Meeting log. Everything in one place.

The discovery working session: four hours, the whole studio.

• A project you were excited about. Everyone in the room, including the newest hires, on what made a piece of work matter to them.
• CKD on a Page. Who we serve, what we make, and what gets in the way, mapped across the wall on stickies.
• Brand and the market. How each person describes CKD, who you come up against, and where the open ground is.
• Vision and the numbers. Amy and Keith on where the business is today, at the 40th, and beyond.
• The growth engine. Every growth activity plotted against impact and effort.
• The next 40. Anniversary ideas from other firms, and the first shape of what CKD's could be.

• The line was already there. "Everybody deserves a little bit of green," in Amy's words, and the room marked it to keep.
• Six boards, filled. Every one photographed and transcribed, and all of it is in the readout.
• Three principles locked in with gold stickers: contribution to community, underserved communities, and projects we are proud of.
• Two things still owed. Client stories, and a definition of what green actually means.

Brand Foundation kickoff: the working session begins.

• Welcome and the easy start. Set the tone: the heavy lifting sits with IG, and today is a short, guided conversation.
• Shape three high-level pieces. The CKD brand (Public Place / Private Space), mission and vision, and the first steps toward Amy's presence as a voice in the field.
• Set the cadence. Agree the rhythm for the working sessions: sessions about a week apart, fit to CKD's Tuesday-to-Thursday week.
• Name the one first step. Nominate a single owner to begin gathering photos and short clips for the 40-for-40 anniversary kit.

• Run the kickoff working sessionIG
• Confirm the session cadence with Amy (Thu–Thu or Tue–Thu)Andy
• Send the same-day recap and next stepsIG
• Confirm the 40-for-40 assets owner on CKD's sideAmy

Engagement planning: how we'll run the sessions.

• Run the engagement as guided working sessions. Bring the structure and the questions, let the CKD team talk it through, and turn the conversation into finished thinking afterward, so it stays easy on their side.
• Deliverable focus confirmed. Brand guidelines (the overall CKD brand plus the public and private practice areas), mission and vision, and the first steps toward positioning Amy as a recognized voice in the field.
• Session structure. A working session with an agenda and whiteboard exercises, fully recorded, so everything said becomes usable output. Insights come back quickly, then a short follow-up with more finished material.
• Cadence. Run sessions about a week apart to keep momentum without pressure. Likely a Thursday-to-Thursday or Tuesday-to-Thursday rhythm that fits CKD's in-office days and gives room to think between sessions.
• 40-for-40 kit. Prep the anniversary content checklist (project photos, short videos) and agree an owner on CKD's side to start collecting while the work is fresh.

• Grant Michael access to the CKD portal + proposal linksAndy · done
• Draft the kickoff session agenda (brand, mission/vision, Amy's voice) + enterprise frameworksIG
• Draft the 40-for-40 anniversary kit checklist (photos, short clips)IG
• Email Amy on session cadence; propose Thu–Thu or Tue–Thu and confirm datesAndy

Discovery: the conversation that started it all.

• Went deep after the call. Reviewed the portfolio, the competitors, the industry, and the public-funding picture, then turned it into a full brand and growth plan for CKD at 40.
• The brand gap named. Tier-1 work, Tier-3 visibility, and single-sector exposure. The fix: tell the story CKD has already earned and open a selective private lane.
• Keith's first-pass feedback folded in. The tagline, the Public Place / Private Space split, and the market-focus order.

• Build the full strategy plan and portalIG · done
• Build the asset library previewing the deliverablesIG · done
• Send the Brand Foundation proposalChris · done