There are several features that contribute to EMG’s most favorable professional environment: beautiful business/pleasure balance, casual dress, cool-and-oddly-cozy-hundred-year-old-lima-bean-factory location, healthy snacks of plenty, monthly team building events, etc. But the defining aspect of EMG’s refreshing and charming atmosphere is the team and its diversity. Team EMG is made up of 31 very unique individuals from an array of diverse backgrounds. In our creative environment, individuality, originality and even eccentricity are not only permitted, but fully encouraged. As a marketing agency that prides itself in being innovative and cutting-edge, we’re well aware that molds and boundaries need their limitations. Within weeks of working here, every employee quickly finds that they are at liberty to truly be themselves, 100%. And in the presence of such openness to diversity, we all learn how to communicate with, understand and genuinely appreciate one another - which, in many ways, has very much made us (oh dear Lord, I’m going to say it) a family.

Mid April brought us the paragon event in which EMG’s rich diversity is both highlighted and celebrated - our annual Earth Day International Potluck. On top of promoting the implementation of everyday green initiatives (bringing in plants for the work area and reusable dishes in lieu of paper products), each team member brought in a homemade dish that reflected their cultural background. During the course of a 2 hour lunch break smack in the middle of our work day, we got to know one another a little better through great conversation and the enjoyment of a variety of appetizers, entrees and desserts that gave us a more personal perspective of our colleagues.

The cuisines of Mexico, England, Israel, Greece, Italy, China, Puerto Rico, Japan, Russia, Turkey, The Philippines, India, Ireland and Cuba contributed to this smorgasbord of stark deliciousness. The hummus was addictive (seriously, a third of our employees kept going back to it throughout the day), the sushi made the taste buds break out into song and dance, the gulab jamun was off the heezy fo’ sheezy and the enchiladas were cheesier than my opening paragraph.

But all sass aside, the International Potluck is a prime example of what makes this company a truly great place to work. EMG achieves a very difficult but incredibly valuable balance of focus/motivation and fun/comfort. We all go to our place of business to do what we love and what we do best, but EMG provides an environment in which you feel completely comfortable and, therefore, free to do your best work possible. We all have our times of feeling a little burnt out, but such an environment makes those times so much easier to endure. So here’s to good food, good peeps and good times!