Simply put, Laura Blume is one of the most extraordinarily gifted and creative women I have ever worked with.  She is in a class all by herself and I have found no one whose work even comes close. We initially met when I hired Laura as editor of Greenville skirt! magazine. Her initial interview was the closest I’ve even come to on-the-spot hiring. She more than exceeded all expectations producing a monthly publication that was top-drawer, easy on the eye, entertaining and informative. When I later formed by own human resources company, choosing Laura to design my logo and marketing materials was one of the best decisions I made.  I have received more compliments and inquiries about my logo and marketing pieces than any other aspect of my business.

Driven by a deep desire to deliver creative and life-enhancing results, Laura is incredibly organized, compassionate and discerning. She can quickly evaluate a situation and offer multiple options in a wide range of choices and price ranges. The quality I appreciate most is her uncanny ability to create according to the venue or person. Whether on long-range or short-term projects, Laura accommodates your needs and schedule often anticipating needs or changes before they arise. Her incredible creativity, high standards for quality and gift of discernment serve her clientele well. The vendors and experts she chooses to work with, whether they are printers, marketers, media, or business owners are all top professionals with an eye for perfection and expert craftsmanship.

The best days are the days I’m able to work with Laura Blume. Whether in mid-project or just discussing ideas for a unique Christmas card, she leaves the air of excitement, mystery and the promise of great possibilities behind her. You can be assured that whatever the project, Laura will greet it in a professional manner unique to you and best suited to your needs.

Rebecca D. Morlok, SPHR, SHRM

Former HR Director, The Anderson Independent

This letter is written in full support and confidence in the skills and abilities of Laura Blume. She has worked tirelessly for the Carolina Youth Symphony and we were suitably delighted when she accepted a position on our board. As one of our members stated “Laura has done more for CYS in a year than some board members have done in six years.”

She spearheaded our new website, took control of the entire re-branding and presentation of the orchestra, and over saw all details related to this major project. She has wonderful ideas, is very creative and has a command of the advertising and artistic language. Her presentation and demeanor is always professional and she exudes competence and confidence. She always makes a valuable contribution to everything she is associated with.

It has been my pleasure to have worked with Laura for the past two years and I wholeheartedly endorse Laura for any position involving the arts, creative efforts, advertising and marketing. She would be an asset to anyone lucky enough to employ her.

Lee S. Elmore

Executive Director, Carolina Youth Symphony

In my role as Director of Marketing, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Laura Blume as both a creative partner and a Board Member providing counsel to our organization. She’s proven herself to be a very valuable resource to the organization on both fronts, striving to align our marketing efforts with the mission statement itself.

Laura is the rare individual who marries true design capabilities with leadership skills, fashioning herself into a profession who can contribute to a company on a number of levels. In theatre, we often call those people triple threats.  Baseball refers to them as five-tool players. Whatever one chooses to label it, if it comes to adding value in numerous areas…Laura is it.

Laura is engaging, using her experience to further multi-level conversations. She’s positive, allowing her natural demeanor to shine through in her expression and attitude towards ideas and other professionals. Laura is extremely supportive, ensuring her talents are utilized to the best effect in her time on our Board. In a time when thoughtfulness and genuineness can sometimes be hard to locate among professionals, Laura has proven herself to be both.

Laura Blume is someone that I’ve enjoyed learning from and someone I look forward to sharing ideas with in the future. As a lover and a patron of the arts in our community, I strongly support the joining of your organization with Laura’s talent and mindset. If there is any other way I can assist in your hire of Laura Blume, please let me know.

Jason D. Johnson

Managing Director, The Warehouse Theatre

It has been my pleasure to work with Laura Blume for the past two seasons at The Warehouse Theatre in several capacities. As a member of our board of directors she was active on both our event and marketing committees during the theatre’s 40th Anniversary season (2013-2014) and became part of our executive committee this current season (2014-2015.)

As Director of Development I worked personally with Laura on many projects and in several different capacities.  I saw her leadership skills in action, specifically while planning our 40th anniversary events and related marketing/PR efforts. Her guidance and work within the event and marketing committees lead to a very successful year-long effort to celebrate and maximize the impact of the landmark season for the theatre. Laura’s deft editing and graphic design abilities were absolutely vital to the creation of a perfect 40th Anniversary Gala. She took the lead to conceptualize and execute the branding of the entire event from the invitation down to the smallest detail.  The impact on the final event was outstanding! We had our most successful event to date, both in terms of fundraising capacity and overall impact on attendees.

I also worked closely with Laura to re-vamp our sponsorship materials – no small task! She was able to take a very long booklet and rework the layout, verbiage, and style to streamline the messaging. It is an invaluable tool for me when making a case for support and I am proud to show it to every patron, donor, and constituent of the theatre.

Beyond superb industry related skills and a deep understanding of marketing/PR practices, I would also like to speak to Laura’s effortless ability to manage a team while creating a sense of unity–a style of leadership I admire. Our capacity as an organization is strengthened immensely by her participation and I would be more than happy to speak in person regarding our work together.

Katie Leckenbusch

Director of Development, The Warehouse Theatre

In overseeing the advertising and promotional material for our various fundraising activities, I have had the opportunity to work with Laura Blume over the past several years. Laura has designed graphics for our fundraisers and prepared newspaper ads, brochures, invitations and program booklets. Laura’s designs have always been eye-catching and appropriate to each event. She submits her work in a timely fashion, and is quick to make any necessary changes.

