BlackOut Design celebrates relocation

BlackOut Design Grand Opening 4.25.16

Guests mingle and enjoy live music by the Coal Town Rounders at BlackOut Design’s grand opening on April 25.

BlackOut Design recently celebrated the relocation of its headquarters with an open house during which more than 100 of the firm’s clients and friends came  together to tour the 1,800 square foot facility located at 527 South Blakely Street, Dunmore. Jack Reager is president of BlackOut.

Spread across three stories, the office space was gutted and renovated to provide efficient, modern work space designed to accelerate decision making and improve communication. While these kinds of offices are the norm for large marketing agencies in metropolitan areas, they are rare in smaller markets like here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

As part of its commitment to supporting the community, BlackOut Design sourced local talent for both the design and construction of the new space as well as for the grand opening. “From carpenters and painters to musicians and caterers, everyone who helped us through this process has been amazing,” said Reager.

Recently there have been dozens of studies linking the success or failure of personal interactions, performance, and innovation in the workplace to physical space. By combining emerging data with organizational metrics such as total sales or number of new product launches, scientists can demonstrate a workspace’s effect on the bottom line. For businesses like BlackOut, this means no cubicles, beige walls and florescent lighting. Instead, highly networked, shared, multipurpose spaces are the offices of not only the future, but of today.

The new headquarters houses separate areas for both design and development work as well as for strategic planning and business development activities. Each of these designated areas looks and feels differently through the use of varying pieces of furniture (swivel chairs and standing desks versus café tables and benches) but also through the incorporation of different colors, textures and lighting. A client sitting area feels less like a doctor’s waiting room and more like the foyer of a home. And the second floor holds a convertible conference room, designed to ensure when we get around a table with our clients, it feels like home.

“We came to BlackOut with a website that needed to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. Their team’s expertise, innovation, hard work, and patience resulted in modern site that is client-focused and highlights our full-service solutions. We know it wasn’t easy, but they came through in a big way, ” said Borton Lawson Engineering Marketing Manager, Lucy Boardwine.

BlackOut Design is a full service marketing agency with deep experience integrating online marketing with traditional concepts. The agency develops campaigns that span multiple media, all from under one roof.

 

Dunmorean awarded Lackawanna College memorial scholarship

seprish scholarship photo

During its Honors Convocation ceremony in early May, Lackawanna College awarded one of two Paul J. Miller, Jr. Memorial Scholarships to Dunmore resident Robert Seprish.

Paul J. Miller, Jr. graduated from Lackawanna College in 2008 with an associate degree in Criminal Justice. He had been pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at East Stroudsburg University and was awarded his bachelor’s degree posthumously.

The scholarship is distributed annually to two deserving full-time sophomores in good academic standing. Preference is given to eligible applicants who reflect Paul’s interests, such as students who major in Criminal Justice at Lackawanna College. The scholarship fund has been established in honor of Mr. Miller by neighbors, friends and family.

Seprish is a Criminal Justice-Police major at Lackawanna. He is shown at the ceremony with President Mark Volk, left, and Eileen and Paul Miller, at right, parents of the late Paul J. Miller, Jr.

12th anniversary of Scranton Jazz Festival

Scranton Jazz Festival will celebrate its 12th anniversary on Aug. 5, 6, and 7 at the Historic Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, featuring a “main stage” and “jazz walk” including numerous downtown Scranton venues, including Adezzo, Ale Mary’s, Back Yard Ale House, The Bog, POSH and the Radisson Trax Patio.

Legendary jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat, and Tears featuring lead singer and American Idol star Bo Bice will headline the festival on Sunday, Aug. 7. This group is well known for platinum-selling records “God Bless the Child”, “Spinning Wheel” and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” to mention a few.

 

web-Jimmy_Heath_Quartet

“Little” Jimmy Heath of Philadelphia.

The Festival will also feature the Alexis P. Suter Band and the Tizer Trio on Friday, Aug. 5, as well as the 17-piece Scranton Jazz Festival Big Band with special guest artist and saxophone legend “Little” Jimmy Heath on Saturday, Aug. 6. Jazz master Jimmy Heath was recently seen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

 

Also starring at the Festival will be the Jason Miles Kind of New Band, The Jost Project, The Organik Vibe Trio, The Work in Progress group and many more.  

Friday night ticket are $10 General Admission; Saturday night, $25 general admission, and Sunday night, $35 for gold seating and $25 for general admission. Tickets are available at Joe Nardone Gallery of Sound locations and through the Scranton Jazz Festival box office by calling (570) 575-5282 or online at www.scrantonjazzfestival.org. Sponsorship opportunities are also available on our website.