We are partnering with the AIGA to make this year’s Designspeaks the best yet. We look forward to bringing you the outstanding content, speakers and brew that you have come to expect from 52 and Designspeaks. Please join us this Thursday, September 17th as we kick off the series with, ‘An Evening with Jelly Helm’.

Designspeaks with Jelly Helm

What’s happening with the business of advertising? What will the post-consumer economy look like? What’s happening with sustainability? Jelly Helm is the first to admit that he doesn’t know. But that’s not going to stop him from speculating about it in public, to anyone willing to pay for it.

In the spirit of Designspeaks, Jelly’s presentation will be full of cockamamie theories, wishful thinking and poetry. He may also give us a sneak peek of the new work he’s done with the Oregon Council for the Humanities, and get all frothy about his newest client, Wikipedia. You’ll be anything but disappointed.
So be sure to join us, to engage with Jelly and others, and consider what has passed and what may come. Seating is limited, so please reserve your spot now.

Thursday September 17th 7p – 9p
The Cleaners at Ace Hotel Portland
403 SW 10th Ave and Stark
Register Now: http://portland.aiga.org/events

Laugh. Cry. Ask questions, please. But whatever you do, we hope you’ll join us!

Life is feeling a little closer to “normal.” And, lately, we at 52 Limited are buoyed.

Marketers cautiously are considering budgets for new projects. Clients and potential clients interested in our services are reaching out to us daily—something that fell off dramatically in the first half of the year.

In recent months, we’ve had more inquiries than we had much of early 2009. We’re hearing from all types of client-side marketers and they are working in diverse business categories.

We’re finding, incidentally, that small agencies tend to be busy. Especially those focused on sustaining the reputations of brands online.

We’re not suggesting that the economy is on the verge of an uptick or even that the recession has ended, mind you.

An economic report from University of Oregon suggests the downturn in the state could be near to running its course.

The report, released early September from UO’s Oregon Economic Forum, indicates that Oregon will “exit” the recession in the second half of 2009.
The path however, is likely to be a bit bumpy: The UO Index of Economic IndicatorsTM, fell in July by .4 of a percentage point to 84.0.

Job losses, according to UO, crept up after a bit of a lull in previous months. In July, 700 jobs were lost from nonfarm payrolls.

Further afield, the situation bears a few similarities to Oregon, according to Brooks Gilley, 52 Limited President. Brooks traveled on a business junket to NYC.

The city has lost upwards of 73,000 jobs since August 2008, according to www.crainsnewyork.com. Many of those have been in the financial services sector and with traditional print media outlets.

Brooks, however, noted one interesting difference. In spite of those losses, that the business climate in some circles there is less dour than in Portland, he says. For instance, creative practitioners repeatedly told Brooks that the workload for interactive content and design outstrips available talent at some shops.

Brooks talked to someone with a motion graphics shop that recently completed a project that in and of itself is encouraging: A marketing piece for none other than Nasdaq.

Nationally, the news is all over the charts. But the frequency of good news is increasing. And it is becoming increasingly better news.

For instance, a firm that is expert in forecasting advertising demand has said that the worst part of the worst advertising slump since the Great Depression is over.

As press time neared, we had more bright spots. The major indices are up since they bottomed out six months ago. The Dow Jones Industrial average is up 45 percent; Standard & Poor’s 500 is up 51 percent and Nasdaq is up 61 percent. Not to mention that the first week of the month the Fed announced it is seeing signs of a fragile recovery, citing improvements in manufacturing and residential real estate.

Which brings us back to 52 Limited’s reason for being: We can help, especially during times of day-to-day uncertainty.

Consider the ways 52 Ltd. can deliver flexibility to your organization:
- Avoid staff burn out. 52 Ltd. delivers freelancers who ease some of the extra burden placed on staff during times like these;
- Tap into world-class talent. We have at our fingertips world-class freelancers in Portland and places beyond who can take your brand not only to the next level but who also can work at the highest levels of your organization to make it work better.
- Delegate risk. We serve as the employer and mitigate all risk associated with employment. We take care of resume verification and the rest of the hiring process, in addition to providing worker’s compensation, premium benefits (including health insurance, 401k and supplemental disability) and more.

One thing is certain. Economic vitality will return.

Meantime, we’re happy to show how we can help clients, to tout the staggering level of Portland’s creative talent and to look forward to the few days of summer that still lie ahead.

In addition, Sara has a decade of experience working for two of San Francisco’s top boutique staffing firms.

“Staffing is all about finding the right fit, which amounts to much more than matching a job description with a resume. A desire to understand both the culture and business needs within the hiring organization and the true qualities and abilities of a candidate must be paramount,” Sara says.
“I am able to assess a candidate in a way that allows me to determine whether they wholly meet the needs of a client,” she says.

Sara holds a Master of Arts in Dramatic Theory and Criticism. She volunteers on the publicity committee for Portland Open Studios, an annual two-weekend event during which a diverse group of 100 artists open their studios.

Sara also is an accomplished public speaker, presenting to clients and user groups on hiring, interviewing, job hunting, and networking.

Ashley received the promotion to Account Manager after working since 2007 for 52 Ltd., which has given her a 360 degree view of the business and ideally prepared her for this promotion.

She joined 52 as a temp and has performed almost every position in the company, including marketing coordinator, office manager and talent coordinator. Most recently, Ashley held the title of Talent Operations Manager.

That breadth of experience also has provided Ashley a high understanding of service.

“I’ve learned the ropes in staffing for creative services and I’ve also come to know many of the people who constitute our bank of talent,” she says.

Ashley is able to connect with talent and clients. She has the rare ability to make both parties see their common needs—an essential skill in staffing, where ultimately two clients are served.

Ashley is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.