I just got back from a great weekend spent in Chicago at the Hard Rock Hotel. It was a mid-year meeting of all the C2 Paint partners from all over North America. Hanging out in a hotel that is constantly playing great music, has hip furnishings and good company makes for a fun event.

As you have probably guessed by now, I’m pretty immersed in C2 culture – I feel so fortunate to connect with other independent paint retailers from all over.

Here I am with Jeff and Harry. Jeff is from Milton, Ontario and Harry from Providence, Rhode Island. We make up the marketing committee for C2 – so we communicate on an almost daily basis. Fun, fun, fun. We have a lot of work in the pipeline that is getting so close to being launched, can’t wait for the fun to begin!

Of course it’s not all play and no work! What is Chicago without a little action in the blue’s clubs? Blue Chicago isn’t too far from the hotel… and it reminds me of the night the color committee went out to Kingston Mines – inspiration for a number of C2 color names.

Pictured here is our spot-on marketing team:
Jeff, Kim (marketing & branding), Tia (ditto), me, Harry, and Jill (PR maven). Tia is located in Atlanta, Kim and Jill are Chicago-based. I think there is something to the fact that we aren’t all based in the same geographical region – gives us a broader spectrum to operate within.

When I left Chicago on Sunday afternoon, the weather was in the upper 70′s. Came home to mid-50′s and rain!