Be Happy!

Co-founders and best of friends, Pam Grimes (left) and Melinda Tomasello

At Persona Designs, we say and write these two words often –  ”Be Happy” has become our unofficial tag line and it expresses what we would like to accomplish with the Persona Gift Pail. When you see Diva Deidra, Birthday Betty or Margarita Mary for the first time, it’s hard not to SMILE! Melinda will tell you that she stored many of the Persona prototypes in her closet and if she needed a little “pick-me-up,” she would throw the closet doors open and immediately feel inspired and uplifted. We hope that the Persona Gift Pail puts a smile on your face or the face of a loved one.

We have spent the better part of two years developing the Persona Gift Pail kit, from working with our focus groups to creating all of the wonderful characters and now bringing the Personas to life. We’d like to give a shout out to some individuals and companies that have helped us along the way:

Special thanks to. . .

 Mechelle Renee Benson, Shellie Scates, Charessa Padula for your friendship which provided the inspiration for the very first Persona Gift Pails . . .

Jaclyn for making your mom follow a dream . . .

Michael, Jaclyn, Andrew and Lindsay for bringing love, meaning and a little chaos to our lives…

Eric Ju for your hard work and dedication . . .

Lois Creighton for your support and expert sewing skills . . .

our focus groups for your time and terrific feedback . . .

Sue Heard for your friendship, encouragement and faith in us . . .

Roger Greenwald for your business advice and spreadsheets . . .

Janet Schaare for your financial know-how and patience . . .

Scott Schaare for your unbridled enthusiasm and help with the launch party . . .

Jamie Kiffel-Alcheh for bringing the Persona cast alive with your wonderful way with words . . .

Kirk Hanley for your humor and help in writing the story line for the “Pail Appeal” video . . .

Cam Pietralunga at Pink Sparks Media for taking our vision and creating a fantastic web site . . .

Michael Murphy at Imagination Factory for your wonderful work in producing our first video . . .

Lyn Breaux for your encouragement and support . . .

Leigh Jones for your friendship and brilliant marketing mind . . . 

Friendship Industries for your commitment to your clients and your staff . . .

James River Press for your dedication to excellence . . .

Pitch PR for helping us spread the word . . .

finally, to Jude Tomasello and Steve Grimes, for your love and unwavering support . . .

We knew this journey would be a challenge, but making this heartwarming product a reality was the only option – we just had to do it! In the coming months, we’ll use our blog to share with you fun tips and creative ideas. At the same time, we’ll keep you updated and share our experiences along the way. So, for now . . .

Be Happy!

Pam Grimes, Melinda Tomasello & “The Cast”