Affari Project

Affari’s Executive Creative Director, Raquel Mayer, is a creative that focuses on brand strategy, visual design, and end-user experience. With over two decades of experience, Raquel has built, managed, and directed design teams for companies of all sizes, from small studios to the top fortune 500 companies. She is an award-winning designer in print, digital, creative branding, and information graphics. With extensive design, project management experience, and a love for storytelling, Raquel provides a foundation of blended business and creative savvy that strives for quality and success.

Max’s energy is electrifying, which makes him the perfect man for the job when it comes to our digital marketing side of the house. He’s got his finger on the pulse of top marketing trends, and he’s always innovating and pushing the bounds to deliver tremendous value for our clients. He brings serious hustle and smarts to every project. When not wowing our clients, Max enjoys spending time with his wife and their 3 mischievous feline fur babies in Virginia.

Sara keeps our Affari world spinning. She has been in this field for 20 years and thoroughly enjoys creating systems and processes. Her goal is to have happy clients and keep the management of our projects efficient and streamlined. In her career, she has done everything from planning to being a project management to now streamlining operations. Within her role, something that keeps her goals aligned is the trust her clients place in her. Being honest and transparent is something that is hard to come by, especially in the agency world. This is why Sara desires to communicate effectively and with clear expectations so all parties can benefit. When she’s not putting a big smile on our clients faces, she’s probably off camping with her husband and three teenagers.

Tatiana has never considered herself an artist, although her designs suggest otherwise. Instead, she calls herself a visual translator, taking our client’s voices and amplifying them through her graphic design skills. She finds joy in creating websites that make intuitive sense to everyone from Gen Z’ers to her parents, without compromising on authentic, beautiful designs. If you have a quick eye, you may see her flash by you on a bike or skis, trailed by her little black dog in the mountains of Durango, Colorado.

Jonathan comes to Affari, bringing a new light, a fresh take and an amazing skill set to the team. With a strong background in health care architecture, Jonathan brings both small and large project experience, from start to finish of a design project. Louis I Kahn once said, "Architecture is the thoughtful making of space" and this a mantra that Jonthan lives by in his day-to-day creations. When he is not building something from the ground up, you can find him on the bowling allies shooting for a perfect 300, or at one of the many Norfolk breweries with his partner!

Ashley’s nine years of experience range from fully integrated global marketing campaigns, to national campaign work for an award-winning marketing firm, all alongside a successful freelance career supporting local brands. Her goal is to create visual concepts to effectively and aesthetically communicate information. She also just happens to be always smiling. No joke. Her favorite book just happens to be The Pantone Color Book, so I guess you could say she’s never worked a day in her life as her hobbies are her job. Jokes aside, when she's not creating incredible designs, you can find her volunteering at her church and enjoying skiing and mountain biking with her husband and two dogs.

On the team, we refer to Scott as the quiet genius, and we’re not mincing words here. That’s why it's no surprise that his favorite quote is by Albert Einstein, “Everyone knew it was impossible until a fool who didn't know came along and did it.” With 10 years’ experience as a full-stack software developer, Scott loves tackling our client’s most tenuous and formidable problems. He builds powerful solutions to help them sleep better at night. When not behind the computer, Scott volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the YMCA in his hometown of Missoula, Montana. He enjoys spending time with his kiddos and hitting the local craft beer scene.

With 17 years of experience, Michelle brings a wealth of knowledge in interior design, spanning diverse sectors like healthcare, hospitality, government, commercial, and multi-family projects.

Michelle's passion lies in creating dynamic spaces that embrace color and contrast fearlessly. Her designs not only reflect a client's brand and culture but also prioritize functionality and safety for everyone. When she's not transforming spaces, Michelle enjoys outdoor adventures with her husband and son, from hiking to exploring new destinations. And here's a fun tidbit: she finds painting her nails incredibly relaxing, a true pro in the making!

Hannah shows up with a type-A personality mixed in with a lot of heart, drive, and an unwavering thirst for keeping the ship sailing smoothly! As Affari’s Head of Production, she takes care of all of the details so that the team can focus on what they do best. She’s experienced in marketing, project management, and operations within eCommerce, SaaS, and lead generation industries. Outside of work, she continues to “do it-all.” You’ll find her hiking, rafting, climbing, sailing, or in the woods with her husband, son, and two Great Danes, experiencing the unfettered beauty and wonder of nature.

