People
Our People
Our people are our product. This isn't a euphemism, but a fact. What we offer is creativity and inspiration, practicality and experience; none of which can be promised without a proven team of creatives, inspirers, practical thinkers and experienced pros. These are our people. Invest in them and they'll invest in you.
Jeremy Light
Our fearless leader. Jeremy can often be seen pacing the floors of BurgoUSA, phone in hand and charm on full blast. A deep blue sea away from his native London, Jeremy has adopted Chicago as his home away from home, along with a love of Chicago-style hot dogs, Chicago-style pizza, and complaining about the weather.
Nathan Peters
The Dan Quayle to Jeremy's George Bush, Nathan also has trouble with the word "potato." Not the spelling so much as the speaking, often mispronouncing it as "potate" or "pooty-toe." Despite this handicap, Nathan's problem-solving and vast experience in the industry are often the elements that take a project from great to unforgettable.
Jenica Polifka
Jenica treats her role as Senior Account Manager a bit like a High School Senior. She offers guidance from her experience, leadership in turmoil, and wedgies. Oh, the wedgies. One might think our no-nonsense atmosphere and mistake-free reputation are uncanny, but it is thanks mostly to Jenica's expertly-administered wedgies.
Dave Pariot
Apart from being a superb Account Manager, Dave is a six-time winner of BurgoUSA's monthly 'Handsomest Man in the Office' Award. After his sixth win, Dave withdrew himself from future contests. “I was born with this face, and I will no longer use it to advance myself. From now on I'll use my awesome brain and stuff.”
Nicole Meehling
Our resident Artworker, Nicole often uses her remarkable aesthetic eye outside of her work. Any number of us have come to the office in a mismatched pants/shirt combo, only to be called "a slovenly mess." Still, her work is impeccable, and we haven't yet drafted a contract that includes consequences for "being really, really mean about clothes."
Loren Griggs
“There’s nothing I can’t do,” Loren told us in her interview. It turns out that’s not entirely true. In fact, there are a number of things she can’t do. Among them: open a ketchup packet, Google anything, or tell the difference between a peanut and an almond. What she can do though is some pretty fantastic graphic design. Thankfully, a useful talent.
Bliss Buter-Thompson
Bliss has been with BurgoUSA since we first called Chicago home, and like any good veteran, will gladly share stories of the good ol' days. In this case the "good ol' days" are 2 or 3 years ago, but we humor her nonetheless. Bliss is our chief Structural Engineer, and the author of Kitchen Bliss, a microwaving cookbook.
Peter Wertz
Working in the disparate fields of structural design and words, Peter can often be found attempting to multi-task...and failing. Though hired as a Structural Designer, and subsequently having added a number of different talents in his BurgoUSA tenure, Peter is mostly sought after for his ability to change the water cooler jugs without spilling a drop.
Jordan Rutherford
Jordan is a self-proclaimed Renaissance Designer, handling graphic, 3D, motion, and interactive design. He's also a bit braggy. Still, since he stated from day one "my planet-sized ego is just another glorious part of me," we'll remain accommodating. As long as the quality of the work matches the swagger, we're happy to call him part of the team.
Eric Hutchinson
Like so many IT guys, Hutch is grumpy and brilliant, like Thomas Edison or Ghostface Killa. In equal measure, he loves pizza and bass-playing, and hopes to someday combine these two loves with his work. If given the opportunity, he will pitch anybody on his bass-playing pizza delivery guy internet startup: www.MetalPizzaHutchRules.com
Tracy Young
Tracy prides herself on an uncanny ability to say "no" in any situation. As the one with access to all the petty cash, we are always nice to her. No one really understands what she does as Finance Manager, and we're all too intimidated to ask, but we're pretty sure we would be in lousy shape without her doing it.
Chris Hudson
In addition to being a pretty fantastic Structural Designer, Chris spends his free time breakdancing in the dingy, ill-lit warehouse district of Chicago. For a clearer visual, see the film You Got Served, which, as Chris puts it, “is essentially my life story.” Whatever it may be that gets Chris up in the morning, we’re just glad to be a part of his day.
Joe Ridler
As our Associate Creative Director, Joe is smart, capable, and a leader in regards to both his work and his co-workers. As one of Batman’s chief nemesis however, he is cunning, ruthless, and intellectually unmatched in his deviousness. Far from shy about his double life, Joe included some of his more devious plots on his resume.
Kristin Swanson
We like to fill our office with problem solvers. Often we will poach individuals from prestigious universities or government think tanks, which is how we came to Dr. Kristin Swanson, the world’s pre-eminent canine sociologist. When presented with the opportunity to navigate the often puzzling packaging design process, her answer: “Where do I sign?”
Sebastian Napoli
Sebastian is an avid fisherman, often burning through vacation days to get back to his bait-and-tackle pastime. While this initially was a charming hobby, Sebastian has grown alarmingly comfortable bringing it into the office. Put delicately, there are fish guts everywhere. Still, Sebastian is a talented Graphic Designer, and we couldn’t do what we do without him.