By Casey Flores
I’ve never had a coworker pass away before.
In early August, our friend and colleague Saundra Hutchison left this world far too soon. Saundra was one of our art directors here at Key Media & Research, and many of us have worked with her for more than a decade.
Saundra was one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. She would always make it a point to ask about our families and genuinely cared about how life was going outside of the office. She knew my mom and brother and had relationships with people close to me outside of the workplace too, which made her extra special to me.
She was also a stern, hard worker. She expected a lot from the people she worked with and wouldn’t let me slack off. For me, that was a good thing. She pushed me to be a better editor, and her high standards pushed me to be more organized and less of a procrastinator. This is one of the lessons I will take from her.
One of the things I loved most about working with Saundra was the creative collaboration. Bouncing ideas off of each other, brainstorming and just generally working together to create something—it really does increase the bond between people. And I think that’s something that’s really important, especially in the workplace. It’s something I recommend all business owners do with each employee either individually or as a group—give them a chance to let their creative side come out. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy—it could be as simple as a brainstorming session about how to improve your business, or a team-building activity unrelated to work.
The point is to get everyone together creatively and work toward a common goal. It’ll not only make your business better, but it’ll deepen the inter-staff bond, which I’ve learned over time is invaluable but never more than during this time.
Saundra wasn’t just a talented designer—she was also a great collaborator. She was always willing to listen to feedback and incorporate it into her work. And she was always looking for ways to improve her skills and learn new things. When AI-generated images came onto the scene, she took to creating and incorporating them like an old pro.
As a final tribute to Saundra, I’m proud to say that her last cover was the one that graces this issue of PPFMag. It’s my
favorite cover I’ve ever worked on, and I know she was proud of it, too.
Rest in peace, Saundra. You are so missed by all of us.
To view the laid-in version of this issue in our digital edition, CLICK HERE.