Murry is cool. And that’s pretty much it. Kidding, in all seriousness, Murry is one of our awesome Project Managers. Within Affari, his role is to make sure his team and clients have what they need and stay pleased! He has been in this field for about six years, with his formal education in Social Science & Business at Bethel University and his informal education taking place on Netflix, specializing in The Great British Bake Off. One of his main goals in working with his team and clients is to ensure that our projects continue to be successful even after the launch date. Enhancing a project even after it is “complete” is important to Affari. Murry does this by ensuring our clients feel understood and confident in our services.

Madison has been in this field for about 6 years! She has an incredible eye for clarity in design and always sees the glass as half full while staying curious about life. In her design work, she wants the clients to feel like their ideas are not only valuable but essential to the process. Using typography, design elements, and composition, she is able to create an effective message and provide insane work for our clients. She understands that communication does not just involve words, that is why she uses her talents to translate visual components to effective communication through design. She also has three cats, who make excellent work from home companions by the way.

Everything begins and ends with Drew. He is the reason why Affari exists. He is the head and the heart of this company and the reason why we get to show up every day and do the work that matters. Which is pretty special. Drew embodies servant leadership by fostering autonomy, providing ongoing support to his team, and ensuring that his employees have everything they need to be successful. Steve Jobs famously said, “It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Drew is our Jobs. Over the last 10 years, Drew has carefully cultivated a team of creatives, dreamers, hustlers, and strategists that work with brands big and small, making the world a kinder, cooler place. When Drew’s not working, you’ll find him hitting the pavement logging some serious mileage on his early morning runs. He also enjoys playing with his rambunctious pups along the Virginia Beach coastline with his spouse. In short, Drew doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet.

Matt plays a critical role in our team by taking web designs and translating them into beautiful websites for our clients. Once launched, Matt ensures that our clients’ sites remain safe and secure, and he also handles any server issues we may run across. When he’s not keeping up on all things tech with his favorite podcasts TechSNAP and Linux Action News, you’ll find him biking and hiking in his hometown in Hillsborough, NC.

Coming from a Navy family, Savanna grew up in Yokosuka, Japan, which was a pretty cool experience for a kid, one that taught her the importance of having an open heart and an open mind. Following her father’s footsteps, Savanna served in the Navy for eight years before transitioning to her civilian role at Affari. It is an honor to have a Navy veteran on the team! Hooyah! Having always been interested in marketing, Savanna plays an integral role in our day-to-day marketing operations and provides ongoing support to our Managing Partner, Drew, and Operational Director, Daman. When she’s not at work, you can find Savanna spending time with her husband and amazing step-son or hiking with her German Sheppard, Lucy. A world traveler with 15 countries under her belt, Savanna hopes to make it to Iceland next.

Zach is one of our developers and helps bring our web pages to life! He takes the web content needed, and the design team’s magic touch, and unites the two to make a functional and aesthetically pleasing site. Zach was drawn to Affari for their team mentality and how everyones individual talents contribute to the team's overall success. Before his role here, he went to school for Software Development and worked as a Director of Operations. Not only is he talented in the web world, but he is always seeking the most efficient way to get things done. He is eager to learn and please his clients which is one of the many reasons we enjoy having him on team. In his free time, he is usually working with oil pastels and paints, hiking with his dog, or playing an intense game of kickball.

Kaylea (Shoup) Gunter was born and raised in the Missoula Valley. Following graduation from the University of Montana, she spent 15 years working in the medical field and developed a love for helping people in difficult and stressful situations. She also volunteered with many different nonprofit organizations, and helped raise money for The American Cancer Society as well as for cancer screenings.

Kaylea is smart, organized and a quick wit. One of her passions is meeting people and making new connections. Outside of work, she and her husband are parents to two entertaining, active boys who keep them on their toes. The family loves exploring the outdoors and traveling in our great state.

Her goal in this process is to help her clients to find the right home to fit their lives, while keeping the occasionally stressful process as easy and enjoyable as possible. Kaylea believes you can learn something new from everyone who enters your life, and she hopes to pass on some of her boundless optimism to all her clients.

Kiah is a true renaissance man. He is a third-generation Montanan who grew up on a horse farm and got married to his love, Hanna, in -15-degree weather just outside of Glacier National Park. Kiah wears a beard well, he could save you in an avalanche situation, and prefers whiskey over wine. Having founded two startups (one failed, one merged), Kiah has deep empathy for the challenges facing business owners. At Affari, he provides strategic direction and support to senior leadership in recruitment, business development, and finance.