WILL COOK

RedRover Sales & Marketing has added three new employees in recent months, including design architect Will Cook, who has more than 10 years of graphic design experience and comes to RedRover from The Commercial Appeal and Savant Learning Systems. In his new role, Cook primarily designs print and web collateral for RedRover’s clients while also assisting the sales and marketing teams in other ways, including participating in sales meetings and calls.

Hometown: Martin, TN

Experience: The Commercial Appeal, Savant Learning Systems, Think Signs. Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

What talent do you wish you had? I wish I had enough skill to be a professional musician. 

What attracted you to RedRover, and what are your goals in your new role? I saw in RedRover an opportunity not only to further my career, but also to find a place I could confidently work for many years. This company is serious about completing work. That’s the kind of place I want to be for the long term. 

Who/what inspired you to pursue art, and how did you parlay it into a career? My parents inspired me to find a career in the arts. My mom, Jennifer, is a classical singer and teacher, and my dad, Doug, is chair of Art, Dance and Theatre at UTM. They were an inspiring pair to say the least. My career developed quickly. I went out and found a place where I could quickly make an impact. I worked for Jason Green at Think Signs for the first four years of my design career. It was a place where I could enjoy a lot of freedom for a young artist. I also had firsthand experience with commercial printing equipment. Bonus. 

I hear you’re an avid comics fan. Are there certain artists and/or titles that wow you from a design perspective? Wow, I could talk about comics for well more than 460 words. Writers certainly influence me – particularly now – but, I’ll stick to artists for the sake of time. The first moment I remember seeing a piece of comic art that really changed the way comic books looked to me was Spider-Man #1. This was written and drawn by Todd McFarlane. This featured Spidey in a crouched position completely covered in webbing with black spiders all around him. I used to just stare at this cover for hours wondering how in the world it was created. I had similar experiences with lots of Jim Lee art, John Romita Jr., and later Frank Miller. 

If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? Study. You have to study. In the art world, it means creating as much as possible. You have to keep that pencil sharpened.

KNOLL

SANDERS

In addition to Will Cook, both Catherine Knoll and Tammy Sanders have joined RedRover Sales & Marketing. Knoll is a 10-year marketing veteran whose focus at RedRover is on digital strategy and campaigns. She previously held marketing positions at Mahaffey Fabric Structures and Challenger Corp. Sanders joined RedRover as office manager, with oversight of financial, HR and administrative functions. Her career has included roles in administrative management, improved operations and teaching.

Dawn Jones, operations and administrations manager with Resource Label Group LLC, has been named 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce. Jones, who has been with Resource for 20 years, recently spearheaded a new construction project so her company can move to the Bartlett Corporate Park from its current location off Lamar Avenue. 

David Edwards with Compass Group USA has been named director of dining services at Trezevant. With more than 30 years of high-profile food service and health care administrative experience, Edwards will oversee dining operations and staff for the senior living community. Teresa Johnson has joined Trezevant as communications and program coordinator. Prior to this role, Johnson served as media buyer for Archer Malmo and advertising account executive for CRSA, formerly of the LCS family of senior living brands.

WALLACE

Desiree Lyles Wallace has joined Agape Child & Family Services as director of human resources. Wallace has more than 15 years of HR experience, most recently serving as human resources business partner for Bayer HealthCare. Ava Conley has joined Agape as administrative assistant. Conley most recently served as recruiter and social media coordinator for Memphis Teacher Residency.

Four Rhodes College employees have been awarded the college’s 2017 Outstanding Staff Awards based on nominations submitted by faculty, staff, and students. The winners are: Robert Randolph, Outstanding Administrative Services Staff Award; Reida Benson, Outstanding Administrative Staff Award; and Johnny Austin and Rob Schrier, Outstanding Administrator Awards.

Fisher Phillips has been named the top labor and employment law firm in the United States in a survey of readers of Corporate Counsel magazine. The 2017 “Best of Corporate Counsel” list based on more than 1,500 votes. Readers cast ballots in 55 categories via online ballot, and voting was limited to professionals working within in-house corporate legal and compliance departments.