Pamela Stallsmith and Cecilia Bingenheimer
Category 45B
Brochure, Corporate or for-profit
Pamela Stallsmith and Cecilia Bingenheimer
Virginia Professional Communicators
2015 Communications Contest
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond marked its 100th anniversary in 2014. The Bank focused its commemorative efforts on educating the public about who we are and what we do, as well as engaging employees to increase their connection to our work on behalf of America’s economy.
As part of the nation’s central bank, the Richmond Fed is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that work together with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., to strengthen the economy and our communities. The Richmond Fed opened for business on November 16, 1914, with 16 employees and today is one of the city’s leading employers. While the 100th anniversary provided an excellent opportunity to explore the reasons for the Bank’s creation and key economic events over the past century, we also wanted to share with employees some of its lighthearted history. Items ranged from salaries in 1915 to how much a sandwich cost in the Richmond cafeteria in 1970.
The 100 Richmond Fed Facts project sought to educate employees about the history of the Fifth Federal Reserve District in a fun and engaging way. The team that led the development of the brochure consisted of Cecilia Bingenheimer and Pamela Stallsmith of the Richmond Fed’s Corporate Communications department. Bingenheimer designed the 22-page brochure, incorporating historical and contemporary photos and humorous artwork to help illustrate the narrative. The cover, for instance, included elements of a $100 bill in the title. Stallsmith edited the brochure and was part of a team that scoured the Bank’s archives and online historical resources for tidbits and trivia, consolidating the information into an easy-to-read format. The 100 Fed Facts – one fact for every year of the Richmond Fed’s history – also ran on the Bank’s intranet site for 100 business days, starting in late June and concluding the day of the commemoration’s capstone event. Some facts appeared on the dates they occurred.
The brochure was distributed to the Bank’s employees during Fed Day, the capstone event. The November 13, 2014, daylong event featured exhibits by departments about their histories, an employee appreciation luncheon and an all-employee event that centered on the Bank’s past as it enters its second century of service. The booklet was well received by employees, who enjoyed it as a keepsake of an once-in-a-lifetime work milestone.
