Paul has an amazing ability to build consensus among groups of people with individual agendas and points of view. You often can find him listening and engaging groups through creative, thought-provoking discovery exercises that ultimately lead to brand and marketing strategies that get results.

In his life before The Pita Group, Paul developed advertising campaigns for clients including Spaulding, The National Hockey League and Coca-Cola. He is past president of the Connecticut Art Directors Club, and has donated pro bono creative services for organizations including the March of Dimes Connecticut Chapter, Taste of Hartford, Rebuilding Together Hartford, Trust House, Riverfront Recapture, HARC, Park Road Playhouse, M.A.D.D. and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Central and Northeast Connecticut and Golf Fore the Kids, an organization that benefits The Hole in the Wall Gang.

Paul was named to the "40 under 40" list by the Hartford Business Journal in 1999, and has been recognized internationally for his creative concepts and advertising development. He often makes national presentations on the importance of brand education and empowering employees to deliver on the brand promise each and every day, as well as using social media to build and motivate brand communities.

Kim has more than 20 years of experience as a research strategist, professional writer, editor and public relations professional. She is a lead marketing strategist for the agency, working on critical strategies for Fortune corporations, state departments and non-profit organizations. Before starting Pita in 1996, she worked in Washington, D.C. as a press secretary. Her perspectives on advertising have been published in the Hartford Business Journal, and she often makes presentations on overcoming stress and work/life balance.

An active philanthropist, Kim serves on the board of directors of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), the Girl Scouts of Connecticut and Hartford Children’s Theatre. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and National Association of Women Business Owners, and was the recipient of the March of Dimes Connecticut Chapter’s 1997 Rookie Volunteer of the Year award. In 1999, she was named to the “40 under 40” list by the Hartford Business Journal, and was honored with an Alumni Achievement Award from her alma mater, Framingham State College, in June 2006.

A passionate writer, she publishes personal writings on her blog, peaceofpita.com, and is working on her first memoir. She reads memoirs for inspiration, and loves to takes weekend scrapbooking trips, laugh with her two children, discover new music and log on to Facebook. “I’m an addict!” she admits.

Emily joined The Pita Group team in 2004. After playing a key role in several award-winning campaigns, she became director of strategy, overseeing clients’ brand development and helping them craft and execute marketing plans. Emily also writes copy for traditional and digital media, as well as videos; researches the latest communications trends and innovations; and is part of the new business development team. Previously, she was a content developer for Alden Image Network and did freelance public relations work for a Greenwich, Conn.-based PR firm with clients ranging from jeweler Neil Lane to The Kabbalah Centre.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and English, Emily is passionate about mentoring college students interested in entering the marketing/communications field, and is a frequent speaker at local colleges and universities. As a volunteer with Read to Grow, she started a marketing committee and helped create a marketing plan and new tagline for the organization. She is also the former communications chair of Rebuilding Together Hartford.

Between work and volunteering, Emily spends time with her family—especially her daughter Avery—reads, decorates her home and dreams about traveling. A future destination: Iceland. “My mother’s family is from Iceland, and we have tons of relatives there. It is the most amazing place in the world, and I can’t wait to go back with my daughter!”

A self-proclaimed “design geek,” Lisa is passionate about her work. She began as a designer with Pita in 1997, working her way up to creative director. In this role, Lisa oversees the design team, weighs in on all creative projects—including websites, advertising, brand identity systems, presentations and collateral materials—and works as a designer on multiple projects. Within the past few years, she has also taken on an active role in video shoots, providing on-set art direction.

Prior to coming to Pita, Lisa worked at a few small agencies and freelanced for a wide range of clients, from CIGNA to John Frieda. An award-winning designer, she has been recognized for her typographical and design solutions by How magazine, the Connecticut Art Directors Club and the Advertising Club of Connecticut, to name just a few.

When not designing for Pita, Lisa is designing books, traveling, spending time with her nieces, watching movies or scouring the aisles of HomeGoods for home decor inspiration. Occasionally, she jumps out of planes. “A lot of people don’t know, but I have an adventurous side to me,” says Lisa.

Ben leads Pita's interactive team, bringing his creative ingenuity to clients through video, new media and 2D and 3D animation and motion graphics. Prior to coming to Pita, Ben taught various types of art and design in New Haven area schools while also working as a freelance media production artist and designer at The Human Factory. While a student at Marist College, he worked in Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University's Art Gallery Digital Imaging Department and Marist College's Media Center.

Ben's technical skills include Flash, Action Script 2.0 and 3.0, HTML, CSS, Adobe CS, Dreamweaver, 3D Studio Max, Cinema 4D, Final Cut Pro, Digital Photography, Abelton Live and Adobe After Effects.

Over the years, Ben has continued sharing his expertise. Currently, he teaches a clay animation class for young people at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven. When he's not teaching, he's working on his own art, playing bass guitar and brewing beer (it's really good!).

What makes Marje the best person for this job? In addition to her supreme organizational skills and ability to get along with everyone, she once took a seven-year hiatus from marketing and advertising to run a restaurant with her husband. “I feel I can take on any client challenge after doing that!” says Marje. And she does. As director of account services, Marje is the liaison between the client and Pita teams, charged with keeping projects organized, on budget and on schedule. She also manages all day-to-day account activities, and even occasionally takes on a production assistant role on video shoots.

Marje’s career began in the marketing department at the Hartford Courant, where she coordinated, implemented and budgeted advertising and marketing programs for the publication. After seven years, she entered into the agency environment, working in management positions at Avid Design and O’Neal & Prelle, Inc.

In her free time, Marje spends time with her husband and golden retriever and works out with the “AM Gymmies,” a group of friends who meet at the gym each morning.