Member Profile
Fred Wolski, Barnhart Press

1. How long have you been a member of AAF Omaha?
   I have been attending some luncheons and some evening events for 15-20 years, but only officially joined in the last year.
2. Why did you join AAF Omaha?
   The advertising community in Omaha is my livelihood and most of my friends are here.
3. Would you consider yourself as a quiet, calm person or an active person?
   Yes.anyone who knows me or has met me would say I'm pretty quiet but on the flipside I still play hockey (yes, I am too old to be playing, but I keep playing anyway). I get to knock my opponents on their butts.
4. If you were a candy, what kind would you be?  
   Hershey Almond chocolate bar, not good for you, but tastes really good.
5. What's your favorite kitchen sound?
   The timer going off and now it's time to eat.
6. Do you prefer playing cards or board games?
   Cards but both are pretty boring.  I'd rather play hockey or volleyball or bowl.
7. What was your favorite toy as a kid?
   GI Joe
8. If someone's underwear was showing, what would you do?
   Whisper and tell the person
9. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
   A condo in South Beach and one in Toronto.
10. What do you like most about your job?
    The cool, wonderful, crazy people I get to work with everyday in the advertising community.

..............................................................................................................................................

ADDYs

Plan now to attend the 17th Annual Nebraska ADDYs banquet on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at the downtown Hilton Omaha.   

..............................................................................................................................................

2009 AAF Omaha Holiday Party!

Tuesday, December 8th
DC Centre
11830 Stonegate Drive
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
$25 AAF Omaha Members
$30 Non-Members

The American Advertising Federation Omaha is pleased to announce that the 2009 holiday party will benefit the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council as part of their continued public service effort.

The DVCC is the only organization in Douglas County that brings people together to end domestic violence, making our community a safer place to live. They advocate for system change through education and training and by partnering with agencies that make victims safer and hold offenders accountable. 

Please bring a donation for the DVCC to the holiday party and receive a raffle ticket for great prizes including Lancers Hockey game, Children's Museum, Spa Packages, Qdoba Mexican Grill and more!

DVCC's needs include:  stuffed animals, toys, children's books, journals, young adult books, coloring books and pencils, blankets, inspirational books, gift certificates to Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Target, grocery stores and gas stations.

Special Thanks!
Borsheims, KPTM Fox 42, Redstone, Omaha Royals, Qwest Center Omaha and the Omaha Lancers Hockey Team, UNO Athletic Department, Creighton University Athletics, Omaha Children's Museum, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Arbonne, Nestle, Paradise Bakery & Café, Sonic Drive In, Famous Dave's BBQ, Romeo's Mexican Food and Pizza, Ted & Wally's Ice Cream, Lansky's Pizza, Lazlo's Brewery & Grill, Mama's Pizza, Ashley Lynn's Tanning, Carlos O'Kelly's and Jazz, a Louisiana Kitchen.

..............................................................................................................................................

Meet the Pros

Meet the Pros is a two-day event sponsored by AAF Omaha, featuring workshops, keynote speakers, agency tours, portfolio reviews and one-on-one conversations with area professionals on Monday, Feb. 8 and Tuesday, Feb 9 at the Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs

Be our Fan on Facebook

..............................................................................................................................................

Dave Sanders, Advertising Research Manager at the Omaha World-Herald referred a guest to the AAF Omaha November 17th AdBites program and luncheon and won four tickets to a Lancer's Hockey match.  It's easy invite a friend, business associate or colleague to AdBites and your name will be entered in a drawing to win great prizes! 

Join.  Network.  Have Fun.

We are happy to announce a new "Refer-a-Friend" program that we will be doing at most AAF Omaha events.  Anytime a member brings a guest to an AAF Omaha event, they will get registered to win a prize.  The more guests you bring, the more times you get your name entered into the drawing.  We will collect all of the name put into each raffle throughout the year, and from those names we will draw a winner for a GRAND PRIZE of $500 in May.

..............................................................................................................................................

Call for entries for Ad Rookie, Ad Pro, Silver Medal

Nominations for the 2010 Ad Awards Are Now Being Accepted
Nominate ad legends and rising stars for this year's Ad Pro, Ad Rookie and Silver Medal Awards. Well-respected and recognized in the advertising industry, these prestigious accolades salute our industry's best and brightest.  
Nominations are now being accepted through December 31, 2009, so be sure to complete the nomination form to nominate yourself or someone else. If you have previously nominated an individual and they did not win, please feel free to resubmit their nominations. Numerous past votes have been very close contests and there are many deserving candidates that should be reconsidered for recognition.

