10%. Leadership was taking a 25% cut. Several employees who could ill afford to do so said they were willing to take a more significant cut in their pay. No one complained or left the company. Tears were shed, and the sense of family was never greater. Collectively, I believe that through this experience, we realized how much we meant to each other, how fortunate we were, and how unique a company Alford was.

Personally, that is an easy answer; it is getting married to Patty and having my kids. Business is a little more challenging to answer, but staging all projection for Coca-Cola’s 100th is high on the list, as is doing three-screen seamless HD for IBM Circle 100 in 1992 when no one in the industry was doing it yet.

Melanie Reed
SVP

When Freeman acquired us in 2003, competitors, clients, and employees were skeptical about whether Alford could maintain its position and reputation in the industry. It has been more than 20 years, and we have been able to keep and grow our client base, increase our number of employees and revenue, continue to be innovators, and maintain our industry-leading reputation for providing unparalleled support. That is the accomplishment I am most proud of.

For me, it is very much the same. Helping to build a staging company that I think does some of the best work in the business while being an excellent place for our employees to work and grow.

Melanie Reed
SVP

I’m continually surprised by the creative innovations our clients come up with and how our employees find solutions to deliver on our clients’ visions. Since our inception, we’ve said, “You dream it up, and we’ll find a way to make it happen.” This was true in the 1980s, and it’s just as much if not more true today.

Very little surprises me, but I am always proud and, I guess, still a little surprised when someone is ill or has a family emergency with how our employees pitch in and help without hesitation.

Melanie Reed
SVP

A few equipment purchases and personnel hirings didn’t work out as planned. A good poker player never shows his cards when he doesn’t need to, so I think I’ll withhold specific examples.

Knowing now what I didn’t know then, I would have risked more debt to grow even faster.

Melanie Reed
SVP

My biggest joys have been employee-related over the past forty years. I love seeing many of our personnel’s positive career and personal growth. We’ve celebrated and reminisced about many successful shows and company events. In the future, I’m excited about the company’s continued growth, which will lead to more individuals joining Alford.

I am always excited to meet and work with new people. Still, the other thing is discovering how continued technological advances will help us communicate face-to-face even better, as that is what we have always been about.

Melanie Reed
SVP

I’d like to thank the many clients and employees I’ve been fortunate to work with over the years. Life’s a journey, and I’m blessed by the many friends who have made innumerable memories with me.

After 44 years in this business and getting closer to retirement, my biggest hope is to see Alford Media continue to be a place where people are respected and given the chance to succeed. With the foundation we have created over the past 40 years and the team we have in place, I am confident the culture will continue to thrive for decades to come.