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Grateful & blessed: Thanksgiving reflections
roux LLC • November 25, 2019
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, and here at roux, we have much to be thankful for. This year, and every year, we are blessed beyond measure by the projects we get to have a hand in and the relationships we get to build.
From a talented, tight-knit team to an amazing group of clients and partners, one thing is certain—we couldn’t do it alone.
We asked some of our team members to share a few things they’re grateful for, both at home and at work. And of course, as the food lovers we are, we couldn’t resist sharing our favorite Thanksgiving dishes, too.
Keep reading to hear what everyone had to say.
Lauren
Overall, I’m especially thankful for our creative community which continues to amaze me.
They are such a talented bunch that work hard to foster bright, new ideas and think of the “what elses.”
I’m also really thankful for our internal croux who are all huge role models to me. They really don’t know how much I learn from their example. I’m thankful for the opportunity to grow together at conferences like GLS and give together by volunteering in the community. Not every workplace is like that, so I feel blessed.
I’m grateful at home, too. My husband is a complete ham, and he has a way of brightening up my day and giving me those hearty belly laughs. He’s a constant support in life, and I’m so thankful for his sunshine.
Favorite Dish:
This is a weird one, but one of my favorite Thanksgiving foods is putting corn on top of my mashed potatoes and eating them together!
Stefan
I’m thankful for roux and all the parts that make it a perfect dish of creativity and culture. I’m thankful for the team and how they show up every day and bring their best for all the right reasons. I’m also thankful for our client relationships and how they trust us with their brands.
I’m grateful for my family and how we love each other in spite of and because of our quirks.
Favorite Dish:
The bird! All kinds—domestic and wild, grilled, smoked, roasted, and especially in day-after gumbo with all the leftovers!
Karen
One thing I’m thankful for in my work life is that while we are not established as a Christian company and neither are our clients, I’m surrounded by a wonderful group of strong, Christian people. Many of my client contacts use their office space and white boards to post scriptures or compelling Christian messages. What a blessing it is to live in a country where we can share our faith openly. I am humbled by my wonderful croux and clients who, as my minister says, “have eternity eyes.”
I’m also grateful for my family and that it is my turn to host our gathering this year! Everyone brings a dish and we visit with each other, eat (and eat and eat!), laugh loudly, and watch football—it is a perfect day!
Favorite Dish:
I’m not fancy, and my favorite Thanksgiving food is turkey. I LOVE it in any form. My dad used to smoke a turkey each year and use the majority of it to make smoked turkey salad, which is the best. He went to heaven in 2016, and I miss Daddy and the smoked turkey so much now.
Lianna
I am exceptionally grateful to work for a company that invests in people. We’ve had a lot of great opportunities this year to give back through our foundation, Food for Thought, and those have been some of the greatest highlights of my year. From investing in kids through YCAP and helping plant fresh vegetables for the under-served through the Nashville Food Project, it’s been such a joy to partner with organizations that are doing great things in Nashville. roux loves people well, and I am so grateful I get to be a part of that.
On a personal note, I am thankful that we are adding a tiny little one to the roux croux in 2020. This is my first child and our whole team has been incredibly supportive. The roux croux really is something special and I don’t take that for granted.
Favorite Dish:
My favorite Thanksgiving food is strawberry pretzel salad. I have no idea why it’s called salad, but I’m here for it.
What are you thankful for this year? We’d love to hear about the many blessings our community has enjoyed—please comment below!
We are excited to announce the recipient of our most recent Food for Thought grant — the Hot Springs Food Pantry, located in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Food for Thought is a fund we created through The Community Foundation to offer grants to organizations that help feed children in our community. This isn’t just about money though. We’re also on the lookout for ways to teach kids about good food, to help them learn to prepare it, and to encourage them to love it as much as we do. We are always looking for organizations in our local communities whose mission aligns with ours and have specific needs we can provide grants for. Because our croux reaches far and wide, “local” doesn’t just mean Tennessee. In this case, the community is local to one of our core team members, Lauren. After moving back to her hometown of Hot Springs, South Dakota to be closer to family, she got involved with the local food pantry and saw a specific need there. The food pantry needed a refrigerator so they could provide more fresh produce and protein to families in the area. They were also seeing an above average need in the community due to rising costs which has depleted some of their funds. The grant received from Food for Thought will go towards these efforts and help provide fresh food for families in the area.
We’re back with another creative croux feature. Normally, these pieces are put together by one of our freelance writers, Annie Van Essen, but this time, we’re spotlighting her!
We celebrated our 10-year anniversary in July 2023, making this our tenth Mardi Gras as a krewe. We are so thankful for the many projects, partnerships, clients and friends who have been a part of our journey so far. The essence of Mardi Gras can be summed up in one lighthearted phrase, “ Laissez les bons temps rouler!” — French, for “Let the good times roll!” We’ve had a lot of good times here at roux over the last decade, and we’re excited for them to keep on rollin’. Bon Mardi Gras and merci beaucoup, friends!
Every January we like to gather as a croux and plan for the year ahead. It serves as a holiday celebration and a strategy session. We look forward to it every year. Over the last few years, we’ve also begun incorporating a “word of the year” practice, where we each choose a word that we will focus on throughout the year.
This year, we decided to take our merry-making to the streets of Nashville to see how well the average passerby could interpret some of our favorite Creole vocab. The results were… entertaining. See for yourself!
Every year, our croux puts together a roundup of our favorite Super Bowl commercials.
This time around, we thought we’d switch it up and ask for submissions of our team’s favorite commercials EVER. Whether from 2023 or 2003, we want to celebrate the advertising magic of Super Bowl Sunday.
Here at roux, we have a wonderful team of creatives supporting us, including photographers, videographers, writers, and designers.
Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Kyle Sorvick, one of the talented graphic designers we work with as part of our extended croux.
We all look forward to receiving Christmas greetings from friends and loved ones, whether it’s a social media post or a physical card to display in our house or hang on the fridge. But when it comes to company Christmas cards, corporate greetings can sometimes fall a bit flat. We love when a company spices things up and sends a message that’s genuine and fun. Videos can also be a more effective and affordable option for a company, when you consider the reach made possible with email and social media, and the savings on printing and postage. Averitt and JetRight are two local companies that knock it out of the park every year when it comes to their video Christmas cards. Whether they choose to be lighthearted and silly or share a heartwarming message, watching their videos shows you the real people and spirit behind the companies. Check them out below!