We at The Guild of the Greenville Symphony greatly admire and value the work Laura has done for us.

Roz Smith

Past President, Guild of the Greenville Symphony

When I first met Laura Blume, I was immediately impressed by her kind and warm nature. From that initial meeting, I knew she would be a wonderful manager and could not wait for the opportunity to work with her.

As a graphic designer working under the leadership of Laura Blume, I soon found that she was more than I could have dreamed to have in a Creative Director. She blended the two elements of her position fluidly. As a creative, she was the guiding light of our work, steering our creativity, encouraging good design, and seeing beyond what was in front of her. As a director, she proved to be a teacher, a leader, and a mentor. Her constant encouragement of our team both personally and professionally, created an atmosphere of warmth and comfort that allowed us all to create even better work than we imagined.

She is always generous with her time and ideas in order to allow her team to blossom and grow, while providing a decisiveness that allows a project to come to its proper completion. Not only is Laura excellent with creativity, encouragement, design, and big-picture ideas, but her attention to detail is impeccable. From the grandness of large scale projects to the minutia of proper grammar, Laura manages all areas of design and copywriting with ease. Laura is a creative, thoughtful, and hardworking professional.

I feel honored to have worked with her, and she has my highest recommendation.

Marlena Sigman

Former Art Director, Crawford Strategy / Current Art Director and Graphic Designer, Oliver Hooper Events

I had the distinguished pleasure of working for Laura Blume at Crawford Strategy for a little more than a year. She was my Creative Director, and I will always consider her the best Creative Director I have ever worked for. The moment I interviewed with Laura, I knew immediately that I wanted to work for her. Luckily, my initial impression proved correct, and under her guidance, I grew immensely in my ability to write and think strategically. Laura has that effect on people. She brings out the best in them, encouraging them to go past what’s expected to create something extraordinary. With her at the helm, there were no limits to what our team could create.

Laura is smart, capable, and always positive and enthusiastic—which is a very rare quality in a Creative Director. Her creativity and insight make her an exceptional leader, and her passion and flexibility make her an extremely easy person to work with. Whenever her team was overwhelmed or stressed, she would immediately jump in to lighten the workload with no hesitation. In fact, if there was ever anything she could do to help out the team, she would do it.

I count myself lucky for having had the opportunity to have Laura Blume as my mentor. She is an incredible person and extremely talented creative. I truly believe that I will never have another Creative Director whom I respect and appreciate as much as Laura. I promise the moment you meet her, you will see what I mean.

I have no reservations in saying that hiring Laura Blume will be one of the best decisions you will ever make. I hope you have the chance to work with this amazing person.

Katie Ecrement

Former Copywriter, Crawford Strategy

I am pleased to write this letter on behalf of Laura Blume. Laura and I worked together at Crawford Strategy for the past four years, where she served as my immediate supervisor and the company’s Creative Director. Throughout that time, I have gotten to know Laura quite well and can thoroughly vouch for her character and talents.

At Crawford Strategy, Laura naturally fell into a leadership position and successfully managed a creative team of 5 designers. She gave clear direction and set a solid foundation of learning (for me especially as I was just beginning my career in graphic design). Not only is she a determined, self-taught designer—but she is also a teacher who truly understands how to connect with each of her team members.

Laura is quite the perfectionist. She never lets a project go half-finished and is willing to put in extra time to make sure it is done correctly. When I’ve personally struggled with a project, she has been there to talk me through it and give advice on how to improve upon it. We worked as a team—and she made sure that we could be proud of anything that left our studio.

Her amazing ability to design, write, and edit puts Laura into a category of her own. Not only can she be counted on for multiple job roles, but she also handles the responsibility with ease. I admire the way she is able to juggle many projects at once.

With her relentless spirit and wide array of talents, Laura would bring a wealth of knowledge and skill to your organization.

Hannah Dillard

Senior Art Director and Manager of Creative Services, Crawford Strategy

I strongly recommend my friend and fellow colleague, Laura Blume. I had the pleasure of working alongside her for over a year in the creative department, where she was entrusted with a great deal of responsibility as creative director. She exhibited a great deal of leadership, as well as teamwork with traffic, creative and account service personnel. Regardless of deadlines or other pressure, Laura always delivers. Her superior organizational skills make her the consummate multi-tasker.

Laura would be a welcome and beneficial asset to any company that chooses to hire her.

Teri French, RN

Former Web Designer, Crawford Strategy

We (Express Press) have been working with Laura Blume for over nine years in many facets of the graphics field. We have produced numerous printing and other graphics related projects for Laura and have always, without exception, found her to be among the highest level of professionalism in her field. She has always been willing, and able, to execute her responsibilities in a manner which is conducive to facilitating the highest overall quality possible on projects we have produced together. Laura is always mindful of her client’s needs and expectations while also being concerned with our technical considerations. She seems to be able to accomplish a satisfactory marriage of all parties’ requirements.

It is without hesitation that I would highly recommend Laura for any function within your organization for which you feel she is qualified.

David W. Knapp

President, Express Press of Greenville