About Us

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.

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.

Before joining Block Club, Bri spent 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, 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.

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.

For an organized creator like Emma, care and whimsy go hand in hand. Her work is well researched, her choices are conscientious, and her approach is rooted in practical business sense. Still, nothing is ever rigid or stuffy—quite the opposite, actually. With a penchant for illustration and muses in nature and travel, Emma brings a certain intuition and effervescence to every project she touches, resulting in designs that are both polished, spirited, and often surprising.

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.

After cutting her teeth in the startup space as a co-founder of IfThen Giving, a Block Club Labs company, Maggie went on to co-found, manage and produce for a multi-city event production company throughout New York State. A former copywriter and a student of psychology and creative writing at New York University, Maggie brings both her experience as a creative and a manager to her role as Block Club’s brand strategist. When she’s not working, you’d likely find her buried in a book or working on a list of activities for the next city she plans to visit. Ask her about what she’s reading, her favorite weekend spot for biking, or her short-lived brush with Youtube fame within the musically inclined queer tween demo.

Though her calm disposition and even temperament may convince you otherwise, Molly lives in perpetual forward motion. A Buffalo native turned New Yorker and back again, she moved to the iconic Big Apple craving a change of scenery and a fresh perspective. During her time there, she earned her master’s degree in international communication from St. John’s University and rose through the ranks at a top-tier PR firm, where she specialized in social and digital media accounts. As a recreational writer and poet with a penchant for organization, Molly moves with a relentless curiosity that keeps her on top of the current political and cultural climate, driving her in all endeavors. She’s traversed the globe from Italy to Ireland to India and the Netherlands, absorbing experiences that inform her work and keep her ideas fresh. Whether she’s coordinating photo shoots, scheduling interviews, or shaping content, Molly does so with calculated precision and a fierce passion for doing better.

Nichelle’s role may be behind the scenes at Block Club, but her work is front and center to everything we do. With a strong background in project management and technology and a keen sense for relationship-building, Nichelle lends her invaluable strategic insights to our digital initiatives and ensures our entire team has everything they need to deliver exceptional outcomes to our clients. When she isn’t troubleshooting our computer woes and helming our internal projects, she is uncovering ways to optimize how we get things done—keeping us happy, productive, and streamlined in the process.

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.

Everyone who knows Pat agrees: he’s affable, good-humored, and quick to make a real connection. Less obvious to the naked eye are Pat’s keen interest in learning from the people, culture, and circumstances around him and his quiet competitive streak. His inclination to grow through assimilation and always strive for better is something he taps into daily to ensure the work we’re producing helps clients outperform. Pat also has a background in business operations, which he leverages to gain a clear understanding of what success looks like for clients and the detailed steps he has to take to get them there.

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.

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.