Thank You, Jan Farren
Nancy Armand, Sheila, Jan Farren and Amanda in London, England, 2015
It’s Thankful Thursday and today I’m all about my dear friend, Jan Farren!
When I started, Flyin’ West, a firm that provided strategic and tactical marketing consulting services. My first client was Wells Fargo and I had the good fortune of meeting Jan Farren. With a twinkle in her eyes, she invited us to be innovative in how we approached the many marketing projects she sent our way. And when we were named as the agency to launch the Family Wealth office, well, Jan and I were definitely joined at the hip and we delivered award-winning collateral.
As if that wasn’t enough, when Jan was hired as the number 2 or 3 person on the new team tasked with launching Ascent Private Capital Management, the ultra-high-net offering from U.S. Bank, she hired us, again! Jan ushered us in as partners from day 1, awarding us with engagements that allowed me to bring forward creative talent from across the country. And with Jan’s generous time and direction, we once again generated award-winning introductory print and digital materials.
Along the way, Jan became my friend and we were smart enough to know how to balance friendship with our professional relationship. We have celebrated birthdays together from San Francisco to London and over the years always managed to find down time together to enjoy a leisurely dinner and good wine.
I learned a lot from Jan. She knew how to navigate the executive suites of Fortune 100 banks while simultaneously mentoring team members who were building new managerial muscle. She did so with grace, humor and an engaging level of curiosity and excitement about what we could all do to advance the brand and create a beautiful client experience.
Now retired, we still keep in touch and I always look forward to hearing what’s going on in Jan’s life. She was a client of mine longer than any other and for that and so much more, I’m grateful in knowing her.
Thank you, Jan. I’m not sure where Flyin’ West, or I, would have been without you!