Ginger Pegues

Ginger Pegues has joined Luckie & Company as an Account Executive. Ginger will serve on the Regions Bank Account Management
team. Her focus will be to support other team members with tasks related to Business, Lending, Commercial, and Wealth advertising, in addition to managing Regions collateral, point-of-sale and some Area Marketing geographies.

Before coming to Luckie, Pegues worked with HealthSouth and Intermark Group. Her experience with project management and communications, marketing and advertising initiatives, and previous agency work will all be assets to Luckie & Company.

“Ginger’s experience on both the client and agency side gives her invaluable perspective in handling her day-to-day responsibilities. We’re excited to have her on the team and know she’ll make a strong contribution,” said Patti Siegel, SVP/Director of Account Management at Luckie.

When she’s not at work, Ginger is busy giving back to the community, serving as the Communications Chair on the Board of Directors for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (North Central AL), District Four Vice President of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association and on the Executive Committee of the University of Alabama Jefferson County Alumni Chapter.

A graduate of the University of Alabama, Pegues lives in Birmingham with her husband Edward. They share their home with three Australian Shepherds, Ali, Lucy and McKenzie, and their 16-pound cat named Frank, after Ol’ Blue Eyes. Ginger enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, directing weddings at her church, and Alabama Football.

Ginger Pegues | E-mail | LinkedIn

Markus Beige

At Luckie and Co., we always said we have a creative team of international caliber. And now we’ve got the accent to prove it.

Markus Beige (pronounced “By-Geh”) recently joined Luckie’s Birmingham headquarters as Design Director, a senior-level creative position that will oversee much of the agency’s visual work for a wide range of clients.

Born, raised and trained in Germany, Markus is a tremendously talented designer whose career has spanned the globe, from Augsburg to Australia. He has developed packaging, advertising and online experiences for brands such as T-Mobile, Red Bull, Jägermeister and Audi.

“Markus brings the best of both worlds: a strong traditional design background with years of experience translating that into multiple online channels,” said Brad White, Luckie’s Executive Creative Director.

Markus said he was excited by the opportunity with Luckie, which brings together the diverse skills he’s accumulated over 20 years in design.

“After my graphic design and advertising studies I worked for a studio in Sydney, Australia, doing work for print and packaging. After six years of living in Australia I returned to Germany, where I have worked mainly for online and digital media,” Markus said. “Luckie offered me the opportunity to work in both areas.”

As much as we’d like to take credit for Markus’ arrival in the American Southeast, it was love, not Luckie that led him to Alabama. He married a local who eventually convinced him to relocate across the Atlantic.

“After living in Germany for two years she reckoned it was time to move back to the U.S.” Markus said, “and I am glad she ‘made me’ do it.”

To learn more about Markus and the rest of Luckie’s international cabal of award-winning creatives, contact Brad White by e-mail or at (205) 879-2121. Markus can be reached directly at markus.beige@luckie.com.

Shelley DeLuca

Shelley DeLuca has been named the agency’s first Digital Content Strategist, a position created to help manage the big-picture role of interactive content beyond simply filling space with copy and images. Shelley will partner with agency team members and clients to develop, create and produce new Web content on any scale — from brief blog posts to massive Web experiences that combine video, real-time engagement and long-form copy.

Shelley has been with Luckie & Company for the past year, first doing freelance work for the interactive team, then coming on full-time as a proofreader. Shelley has spent more than 15 years in editorial and publishing positions, most recently with Southern Progress and Crane Hill Publishers. Her experience with books, magazines and Web content focusing on nature field guides, home improvement, gardening, how-to projects, cooking and travel will be an asset to the agency, particularly in this position.

“Her mastery of the written word, her experience in editing, her ability to make sense of the senseless and her obsession for order have made her the perfect candidate for the role of Digital Content Strategist,” says Brad White, Luckie’s Executive Creative Director.

Luckily, we’ve got someone just as brilliant as Shelley to pick up the red pen where she left off. Veteran newspaper editor Edward Bowser has been named Luckie’s proofreader, a position that requires an extreme attention to detail and an ability to be downright perfect under the tightest deadlines.

Edward Bowser

Edward will serve as Luckie’s style guru and last line of defense — checking our work for accuracy and giving the final bit of polish to our clients’ campaigns before they hit the streets.

