On May 2nd students, professors and area professionals joined AAF Nebraska in Kearney, Nebraska for professional development and networking. We gathered at the Gail & Michael Yanney Pavilion and Burlington Green Courtyard located in Yanney Heritage Park outside Kearney.
Students and the Kearney community had a front row seat to a keynote presentation hosted by the Swanson Russell team and, a panel of advertising professionals speaking to the various pathways to careers in advertising.
Keynote Presentation: The keynote presentation, titled “Ideas Without Borders: How to Make a Fishing Reality Show in Cartel Country and Live to Tell About It,” delivered by Jon Lundeen (Creative Director), Patrick Finnegan (Group Account Director), and Greg Bousquet (Senior Art Director) from Swanson Russell, provided fascinating insights into their experiences and expertise in the advertising industry.
Panel Discussion: The panel discussion, moderated by Ben Rowe, Chief Creative Officer at SCORR Marketing, featured esteemed panelists Rhonda Richardson (Owner and President, A&K Marketing, Inc.), Robert Richardson (Coordinator of Business Development and Partner, A&K Marketing, Inc.), Brad Eubanks (Creative Director, RCG Advertising & Media), Sherma Jones (Agency Principal, IdeaBank Marketing), and Krystle Buntemeyer (Chief Executive Officer at SCORR Marketing). The panelists shared valuable insights, expertise, and perspectives on various aspects of advertising, contributing to a rich and informative discussion.
AAF Nebraska sincerely appreciated the time, expertise, and commitment to advancing the advertising industry from our presenters and panelists during the educational event in Kearney. Their participation was instrumental in providing valuable guidance and inspiration to our attendees.
Thank You to Our Event Sponsor the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
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Keynote Presentation by:
Jon Lundeen (Creative Director), Patrick Finnegan (Group Account Director) and Greg Bousquet (Senior Art Director)
Swanson Russell
Ideas Without Borders: How to Make a Fishing Reality Show in Cartel Country and Live to Tell About It.
Minn Kota + Humminbird One-Boat Challenge presentation
As Executive Vice President / Group Account Director, Patrick leads the long-term brand planning and strategy for Swanson Russell’s outdoor recreation accounts. With over two decades of experience marketing for national and global outdoor brands, Patrick has deep expertise in collaborating to create disruptive ideas that build authentic and powerful connections. In his free time, he is an avid hunter, backpacker, outdoorsman and angler.
Since coming aboard at Swanson Russell in 2008, Jon has helped Swanson Russell tell stories for leading brands in the outdoors, green industry and beyond, as Writer/Producer and now Vice President / Creative Director. When not helping to lead integrated marketing campaigns, he can usually be found camping, doing yard work or at one of his children’s sporting events.
Joining Swanson Russell in 1993, Greg guides the conceptual direction and visual aesthetic for national and regional brands as Senior Art Director. Whether overseeing award-winning creative at work or building something at home, Greg is known for a can-do attitude and relentless attention to detail. Seriously, you should see the hand-built stone fireplace and bar in his basement—the guy’s got skills.
Panel Moderator:
Ben Rowe
Chief Creative Officer, SCORR Marketing
Ben will moderate the Panel Discussion
Joining SCORR in 2004 just a year after its inception, Ben has sculpted hundreds of life science brands into stand-out, award-winning industry leaders. Ben leads SCORR’s creative team across our entire suite of services, ensuring best-in-class quality for every client project. Over his time at SCORR, Ben has developed a specialty in branding/logo/identity and has designed and launched more branding in the life sciences industry than nearly any other creative director in the space. Earning numerous awards for SCORR, Ben is known for his ability to seamlessly synchronize strategy and creativity to help each client tell their unique story. A 2003 graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Visual Communications and Design. Ben has served on the World Theatre board and the UNK Alumni Association Board.
Panelists:
Rhonda Richardson
Owner and President, A&K Marketing, Inc.
Rhonda is a graduate from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration marketing and advertising and a master’s in organizational communication and marketing research.
Rhonda started her career earning her research credentials working for the Nebraska Department of Tourism, conducting marketing/tourism conversion studies. Her foray into the media and advertising arena began spearheading listener preference surveys for local broadcasting companies. She eventually transitioned to a career as an account manager at television stations in both Kearney and Omaha.
Since her stint in television sales and marketing, Rhonda has spent more than twenty-five years in the advertising agency business. Her experience as a buyer, planner, account manager, and ultimately agency owner has allowed her to work with a diverse client base, including retail, fast food, automotive, home improvement, education, health care, B2B, non-profit, finance and publishing.
Currently, Rhonda is Owner/President of A&K Marketing, an Omaha based media strategy, planning and buying boutique representing clients locally, regionally, and nationally.
Rhonda has been a member of the Nebraska chapter of the American Advertising Federation, and a member of MADMA and KOPI.
Robert Richardson
Coordinator of Business Development and Partner, A&K Marketing, Inc.
Robert Richardson is the coordinator of business development and partner at A&K Marketing, Inc. He is a native of Crawford, Nebraska. Richardson received an associate degree in applied science from the Community College of the Air Force, eared a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Airway Science Management from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and is a former member of the Nebraska Air National Guard. Richardson took an unusual path before he started working full time at the ad agency with his wife Rhonda Richardson. He has worked for two fortune 500 communication services providers as a Major Account Executive.
Richardson serves on the AAF Nebraska Board of Directors and chairs the federation’s Legislative Affairs committee.
Brad Eubanks
Creative Director, RCG Advertising & Media
Brad Eubanks is Creative Director at RCG Advertising & Media. An alumni of UNK, Brad has 25+ years of experience leading creative teams for full-service agencies in Chicago, Louisville, Salt Lake City and now back in Omaha. His past work includes creative strategy and execution with deep-rooted knowledge of consumer and shopper marketing across B2C & B2B, having worked with a diverse client mix such as Unilever, Kimberly Clark, Mondelez, Beam Suntory, Topco, True Value, Midwest Dairy, National Beef, Thrasher, Certified Transmission, and NFM.
Sherma Jones
Agency Principal, IdeaBank Marketing
Sherma has been a partner at IdeaBank Marketing since 1993 and on staff since 1988, so she knows what it takes to make advertisements sing, video pop and clients happy. There’s an electric charge when she’s in the office, and her creative zip keeps the phones humming and projects hopping.
Sherma has covered all aspects of concept development, project planning, technical production and interactive design for clients of every size. Her experience includes new product introductions, fundraising campaigns, branding efforts, full-scale digital campaigns, market research and more.
When Sherma graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1986 with a degree in advertising, her entire portfolio was created with pencil sketches, markers and airbrush. Having been trained the old-school way, she truly appreciates the powerful digital tools at our disposal today. She believes combining traditional methods with today’s interactive advances is the best way to achieve marketing success.
Krystle Buntemeyer
Chief Executive Officer at SCORR Marketing
Today Krystle leads SCORR Marketing’s mission as a full-service marketing agency dedicated to the health science industry and delivering results for global clients. Building SCORR’s operational strategy, she ensures the seamless alignment of resources, services, and technologies to fulfill the marketing objectives of clients. As well as being a strategic force behind more than 100 of SCORR’s successful brand launches and mergers and acquisitions globally. Krystle joined SCORR as an intern while UNK, moving into a marketing strategist role, eventually to Chief Marketing Officer, then President to CEO. She is a 2006 graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, with a Journalism – Bachelor of Science Degree in Advertising and minor in Marketing. Krystle serves on the UNK Advisory Council for the Department of Communications, is on the Kearney Chamber of Commerce Board and is a member/board member for the Young President Organization of Nebraska.
