• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, April 18, 2018

Well here’s an agency that knows how to celebrate an anniversary in style. I’m talking about Fingerpaint (never paint by the numbers!).

The shop — with offices in Saratoga Springs, NY, Columbus, Ohio, the Philadelphia area and Scottsdale, Arizona — flew about 200 staffers out to a fancy resort in Scottsdale recently to celebrate its 10^th anniversary over a four-day boondoggle.

OK, maybe the Scottsdale folks didn’t get much of a change in scenery, but they don’t really need it, living in that warm, beautiful part of the country. And I’m sure all the Northerners loved getting away from their still-wintery locales for a break.

Of course, there was a requisite amount of “team building” and related corporate blah-blah to go along with the fun stuff like golf (for some), mountain biking and other recreational activities (like rigorous elbow-bending).

And a few employees received some big-time booty. I’m talking Rolex watches — for service “above and beyond” as the agency put it. I’m assuming they’re the real deal and not like the “Rolex” I bought in New York’s Chinatown awhile back which cost $20 (and lasted about 20  minutes).

And those watches were awarded after relatively short tenures — eight years. Those staffers (all women) must really be kicking ass and taking names on behalf of the agency.

The publishing business could take a lesson from Fingerpaint on the proper way to reward employees. I once worked for a trade pub where a guy slaved his whole career and then retired. This goes back a few years, but not that far back. His going away gift? A meal at an Italian restaurant one grade above a pizza joint (it wasn’t terrible) and a portable black-and-white TV set.

The editor thought he largely took up space and truth be told, he wasn’t the most productive journalist to grace God’s green Earth. But a black-and-white TV set?

Anyway, back to Fingerpaint. The total price tag for this junket was nearly $600,000. The shop must be doing pretty well. It also revealed some new companywide perks, including a big bump in the firm’s 401K contribution, a new student loan payback assistance program and summer hours. OK, that last one’s pretty much the norm in Adland, but still.

Agency founder Ed Mitzen had a lot to say during the festivities, and here’s just one quote: “Fingerpaint has always made it a point to foster a people-first culture. Just like a family would come together to celebrate a birthday, we wanted to ensure our entire team — from all offices — was in one place to celebrate what we have built and what we will continue to build, together.”

Congratulations, Fingerpainters. Ed, maybe for the 20^th year celebration, go somewhere like Maui so the Scottsdale folks can feel like they’re getting away, too. Assuming you don’t have an office there by then.