Edward is a native of Southeastern Virginia and a magna cum laude graduate of Norfolk State University. While in school, he completed an internship at The Virginian-Pilot, working as a copy editor for Virginia Beach’s Beacon. He then spent eight years as a copy editor for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky.

In addition to Edward’s impressive understanding of AP style, he also has an encyclopedic knowledge of R&B and hip hop music. He says his greatest dream was fulfilled last spring when he met Keith Sweat. We’re sure that working at Luckie was a close second on the list.

Contact info:

Shelley DeLuca | E-mail | Twitter | LinkedIn

Edward Bowser | E-mail | Twitter | LinkedIn

Bill Abel

Sure, every Web project is like an experimental foray into the ether of modern connectivity. But someone’s got to make sure that magical little rainbow actually makes it out the door on time, on budget and with no trace of a typo.

At Luckie, that man is Bill Abel.

A veteran Web developer and multimedia maven with a knack for shepherding even the most sprawling projects, Bill was recently brought on at Luckie as Director of Digital Production. That means he’ll be responsible for leading digital project management and digital production.

“Bill is equally strong in interactive strategy and technology,” says Luckie & Co. Executive Vice President/Creative Director Brad White. “He is the bridge between those of us who imagine what is possible and those who make it real. In the interactive space, he can not only tell us what can be done, but how long it will take, how much it will cost or if we are totally out of our minds.”

Bill has previously worked with Regions Bank, Smithfield Foods, and Scripps Networks. He spent time in the USA Peace Corps, working with village leaders in rural West Africa. He says he loves technology, programming and “geeky stuff like that,” but still finds time to sail, backpack, and read books with his three children (their favorites are Beatrix Potter, Eric Carl and The Wind in the Willows.)

Bill is a native of Glencoe, Alabama and a graduate of Auburn University. Here’s some contact info for Bill if you’d like to learn more:

Bill Abel | E-mail | Twitter | LinkedIn

Patti Siegel

With a proven track record in account and agency management, Siegel was most recently with Deep Blue Insight Group, an Atlanta-based brand planning and research company where she was director. There she worked on new product developments for a number of national brands.

Prior to that, Siegel was executive vice president, director of account management at TG Madison in Atlanta. There she was responsible for all client relationships and revenue forecasting. She also supervised the account management team, participated in agency policy-making as a member of the executive committee and was a key member of the new business team.

“Patti has a proven track record in account management and agency management which will greatly benefit our company,” said Luckie & Co. President, Tom Luckie. “More importantly, her background and experience will enhance the work we do for our clients and their business.”

Siegel is married to photographer Jeff Siegel. She is a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Journalism and Communications and joins a handful of her Luckie colleagues as a loyal Florida Gators football fan. Siegel can be reached at patti.siegel@luckie.com.

Mike Knowles

The rumors are true. OK, there probably weren’t any rumors, but they’re STILL TRUE! Mike Knowles has joined Luckie & Company as vice president, group account director. He comes to the agency from TracyLocke in Dallas, where he was group account director on the Blockbuster account. Knowles brings with him a wide array of agency experience and knowledge, particularly in the packaged goods sector.

Mike was previously with Publicis Mid America for 10 years as account director for Nestle Beverage and Nutrition Division. In that capacity, he led the Juicy Juice and PowerBar teams, functioning in many instances as an extension of the brand team at Nestle. Knowles was team leader in the development of annual marketing plans for Juicy Juice and PowerBar brands.

Prior to his tenure at Publicis Mid America, Knowles was with Young and Rubicam Advertising in New York where he worked on the American Home Products and AT&T accounts.

“Mike is a natural fit for this agency,” said Luckie & Co. President Tom Luckie. “His experience with packaged goods will obviously prove handy for clients like Little Debbie and Sunbelt Snacks, but his broad management experience brings leadership value to our entire account service team.”

Knowles has extensive experience in leading strategy for all aspects brand marketing including advertising, promotions, public relations and interactive. During his career he has successfully managed projects from initiation through execution in media such as TV, print, radio, outdoor, online, events, direct, PR, promotions, gaming and sporting events.

Mike graduated from Ole Miss (that’s The University of Mississippi for the non-Southerners among us), where he was All American and captain of the tennis team. He also received his MBA from SMU in Dallas.

Here’s some contact info if you need to reach Mike:

Mike Knowles | E-mail | Twitter | LinkedIn