Jerry Gleason

I took off the fall semester of my senior year of college to intern in the late 90s and have worked here ever since.

Collaborative, tenacious, creative, genuine and fearless

I actually heard this from a mentor on my second day as an intern and have tried to follow this guidance ever since – don’t come to me with a problem without a solution.

I have been blessed in my career to visit a lot of unique places to support our clients – here’s a few quick highlights: (1) staging a tattoo contest at arguably the world’s largest biker rally in Sturgis, (2) serving up milk mustaches at the Alaska State Fair, (3) coordinating tours of a handful of cocoa farms in Ecuador for media and influencers and (4) helping stage a “hunger strike” for a client on the Madison Square Garden marquee on 7th Avenue for two days.

I’m a life-long Chicago Bears fan and have been lucky enough to have season tickets for nearly 25 years. Outside of 1985 and last season, there haven’t been many milestone seasons during my fan tenure, but there are a handful of learnings I bring to work on a daily basis: (1) always show up – you never know what may happen, (2) even during hard times, it can be fun and meaningful if you do it together and of course (3) don’t forget to celebrate when you do win.

I have been blessed in my career to visit a lot of unique places to support our clients – here’s a few quick highlights: (#1) staging a tattoo contest at arguably the world’s largest biker rally in Sturgis (#2) serving up milk mustaches at the Alaska State Fair, (#3) coordinating tours of a handful of cocoa farms in Ecuador for media and influencers and (#4) I also once helped stage a “hunger strike” for a client on the Madison Square Garden marquee on 7th Avenue for two days.

In full transparency it’s actually in the suburbs, but it’s called Jack Gibbons Garden. The restaurant is tucked in a forest, so it has the hideaway feel (which may be because it was built during prohibition), but not much has changed at the restaurant since I was a kid. It still has the same décor, but also incredible food, including prime rib au jus and relish trays that are a Chicago staples. It also has that unique Chicago charm where you can sit in the dining room for a steakhouse feel with impeccable service, but also belly up to the bar if you’re looking for something a bit more lively.

And I could also lose my Chicago card if I don’t weigh-in on my favorite pizza – I’m a fan of tavern style and my favorite is Vito and Nick’s, which has been a southside staple (84th & Pulaski) for more than a century.