Last week, while I was in downtown Manhattan for the One Club Education Summit, I got to visit the recently completed New York Times Headquarters Building an architectural masterpiece by Renzo Piano. Hailed by some to be the most significant corporate skyscraper built in NY since 1965, it certainly is awe-inspiring, and Annie Liebowitz’s photo documentary, “Building the Times,” is worth the trip all by itself.

So there I was, right in the heart of the hullabaloo, at the very pinnacle of world events, in the mecca of the communications business—the city itself, the Times… and it struck me how incredible it is that we have three of our own alumni moving-and-shaking there. I once had an insurance salesman that suggested to me his success came from the fact that anyone important he knew always came from someplace small. I find it ironic now that all three of our graduates who work there came from regional-to-colloquial areas and just a few short years ago would have hardly imagined that they’d ever end up in the ‘media capital of the world,’ much less working at The New York Times itself, where the voice of elite opinion in our society rings clear and influences our very culture every day.

Melissa Jun, the Times’ design director of promotions, was raised in Jacksonville, Florida and before PC was an English major at Jacksonville University; designer Brian Rosenkrans, whose roots are back in Jackson, Mississippi, attended University of Mississippi, deep in the heart of the south; and designer Nick Skyles came from Springfield, Missouri- and attended a small amazing school right there, Drury College — where they do something really right— for it is where we’ve had so many successful alums come from over time.

This Portfolio Center trifecta, who might have presupposed they’d end up in places with “ville” or “burgh” at the end, are now sitting pretty in civilization’s greatest hub.

I’m constantly amazed by how small the world is in general and how small the PC world is in particular. It is an alumni network like no other. Speaking of which, another of the Portfolio Center family, Principle’s Pam Zuccker, who was in town as a distinguished juror for this year’s One Club One Show Design competition, and was a mainstage presenter at the awards ceremony, which was held at the amazing Chelsea Art Museum joined me on my tour of the Times.

As I was guided through the building by these former students, we ran into Jill Simmons, the Director of Marketing for Creative Services, who just happens to be married to former PC’er Todd Simmons, who is the Excecutive Creative Director at the global branding firm of Wolff Olins. It was great to see Jill and catch up.

In my office, as some of you know, I keep fresh apples in there for the taking. I am so reminded, seeing the alums and the success they enjoy, how easy it is to count the seeds in one apple- maybe four or five. But what is important is that you ask, How many apples are in one seed? Our alumni are everywhere, and they are some of the most amazing, inspiring, and proactive people; they have come from all different backgrounds, ideas, and personalities, and yet they share the ideals and values of this program they will always be a part of.

Every student, every thought is an apple seed!

Hank.

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