Honoring a Personal Milestone: U.S. Citizenship

A blushing honoree, a piece of crystal bearing the American flag…what does it mean to an executive chef who has just become a U.S. citizen?

Meaningful recognition doesn’t magically happen. It takes thoughtful creativity to make people feel special about their special achievement.

When the Minneapolis Women’s Club called Hillary’s looking for help in creating a way to recognize their executive chef recently becoming a United States citizen, we discussed whether to make it functional vs. aesthetic, the budget, and the 10-day timeframe we needed to meet.

At the drawing board, the Hillary’s team pored over how this award should make the recipient feel:Blog_USCitizen_Crystal

·       This personal achievement is as important to my employer as a professional achievement would be.

·       My employer sees me as a real person, not just a chef who creates amazing menus and recipes.

·       The entire organization is honoring me…I’m inspired to do even greater things for them.
Created especially for you

Above all, we wanted to personalize a gift that said, “Especially for you!” After our creative meeting, we presented two ideas to our client: a ceramic serving platter with a red, white, and blue theme with a custom designed flag and a piece of crystal with a dimensional American flag and the text “America, home sweet home” lasered into the piece. Our client selected the crystal piece that displayed the chef’s new country’s symbol of freedom, which clearly conveyed a warm welcome.

Blog_USCitizenship“Our executive chef was blushing proud to finally be a citizen of the U.S. But when we presented him with a gift that acknowledged his personal achievement, he was thrilled to have the people he works share his excitement. In not-so-perfect English filled with emotion, he told us that he would put our gift in a place of honor in his home.”

Pamela M. Lehan
General Manager/COO
The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis