Catalyst Ranch’s
Creative Juice Blog
One of the great things about the Catalyst Ranch philosophy is to give back whenever possible. To that end we partner with great organizations and sponsor other events that make a difference, like the South Side Pitch, hosted by the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School. Our sponsorship donation [...]
As a meeting and events facility, we at Catalyst Ranch have the pleasure of working with Meeting Planners every day. It occurred to us that these hard-working behind-the-scenes go-getters receive as much recognition as a gaffer on the set of Law & Order. So we are setting out to change that! This is the first in [...]
Ever stumble upon a great accident? Well that is how motherhood went for me. I was running for US Congress against Luis Gutierrez in the 4th District. It was 2012 and I had raised my first $25,000. I felt empowered. I felt alive. I was living my dream of working towards becoming a politician. Then [...]
Most Interesting Person: Ali Karbassi Over the past 15 years I’ve worked in many different industries; Professional photographer, senior web developer at web firms and advertising agencies, product developer at an Internet of Things startup, Technology Director at a product-based company, and CEO of a non-profit to name a few. Each has revolved around my love [...]
Hello! My name is Tehilla. (sounds like "tequila") Newman; Catalyst Ranch's new Business Development Manager, Networking Ninja and Relationship Revolutionizer. After having grown up in Cherry Hill, NJ, I came to Chicago to go to Graduate School at a prestigious Theater Program. Having never failed anything before in my life, when the school "cut" me [...]
We sat down with Holly Birnbaum, one of the founders of Thoughtly Crew, to ask about Creative Thinking Agents, consumer market research groups, and partnering with Catalyst Ranch. Here's what she said! Who is Thoughtly Crew? Thoughtly Crew, the world's first independent pool of creative consumers, was launched in 2005 by Holly Birnbaum, Scott Cheney [...]
Blair Thomas & Co. Puppet Theater A bit of a one-man-band, through puppets Blair is able to tell deep and complex stories with the various characters often being different extensions of his own personality. Right! Not your average puppet show! — The Huffington Post Catalyst Ranch Ignite Theatre presents its next feature: The Blair Thomas & [...]
We are pleased to introduce Levi Baer. Levi is a consultant, a community builder, a collaborator, a professional speaker and on top of all that, he’s Catalyst Ranch’s newest Preferred Meeting Facilitator! Please give him a warm welcome and a thorough read. Table Talk: Making the Most of Your Meetings Let’s face it. Work meetings can [...]
As you may have heard, Catalyst Ranch is producing a theatre series called Ignite Theatre that is launching October 9th. Our first production is Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. Please welcome director Dan Foss, who has agreed to answer our goofy questions despite his status as a huge talent in the theatre community. Dan has been [...]
Welcome guest blogger and Catalyst Ranch Art-Work Program Facilitator, Troy Cicero! Diversity and Inclusion are indeed my passion, and what I have discovered is that as organizations attempt to embark on a diversity and inclusion journey, one of the biggest challenges faced is executive level commitment. Executives often view their role as approving the diversity and [...]
