Every once in awhile, a year comes along that helps shape a company’s future. I think 2011 has been one of those defining years.

We started our year with one hand tied behind our back. One of our clients had slowed to a crawl due to FDA-mandated testing. Another drifted due to patent expirations. Our two biggest clients were essentially gone in a nanosecond. But we didn’t flinch. Our team rallied together with a new sense of determination.

We brought in a range of new accounts: national and international clients like Astex Pharmaceuticals, Azur Pharma, Medicis, Merz Aesthetics, Pinnacle Biologics and Purina Mills, and a flurry of wonderful local clients, including Empire State College, DWM Facilities Maintenance and Spruce Computer. And in May, we won our largest new client of the year, Upsher-Smith Laboratories.

Projects for these new accounts, coupled with continued work for existing clients like Alimera Sciences and The Adirondack Trust Company, resulted in some very exciting, award-winning work. In fact, FingerPaint won a total of 37 awards in 2011! In addition, the Alimera Sciences corporate branding campaign won a ton of industry recognition.  We created and launched our first iPad app with Ikaria; we developed numerous digital marketing campaigns across many accounts; and social media met traditional marketing with the Epilog program launch, a hugely successful campaign for Upsher-Smith.

With all this new work, we still found time to launch our redesigned company website, winning a multitude of industry awards and accolades. We also became a greater presence on the social media landscape and introduced the Website IQ initiative.

We were growing fast. So, to raise our game, we added seven new FingerPainters to our staff, doubled our office space and added new printers and servers. To make our work environment more enjoyable, we added a soda machine, and we held an employee contest that resulted in amazing facelifts for all of our conference rooms.

Throughout all of this chaos, growth and change, we still kept our hearts in the right place with pro bono work for the Double H Ranch (including the fall cleanup day), the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs and Saratoga Hospital’s Free-Standing Clinic. We also wrote checks to such charities as the Melodies Center, Saratoga ArtsFest, the Juvenile Diabetes Association, Soroptimist International of Saratoga County and SPAC.  And ending the year with a bang, I’m so proud that we all chipped in to “adopt” a less fortunate family of five through the Franklin Community Center and helped give them a wonderful holiday.

All of this hard work and growth has us hitting 2012 running at full stride and ready to tackle even greater challenges and growth in the new year. And it is with that spirit of hope and optimism that I wish you all an amazing holiday season with your family and loved ones. 

- Ed