Patty Voje

President

Miss Saint Paul meets Mr. Saint Paul! Patty and F. Scott Fitzgerald have a lot in common—they both love literature, Saint Paul and delicious beverages. And, much like F. Scott, Patty has been knocking around Saint Paul for quite some time. With over 20 years of experience in design and marketing, Patty understands agency work from every perspective and is passionate about it every step of the way. Her extensive background in health care marketing includes working with Allina Health, HealthEast, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Optum Health, Telefex and the American Diabetes Association.

If you’d like to visit some of F. Scott’s favorite Saint Paul haunts, the Minnesota Historical Society offers an F. Scott Fitzgerald walking tour.

Jonathan Alstad

Creative Director & Copywriter

Really, Jonathan’s title should be Creative Director/Writer/Candy Enthusiast. Lucky for him (and the rest of us), Candyland is located just down the street from SPOT!

It was Jonathan’s passion for creative writing that sparked his interest in advertising, where media titans wage war for attention armed only with money and compelling ideas. His background includes working with everyone from mom-and-pop restaurants to Fortune 500 companies, because, as he likes to put it, every story has potential if you know how to tell it. Now if we could only land a candy account!

If you’re looking for sweet copy call Jonathan. If you need a sweet treat visit Candyland.

Anne Wagner

VP Account Services

Meet Anne. No really, set up a meeting—she loves them. It gives her a chance to put her 20 years of B2B and consumer marketing experience to work for you. She’s an ace at identifying opportunities, elevating brand identities and designing detailed marketing programs.

In her spare time (we find it hard to believe she has any), you may just find her listening to her husband’s band at venues like Amsterdam Bar and Hall here in St. Paul.

Tory Scales

Senior Account Executive

We like to think St. Paul is the classier of the two Twin Cities, and nobody keeps it classier than Tory. From his signature toothpick to his relaxed demeanor, Tory has built a career by putting clients at ease, knowing their work is in his capable hands. His wealth of senior-level agency experience spans a variety of B2B clients across a wide number of industries.

Just like the gentlemen of downtown St. Paul’s iconic Heimie’s Haberdashery, Tory brings a welcoming spirit of creativity and good-natured fun to the SPOT team.

Lauren Solum

Account Executive

SPOT may be located in 55102, but we are just one digit away from 55101, the ultimate hipster zip code. Lowertown: where the artists congregate. It’s no surprise this is Lauren’s backdrop as art and design figure prominently in her life. Lauren’s love of bright and brilliant color has fueled her interest in everything from watercolor painting to following design trends, and led to her BFA degree in Graphic Design from the University of Minnesota.

As a account executive, Lauren puts her creative background to good use. Overseeing a high volume of projects on a daily basis, she makes sure everything is looking good before it goes out the door.

Whether you’re ready to get your hipster on or just want to be inspired by some amazing art, head to Lowertown for one of their bi-annual Art Crawls.

Josh Braaten

Digital Strategist

Josh just wants to know everything. Ever since building his first Geocities website back in the early ‘90s, he’s been obsessed with the internet and how he can leverage it to gather data that empowers better branding and marketing decisions.

From building the world’s first brand analytics platform to spending over a year wearing Google Glass and playing World of Warcraft (that’s in-game time, mind you), you can’t wash the geek off him—and he’s okay with that.

As a learning-obsessed St. Paul native, Josh wants to give a shout out to the St. Paul Public Library (George Latimer Central Library) for its stunning architecture and wealth of knowledge.

Colin Goligoski

Account Executive

Colin’s experience as a collegiate decathlon champion explains how he can do ten things really well—all at the same time. His multi-tasking abilities serve him well as he makes sure his projects are on schedule and SPOT clients are happy. He’s a St. Paul native and nuts about his city, which is why he fits in so well with the Peanuts of Rice Park.

Erik Olson

Copywriter

A prolific doodler and veteran copywriter, Erik brings 20 years of writing experience as well as a background in design to the SPOT team.

His good-natured personality shines through in his natural writing voice, but don’t let his casual demeanor deceive you. When he’s not fiercely wordsmithing his next great headline, he’s passionately cheering on the local sports clubs—like the Minnesota Wild here at the Xcel Energy Center.

Kelley Stafne

Art Director

Kelley is a veteran Art Director with more than 20 years of experience working with Fortune 100 companies like 3M. She specializes in elevating and evolving brands through her design work across a variety of print and digital platforms.

While she’s used to the pressures of working on big-company brands, Kelley never passes up an opportunity to flex her creative muscles on smaller, local brands too, like the St. Paul Hotel she’s visiting here.

Cheryl Groustra

Art Director

A veteran designer and agency green thumb, Cheryl is constantly unlocking new ways to breathe fresh life into brands. No matter the project, Cheryl brings experience that makes her imaginative design look effortless. In fact, her knack for balancing thoughtful creativity with a healthy respect for brand integrity is the reason she consistently produces results that clients adore.

Her desk also serves as a refuge for office plants that have been neglected by her co-workers. At lunch you will always find Cheryl diligently working at her computer— unless of course it’s Tuesday or Thursday, when she sneaks down Wabasha to the satellite Saint Paul’s Farmer’s Market for fresh flowers.

Leah Palmquist

Graphic Designer

The ultimate team player, Leah consistently hits it out of the ballpark with her design talent and worker-bee ways. Her passion for design and typography led her to roles in a variety of organizations, from Martha Stewart Living in New York City to the University of Minnesota Women’s Basketball team—all before she had even finished college.

A true sportsperson (she currently holds the top score at our SPOT basketball arcade) Leah is also a huge baseball fan, and she is excited to take in some Saints games this summer.

Harry Washuta

Graphic Designer

Coming all the way from the Jersey shore, Harry’s got that East Coast big personality in spades. His outgoing demeanor and readiness to take on any challenge make him essential to Team SPOT. He combines his lifelong love of art with his interest in 2D and 3D design, making him a graphic designer that can jump in on both digital and print projects.

When Harry’s not busy cranking out design work, he’s out exploring everything downtown Saint Paul has to offer. Mears Park, just a short stroll from our office, offers downtown workers like Harry a calming oasis to de-stress in (complete with a bubbling brook), live entertainment, food trucks and restaurants galore.

Dana Kraft

Production Artist

If detail is your thing, then Dana is your guy. With over 20 years in marketing production, Dana brings extensive quality control to SPOT. You can ask him anything regarding prepress, printing standards or media development and he’ll have an answer. His scientific mind doesn’t miss a thing. The more complicated the project the happier he seems to be. Whether it’s a creative mailer, POP or custom package, there’s not a challenge he won’t take on.

The Minnesota Science Museum is a good place for big thinkers like Dana to visit…and, well, think! If you’re like-minded you might want to check out their current exhibits.

Josh Ehlen

Videographer Intern

Josh may only be 16, but he has big ideas and big ambitions. After high school and college, his goal is to eventually own his own business as a professional videographer.

He’s torn between a career working in advertising or on action/adventure films. Whatever direction he goes, we’re sure he’ll be a big deal around here — just like the acts that play the Palace Theatre. Until then, he’s spending his summer honing his video editing and Nerf war skills with the Spot creative team.

Breanna Vick

Graphic Designer

University of Minnesota senior Breanna brings her passion for all things design to the SPOT team. It’s a golden opportunity for this Golden Gopher to hone her layout, design and illustration skills—and get a taste of what’s to come after graduation.

When she’s not in class or at work or attending jazz and funk shows or canoeing or rock climbing, she likes to explore the Twin Cities and find cool and funky places like Pedro Park right here in St. Paul.