I. Ad Pro

Criteria: An AAF Omaha member who has a distinguished track record of service in advertising including professional and community service with particular attention to AAF Omaha service.

II. Ad Rookie

Criteria: An AAF Omaha member with five or fewer years in the business who demonstrates outstanding work. This individual may also have served in the professional and community ranks as well as AAF Omaha service.

III. Silver Medal

Criteria:

1. Company Contributions - An AAF Omaha member who achieved success in one of the following areas of work: advertising agency, advertiser, media or advertising service company.
2. Creative Ability - An AAF Omaha member who has shown a consistent high degree of creative, original thinking in work endeavors.
3. Contributions to the General Advancement of Advertising - An AAF Omaha member who has worked to increase the stature and raise the standard of the advertising profession.
4. Contributions to the Community - An AAF Omaha member who has been active in civic, religious or other groups dedicated to some phase of human or social welfare. Applications for all three award categories can be found on the AAF Omaha website.

Application.pdf

Past Winners

Silver Medal Award Winners
2000 Dennis Mailliard; 2001 Ron Kaplan; 2002 Roger Moody; 2003 Ellen Moran; 2004 Scott Anderson; 2005 Jeff Kahler; 2006 Bill Ramsey; 2007 Phillip Webb; 2008 John Gottschalk; 2009 Robert Culver

AD Pro Winners
2000 David Sanders; 2001 John Sullivan; 2002 Fred Clark; 2003 Joe Sacco; 2004 Barbara Ruser; 2005 Angelica Siciunas; 2006 Kim Stowe; 2007 Mike Compton; 2008 Ron Wall; 2009 Mark Carpenter

Ad Rookie Winners
2000 Dale Spencer; 2001 Jennifer Kros-Dorfmeyer; 2002 Stacie Koenig; 2003 Amanda Peterson; 2004 Lori Krenc; 2005 Matt Noa; 2006 Jill Johnstone; 2007 Shannon Wall; 2008 Katie Kemerling; 2009 Christin Goetz

..............................................................................................................................................

Ad World News

Hauptman, O'Brien, Wolf & Lathrop Sponsors its 20^th Year for "Safe Rides Home" over the Holidays

Hauptman, O'Brien, Wolf & Lathrop, P.C., Omaha's leading law firm specializing in helping victims of catastrophic injuries, traffic accidents and job-related injuries, celebrates its 20th year for the "Safe Ride Home" program. This service will provide free taxi rides for holiday partygoers from December 4, 2009, to January 1, 2010, from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Their contribution totaled over 2,400 in free rides with Happy Cab last year alone. The law firm has also invested over $40,000 in advertising media to assure that the public is aware of this life-saving program and of the dangers of driving while intoxicated. 2009 marks the 20th year that Hauptman, O'Brien has sponsored its "Safe Ride Home" community service program.

"Sadly, drunken driving is a major cause of traffic fatalities, particularly during the holidays," said Melany Lanagan, a Hauptman, O'Brien partner. "We are very pleased to play a role in raising awareness of this problem and in trying to reduce this risk. This program keeps growing and getting better each year," said Lanagan.

"'Safe Ride Home' is an Omaha tradition we can all be proud of," said firm partner, Tim O'Brien. "Our objective was not only to change the grim statistics of alcohol-related injuries and fatalities but raise awareness to the point that we actually help change attitudes and behavior."

As evidence that the program has changed holiday party patterns, O'Brien cited the increasing number of people who call for safe rides from parties. "It shows people are taking responsibility and planning in advance to stay safe," O'Brien said. "That's a great trend for our community."

Mark Mitchell of Happy Cab said Hauptman, O'Brien's "Safe Ride Home" was the first program of its kind in the United States when it was launched in 1990. "'Safe Ride Home' is unique," Mitchell said, "and Hauptman, O'Brien's campaign has kept thousands of people safe who might have been injured or killed, not only with the thousands of cab rides they've paid for, but with their drunk-driving awareness advertising campaign. They deserve a lot of credit."

Founded in Omaha, Neb., in 1979, Hauptman, O'Brien, Wolf & Lathrop is well-known for their sponsorship of the "Safe Ride Home" program since its inception in December 1990. Persons who attend a party during the December holidays and find themselves too intoxicated to drive safely can call Happy Cab at 339-8294 for a free ride home, courtesy of Hauptman, O'Brien.