Hello, Ben here.
To make a long story short, I was born nineteen years ago – and to fast-forward a bit, you can find me between my college courses getting a whole different education at DRS and Associates working as an intern. Looking for a taste of real world agency life, this seemed to be a great opportunity to experience and understand what it was like to work in a marketing and public relations firm. Let me give you the lay of the land: My desk is in the middle of the office, almost like a revolving turret. I witness everything that goes on. “Ben’s Take” will be a blog series that tells, from my perspective, how an agency like this works from the inside out. From the top to the bottom.

My first month was truly a learning experience to say the least. I thought I was obsessive until I met David Schlocker.

David, co founder of DRS and Associates is meticulous. When I first started at DRS the business was in the process of moving office locations. I was in our future accounting office cleaning the dust off of the floor (with an industrial strength vacuum, no less). The building had to be clean in order for us to set up furniture. After some time I heard the “clack clack clack” of David’s boots in the distance and quickly checked to see if there were any missing specks of dirt or unnameable objects. David appeared from behind my back, looked me in the eyes, and nodded toward a corner. I had missed a small, almost invisible piece of nothingness. Obviously, David saw it. That small piece of sand had to be picked up. The room had to be spotless.

Cost analysis sheets should be put together with very little causality. The phone should never ring more than three times. You follow? There’s a pattern.

After working at DRS for a bit of time, it became clear to me how the rest of the company follows suit. Everything operates in a sense of fluidity that stems from the top. Sitting at my personal watchtower in the building, it seems like every single client is taken care of in his or her own realm of importance. From nearly invisible dust particles to the world of dedicated client management and service, a clean and systematic approach to each detail seems necessary at all times. Not only have I learned what the true meaning of “attention to detail” is, but I have also gotten a much clearer idea of what makes a company like this continue to thrive. For every employee at DRS and Associates, the quiet and cat-like patter of David’s boots around the office continues to be a constant reminder to do everything as it should be done.

So this first entry into my blog series gives my take about the overall theme and culture that drives DRS and Associates as a company. Look for my upcoming posts about other observations and “lessons learned” each week.

Until then,

Ben.