Kelly Vrtis’s diverse background in retail, public relations, event planning, video production, and copywriting have all had one thing in common—keeping things organized. And that makes sense, because Kelly’s been working for The Container Store since she was in college.
Providing real solutions from a really organized person has been Kelly’s approach to most things in her life. From the many hats she’s worn in her career, to her subscription-only homemade greeting card side gig, Kelly’s always thinking about how to help busy people stay organized and strengthen their relationships. And we’re pretty sure she’ll bring this perspective to Well Done’s clients as our newest account executive. So we sat down with Kelly to learn a little more.
Q: Kelly, tell us a little bit about yourself.
A: I grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, so I’m a Southerner who uses “y’all” properly and frequently. I also know what “bless your heart” truly means. I attended a small liberal arts college close to home, and started off focused on becoming a biology major. College chemistry took me by surprise, so I quickly realized that communications and English were more my speed. At first I thought that switching majors was just taking the easy route, but now I see that I found a space where my natural talents could shine.
Q: So tell me how you ended up so far from Atlanta?
A: Well, I started working for The Container Store in college and after graduation I helped open and manage their second Atlanta location. I met my husband shortly after—he’d moved from Michigan to Atlanta to escape the cold. In 2000, we moved to Dallas where The Container Store is headquartered so that I could work in their in-house marketing department. That job kept us in Texas for 13 years. I loved it. I was part of a talented, lean and mean team, so I did a little bit of everything: event planning, PR, video production, training, and copywriting.
But as our kids got older, we realized we were spending all our time and money visiting family in Georgia or Michigan. So, we decided that we wanted our kids to live near family and experience growing up with cousins. My husband’s sister-in-law moved to Carmel, and we visited once—just once!—before we packed up and moved here in 2013. It has been a great place to raise our kids.
Q: Wow! That’s quite a journey, but it seems like you’ve really found a place that feels like home. What else should we know about you?
A: As a transplanted southerner, I am quite enamored with the snow—it’s so pretty, and Indiana has all the right systems in place to manage it and keep us safe, unlike in the South. I’m always cheering for snow.
I’m also first and foremost a cat person. We have two of our own (and two dogs, too!). I actually just discovered a makeshift feral cat shelter by our parking lot here in Fountain Square! We’re going to have to get involved and make sure those kitties are spayed and neutered.
I’m also a proud soccer mom. I played in high school, my husband did too—and we even played on a co-ed team together before our kids were born. Spending time on the pitch and cheering on my kids’ soccer teams is my idea of a good time.
Q: What about hobbies?
A: I love paper-crafting and making handmade greeting cards with layered paper, embellishments, and customizations. It’s a hobby that I actually turned into a side business a few years ago. Knowing many folks love to send cards for birthdays and holidays, but they don’t always have the time to pick them out, I created a subscription service called Peasy Post (as in “easy peasy”). My customers tell me what dates they need cards for, and I send monthly packages to them with cards already addressed and stamped, so all they have to do is sign and send! It combines my creativity with the purpose I found at The Container Store for helping customers live easier and more organized lives. And of course, it also feeds my love of all things paper.
Q: You’re not alone in that passion here! So, Kelly, it seems like you’ve brought a clear perspective to your side hustle. What outlook are you bringing to your new role as an account executive at Well Done?
A: In my past positions on the corporate side, I’ve been the client as well as the creative, so I feel like I have a unique understanding of what both parties need. I love building mutually-beneficial relationships—providing perspective, building efficiencies, and putting the work in upfront on clear, precise, and smart strategies. I’m also a major believer in the power of teamwork. I think that a group of smart, optimistic people is the most powerful way to get great results. And the collaboration and creativity that I’ve already witnessed in a few weeks at Well Done has shown me that this is an agency that believes the same.
Q: Any clients or industries you’re excited about?
A: Is “all of them” an acceptable answer? I’m just so excited to learn about all of these industries. This is a big new challenge, but I’ve realized that it’s not going to happen overnight—most of our clients and accounts team have been working together for months if not years, collaborating and doing great work. So I’m working to give myself grace and be patient as I learn new industries and areas of focus and get to know my clients on a meaningful level.