4.14.22 | read time: 5 min
2021 in Review: Westies & Work That Earned Trophies
Carolyn Lodge
It’s awards season, and that means a time for recognizing the hard work and creative prowess exhibited over the last year.
In Boise, we celebrate with the annual Rockies Award Show, an IAF event presented by the Boise Advertising Federation. The show never ceases to be full of warm hugs and big smiles as peers across agencies, media outlets, and production partners join together to recognize the award-winning work.
At 116 & West, we celebrate the work and the people with our annual Westie Awards, designed to highlight key achievements of our team members.
Westie Awards
While we understand agency life is not an individual sport and none of us can do this on our own, we also find it important to spotlight achievements for new employees, growth, and agency commitment.
Rookie of the Year
Since we spend so much time in our hiring process to ensure we’re bringing on the best talent, this one is always especially hard. Each of our new Westies flourished in 2021, but one individual showcased her talent by breaking down barriers and building relationships that will pay dividends for years to come.
Our Rookie of the Year, Ashlin Wigington, is an account coordinator and serves in our client services department. From the day she started, she exhibited a desire to learn and grow, to take on as much as she possibly can, and to soak up every experience along the path.
One of the qualities we most admire in Ashlin is her openness to feedback. She asks for advice, seeks constructive criticism, and displays a grace that is warm and genuine. Ashlin is wonderful with clients and team members alike, and she has already formed strong bonds that will serve her well. Congratulations, Ashlin! Can’t wait to see how far you’ll go at 116 & West!
GrowMoore
This is a legacy award that recognizes the employee who has grown the most over the last year. Graphic Designer Isabel Sarhad took home this award in 2021. For anyone paying attention, this isn’t a surprise.
Isabel has taken huge strides in her career over the last year, learning from other creative masterminds in the agency and working hard to hone her craft. She has been integral in a variety of client work, ranging from branding to layout design and has absolutely lit it up! Isabel credits the inspiring creative mentors she has and loves collaborating with the team. Keep rocking it, Isabel!
Westie of the Year
Our Westie of the year is determined by a combination of employee votes, manager feedback, and partner insight, and is designed to identify the person who has made the most significant impact on 116 & West.
Without a doubt, this award belongs to Angie Lloyd. Ask anyone at our agency and they’ll gush about how Angie is an absolute angel. She is the most loving, kind, supportive human ever, and she has a way of showing up exactly when we need her most. She’s a whiz as it relates to HR and benefits, and has become a vital part of the leadership team. Most specifically, as it relates to the impact on the agency, Angie has integrated with the operational aspects of the business to offer unparalleled support to the partners.
Thank you for all you do, Ang; we are so lucky you are OUR angel!
Rockies Awards
Our 2021 Rockies awards spanned our client mix and a wide array of creative mediums. We’re proud to announce the following awards.
Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery – Menu: Gold Rockies Award
Bardenay has been a long-standing partner, so we’re always excited to engage in new adventures with them. In 2021, we developed a new campaign and art direction that was utilized across their marketing, including a new website and menu redesign.
Beardsmith – :30 Radio: Silver Rockies Award
The Beardsmith has a killer brand (developed years ago by our very own Kelly Knopp) that lends itself to fun, creative expression designed to promote their locations, products, and services. Our talented creative team and killer audio engineer/sound designer/wizard of all things, Jodi Sali, left nothing on the table with this fun take.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Idaho – Website: Silver Rockies Award
For our Partner116 project, we had the pleasure of designing a custom website experience for our friends at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Idaho. We are BIG fans of their program and even have several BIGs and a board member on our staff. Digital Director Emily Del Favero happens to be a BIG and knocked this project out of the park.
Project Filter – Hero Cards: Silver Rockies Award
This project for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s tobacco cessation program, Project Filter, had our team buzzing. From a custom photoshoot with Project Filter’s athletes to illustrated, comic-book-inspired hero cards, the creativity at play had no bounds.
Project Filter – Youth TV: Silver Rockies Award
Another project for our partners at Project Filter included a new suite of television ads designed to educate Idaho’s youth on smoking cessation. This particular spot was right on target for the youth audience–tackling vaping through the lens of social media.
Inclusive Idaho – Spreading Light Campaign: Rockies Citation, concept + execution
Inclusive Idaho is one of the most impactful organizations to hit Idaho in recent years. Their work is dedicated to inclusion and equity in our state, which is something we feel strongly about and were/are proud to represent.
Our work with Inclusive Idaho spanned English and Spanish production, and included a video PSA, landing page, collateral, street banners, organic social media, and experiential marketing at Treefort Music Festival. All materials had the same call-to-action: “Spark Change. Speak Up.” Our entire agency collaborated on this project, and this partnership was another product of our Partner116 program.
Energized for 2022
It was a whirlwind of a year, and we’re absolutely looking back on it with pride. As always, awards season has us geared up and excited for the new work we’re bringing to life in 2022.