Patrick Strother

CEO & Chief Creative Officer

Creative Juicer

Q: Plan a road trip. Where would you go? Who would you take with you?
A: Looking forward to the road trips with my son next fall to look at colleges (and swimming pools) - especially the universities I know of very well but have never been to.

Q: Of your creative accomplishments, what has given you the most satisfaction?
A: Building a communications business that has been successful for (almost) 20 years. Despite being well prepared for the task, there is really no rule book and many decisions are more intuitive than scientific. Building SCG has fundamentally been a creative endeavor.

Knowledge Seeker

Q: What is something new you want to learn in 2012?
A: I want to find ways to make a greater contribution to public education in America.

Q: Describe a recent problem that you solved in a unique way.
A: Last fall I taught an 8 o'clock class. I had some issues with the students arriving late so I gave them a quiz at precisely 8 o'clock, asking them to answer: What time did you arrive today? The quiz was worth 20 points. The correct answer was any time prior to 8.

Productive Partner

Q: Who was your favorite mentor and why?
A: John Gigerich was a very talented senior executive that I worked with very closely in the 1980's. He taught me a great deal about how things in business actually work. He was EVP of operations and spent a lot of time explaining corporate politics and how to get results through influence, motivation and persuasion rather than brute title power. He was an exceptionally bright and engaging person and always fun to spend time with.

Q: Share a secret tip that you use often.
A: If someone doesn't have a sense of humor, spend as little time with them as possible.