Tribute to Burkey Belser and Greenfield Belser - Making a Mark

I’m saddened by the loss of Burkey Belser. I am incredibly thankful to Burkey and the agency he built and the team he inspired, so I apologize for the long post, but I have to tell a few stories.

Burkey and Greenfield Belser’s impact was HUGE for me professionally and personally, especially for my family.

GREAT WORK

Professionally, as a new legal marketer, Burkey and his awesome team who are dear friends, Joseph Walsh and Erika Ritzer , helped rebrand my first two law firms.?Their innovative design led to winning the Best Law Firm Rebrand by LMA.?Burkey and his team understood the nuances of lawyers and how to push and pull them to a place they needed to go and make tough marketing decisions. ?He and his team were masterful in a boardroom to get lawyer leaders to believe, as they did for my leaders, so we could all do great work and create legacies. ??

Here is one of my favorite quotes from Burkey. ?In the GB website proposal, it stated they would deliver two designs. When I asked about why only 2 designs, he said “if we don’t get it right in two designs, then you haven’t told us what we needed to know.” ?I loved the boldness and the confidence. He wasn’t there to fix every little font until all the lawyers were happy. ?He and the team were there to push us to launch great work that represented, inspired, and differentiated us. ?????

GREAT PEOPLE

It was amazing the people you met through GB.?The Greenfield Belser dinners at LMA events were filled with the “who’s who” of the legal industry.?Good times were had, great ideas were shared, and friendships were formed. ?It seemed to be in GB’s DNA from Burkey to have energetic, thought-provoking conversations. He created a special environment for legal marketers to thrive. ???

BIG HEARTS

But WAY MORE important to me was his effort with Greenfield Belser and The Reading Connection (see pics).?

Each year, GB sent a book to its clients based on its relationship with The Reading Connection.?It’s a simple children’s book that, not surprisingly, always had a significant meaning.

Burkey did not know at the time that my young son was diagnosed with dyslexia.?My happy outgoing son became more introverted based on his frustration with not being able to read.?And although he started to attend a school specific to dyslexia, it came to the point where he wouldn’t even try.

Then one day, I brought home the book I had received from GB titled “The Dot.” It’s about a struggling young boy who discovers the power of making a simple dot on paper.?It was simple in its writing, beautiful in its imagery, and profound in its message. “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”?That evening I walked into my son’s room and found him with the book attempting to read.?Then, he smiled and told me the story.?Well, if you know me…I’m a crier.?I lost it.?It was the breakthrough we needed.

The next day, I wrote a thank you letter to Burkey and the GB team letting them know what happened.?Then every year after that, it was a special occasion for my family when we received the next book.?And as you can see, we have them all and they will be passed down.

These are stories about a man and his agency that touched many lives. ?He made his mark. And I am grateful.?Rest in peace.?