Q&A: Get to know our President + CEO Jessica Savage

To know DS+CO is to know our leadership team. Introducing our first Q&A with our president and CEO, Jessica Savage.

We sat down with Jess to ask all the important questions. Like her go-to coffee order and what she’d do if we gave her $500.

We also asked her about a favorite memory from her marketing world, what keeps her motivated to innovate and something most people don’t know about her.

Let’s get to it.

I’m an early riser and spend time in the morning talking with my husband and our dogs, Phoebe and Charlie, folding laundry, and getting my house in order physically and mentally for the day ahead. Usually, I text my colleagues on the C-suite good morning and the status of my whereabouts. Sometimes we all just send a sunset or sunrise picture to each other. It’s a great way to open a new day.

On my way into the office each morning, I call my mom and dad to check in and say hi. Once I sit down at my desk, I write in my 5-minute journal and get prepared to dive into my day.

Next, I’m checking tasks in Jira, dashing through emails, carving out time for deep flow work on key projects, having 1:1s with my colleagues, networking on LinkedIn or setting up in-person meet-ups, and I usually make time to read something related to business, leadership, strategy, branding, culture and creativity.

When I head home, I’m usually thinking of something healthy and fast to make for dinner and then spending time with my family.

I love advertising in all forms, but my true love is print because of its ability to combine art, imagery, words and people to tell stories. It started when I was given the opportunity to be editor of my high school yearbook and was fueled by my infatuation with beautiful ads that I’d rip out of Cosmopolitan magazine and tape to my bedroom walls—like the Neutrogena hand lotion ad series that hangs in my office to this day. I collect creative artifacts. Art.

When I learned about advertising agencies in a marketing class I took with Dr. Jeff Gutenburg at SUNY Geneseo, I knew that was the industry for me.

I had been working in advertising at Grey Direct in NYC for four years when September 11 happened. A year later, my husband and I decided to leave Manhattan and move to Rochester. When I met Lauren Dixon, I was drawn to the work DS+CO was doing in the community with our breakthrough branding, PR and nonprofit work. Dixon Schwabl cultivated a culture of philanthropy that I wanted to be a part of. I started my tenure here as an account manager in 2002 and never looked back.

I approach leadership and mentorship with humility, empathy, generosity, joy and a deep desire to get to know each of our colleagues, our partners and our clients on an individual level. I know that I have something to learn from every person I encounter, and I value the time we have together. The most fulfilling experience for me is witnessing another person’s growth, perseverance and wisdom emerge and seeing the ripple effect that has on everyone around them.

Also, I don’t know what I don’t know and I’m always grateful for the willingness of my colleagues to help me see another perspective, challenge my point of view, and ultimately align on common ground to meet a goal or objective.

I believe in lifting others around me and hope to demonstrate that authentically every day.

“Work hard and be nice to people.” I found this on a print created by Anthony Burrill on the Schoolhouse website. It’s beautifully designed (Remember my love of print?) and wise.

Do these two things and everything is possible.

To stay motivated in my role, I intentionally look for the wins each day. What did I learn from someone? What did someone do that made a difference in another person’s day? When did I experience awe in our work? When did I experience someone tackling a courageous conversation? What feedback did we receive from a client or partner that affirmed what I know to be true already—we have an incredible team doing exceptional work together every day?

What was hard and how did we move through it as a team?

I also talk with professionals outside of our industry, my therapist, our clients or connections in the community, and I ask for help and guidance when I’m stuck.

Finally, I stay motivated by the idea of making my daughters proud of me. They are incredible people and I try to practice what I preach to them. When moments are hard, keep going.

Personal and professional growth is knowing I have so much work to do to understand the person I am and the way people need me to show up for them. It requires self-reflection, having awareness of my weaknesses, applying my strengths in the right places, finding the motivation to learn and improve, and the willingness to admit my mistakes and own my failures.

I am inspired every day to read, learn, conceptualize and experiment with new ideas and approaches to my life and my leadership with the singular goal of better supporting the people in my care. My family, my friends, my colleagues, our clients.

When I get something done that I procrastinated on out of fear or lack of focus, that feels like professional growth.

This past February, I passed my certified digital marketing professional course and that felt like professional growth. Next up, experimenting with AI.

My first car was a 1985 Ford F-150 short-bed truck. My dad bought it at an auction for $300. It was a municipal vehicle, baby blue with a big fat white reflector stripe and a royal blue stripe down the length of the bed of the truck. My dad paid to have it repainted at Macco the traditional Ford Blue and he put a new set of wheels and tires on it for my high school graduation. It was THE BEST truck ever. I made cool cars a feature of our high school yearbook and it was THE BEST spread of the book in my opinion.

I also dream about being the lead singer of a rock band, like Fleetwood Mac.

In 2006, we earned the opportunity to work with Pluta Cancer Center, which at the time was one of very few independent cancer treatment centers in New York State. We worked on that business for a number of years and then, when a new CEO came into the organization, we were invited to re-pitch the business. We were deeply devoted to the caregivers and patients of Pluta Cancer Center and were determined maintain our partnership. During the pitch, we presented an idea that featured a photograph taken by my colleague Bill Colburn of a truly special human being, Nurse Kitty, and the tattoo of the word hope on her arm. Every time she administered medication or took a blood pressure, her patients saw the word hope. Humanity and compassion in the highest form.

We earned the opportunity to continue to work with Pluta Cancer Center and that is one of my greatest career memories and experiences.

I love the work we do with our clients and the opportunity to dig deeply into their business and help them achieve their goals. I admire the talent and creativity of our colleagues and the way they inspire me. I’m a fan of curiosity, creativity and building relationships, and this company creates opportunities for all of that for me.

Finally, the work we do in the communities we serve is meaningful to me and creates a huge sense of personal fulfillment.

A news broadcaster. I wanted to be Jane Pauley.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” —Ferris Bueller

This is a fact I wish I didn’t take for granted at times.

From home, a cup of Chock full o’Nuts with whole milk.

To the bank to put most of it in savings.

Then, I may treasure hunt for a little French antique gem from Elsie Green.

Outside of work, I spend time with my family and our puppies at our cottage on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Serenity in nature. Or watch my daughters playing lacrosse.

Learn more about our leadership team and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.