About Us

If there are any hard and fast rules about running a successful company, Patrick has probably broken them. His entrepreneurial proclivity took root as a teenager, when he branded and launched a nationally sold product line that earned him recognition and experience. A full ride took him to Savannah College of Art and Design, but his thirst for hometown success was more enticing. In 2007, he dropped out and returned to Buffalo, where he launched Block Club, his first business, an award-winning branding and strategy agency. When he’s not leading Block Club, Patrick can be found travelling the globe with family, cooking for his closest friends, or waking up at the crack of dawn to get a start on his day.

Brandon wears his position’s multifarious roles—concept instigator, discerning tastemaker, pragmatic coach—with impeccable poise. He’s an avid learner, fearless explorer and consummate leader. There is nothing overtly loud or showy about Brandon, yet his presence is felt deeply in the office—every suggestion, every counter, every push for “better” is steeped in a fierce thoughtfulness that speaks to his own personal approach to life, a preference for distillation to the truest, purest form. Brandon is continually inspired and challenged by his travels, his urge to explore, to never stop absorbing and learning—all of which afford the rich well of inspiration from which he draws when developing his clients’ brands.

Dave is that rare bird, that curious case, that special circumstance of a man, who is so comfortable in his own shoes, who’s so gracious and effusive with those around him. It has been said that you can hear Dave before you see Dave. His presence is undeniable; you will never forget him. This makes the Rochester native, University at Buffalo alum, Oxford Pennant entrepreneur, and once-upon-a-time Block Club printing rep the quintessential strategist and business developer: always on his game, always collaborative, and always listening. Dave’s passion for his clients’ vision makes him an unrivaled partner for their brand and strategy needs, able to coordinate special projects, head-to-toe campaigns and dynamic solutions.

Adam comes to Block Club after spending 14 years in New York City, where he began his career in product development and later transitioned to brand management for a leading global apparel company. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, with degrees in design and international trade and marketing, Adam has always been passionate about art and design. Adam is meticulously organized in his role as brand manager and brings a level of thoughtfulness and deliberation to his projects that enhances the quality of everyone’s work. When he’s not working on brand strategy for his clients, he enjoys reading true crime literature and following Hollywood awards season. Born in Chicago, and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Adam now calls Buffalo his home with husband (and Buffalo native) Rusty.

With a degree in industrial design and a background in product development, Alex considers every brand management challenge a puzzle best unriddled with methodical pragmatism and a careful eye for detail. Before joining Block Club, she honed her approach to creative problem-solving first as a greeting card and packaging designer at that epitomical stationery and art supply company based in Kansas City, and then at a boutique gift and home accessories brand in Brooklyn. There, she worked closely with independent designers to bring their visions to market—a role that required her to configure many moving, disparate parts and address complex international supply chain issues to bring finished things to fruition. As a recreational rock climber, she practices puzzle-solving of the more physical, kinetic sort, all of which may very well explain the admirable cognitive agility, aesthetic perspective, and keen acumen for organization and production that she brings to every Block Club project.

Bri has spent the last seven years honing her skills at a Chicago-based pharmaceutical and healthcare advertising and marketing agency, where she ultimately worked in business development and brand management as a senior account manager. A SUNY Fredonia graduate with a music business degree, Bri gained a passion for marketing working in event production and promotion. It’s there that she discovered the importance of listening with intention, a skill that infuses her professional work with care, compassion and focus. You’ll find this in the way she sparks up a conversation, or bends an ear to help you find the solution you’re looking for. Away from the office, there’s a good chance you’ll find Bri preparing floral arrangements for a friend’s wedding or event, making a fresh batch of kimchi, or putting the finishing touches on a homemade Halloween costume. Bri was born and raised in Mexico, NY, a small town on Lake Ontario outside of Syracuse. She lives in Buffalo with her distinctively bearded fiancé Andrew, her college sweetheart.

Caitlin stores and processes information in narrative arcs. Even as you read this, she is probably inside her own head, culling her mind’s databank for a story that elucidates some hulking or miniscule aspect of the human condition. It has been her mental modus operandi since at least her college days in New York City (if not birth), and it informs her approach to every Block Club project. Whether she is crafting a brand story, vision statement, campaign slogan or tagline, she does so with thoughtfulness. At the heart of her writing is a desire to give words to the complexities of her subject and imbue her work with incisive and pragmatic meaning.

Formerly of Batavia, NY, once of London, England, and forever tethered to both campsite and street grid, Julie is a well-traveled homebody. Her work evokes the truth of our origins—our locations, our people, our things, our stories. Her approach maintains this simplicity; the easiest explanation, whether visual or verbal, is often the truest. A brief stint in London, where she worked at design firm AD Creative, affirmed her affinity for the understated. In Spring 2017, Julie spent six weeks in Paris as part of Block Club’s Residency Program. There, here and everywhere in Julie’s work, the conversation continues between the old and the new, the ancient and the contemporary, the tarnished and the polished. That influence is self-evident in not only her clients’ work, but in her own illustrative art, which earned rave reviews in its 2014 gallery debut.

Tim is a man on the move. His bike gets him most places, swiftly, adventurously, covertly. He is an advocate of his city’s pathways, pushing for reform and education as a GoBike Buffalo board member and vocal West Side citizen. This movement is also self-evident in his design philosophy, which pushes for what’s next, what’s innovative, what’s patently original. Tim’s extracurricular life as a drummer also pops into frame from time to time, the punk rocker never able to sit perfectly still or color within the lines. For Tim, this creative energy, vital in everything from brand development to album cover art, bike design to citizen empowerment, is kinetic, evolving, electric and alive.

A creative mind like Ryan’s would be an asset on any team. He is thoughtful in his approach, meticulous in his production, and critical in his assessment—all vital approaches to creating strong content. Ryan hones his skills in a variety of personal creative outlets. A digital media arts graduate from Canisius College, he has nearly a decade of experience working at a number of creative agencies and studios in the area. Ryan is an educator at Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center, where he teaches graphic design in their media art workshops. He is also an active musician and loves to devote his creative energy outside of work to writing, recording and performing with his various musical projects. In Fall 2017, Ryan ventured to the design-forward city of Copenhagen as part of Block Club’s Residency Program. It’s in his well-roundedness that Ryan is able to provide invaluable insight and perspective to every client and team project. A calm, cool head doesn’t hurt either.

Steve is Block Club’s resident family man. He joined the Block Club team in its second year, after spending many years in Los Angeles. Ready to plant his roots back home, Steve and then-fiancée Lindsey dug in deep, eager to welcome a brood of mini-Sorokas. Today, the couple are parents to Ella and Henry, who loyally take after their dad’s stalwart support of the Buffalo Bills, Homer Simpson and general housekeeping. Likewise, as Block Club’s studio manager, Steve approaches the throng of daily tasks with unbending support, efficient problem solving and an easygoing attitude. Amid managing a busy web of schedules, planning, inventory and logistics for our internal projects, Steve is the friendly face that greets visitors at our door. He makes it all look easy, with a smile on his face, a brand new photo of his children on his phone, and a fresh supply of cleaning products hidden in his desk.

Creativity is inspired by many influences. Margaret’s analytical, scientific perspective brings clarity and symmetry to her work. The beauty of an insightful map, the canalled veins of a self-contained system; these are the hallmarks of a thoughtful manager, writer and problem-solver. Margaret begins her work with these tools—whether managing Block Club Labs, contributing to a client project, or in her own creative endeavors involving writing and music. Her studies in psychology and creative writing at New York University and the University at Buffalo further honed Margaret’s ability to see both beauty and function in every opportunity.