For those that didn’t know Steve, he was a kind and generous guy– always quick with a smile and a wry remark, often laced with a little self-depreciating humor. He loved traveling, music, the ocean and his family- including his wife, Cindy; their two daughters; and his three brothers, with whom he was very close.

Like many of us here in North Florida, Stephen was a survivor of the real estate market meltdown. He was Vice President of Parker Associates, a real estate development / and marketing consultation firm where he shared duties with his father David, and older brother, Chris. From Florida, to Costa Rica, to Russia, if you wanted to know what to build upon a certain piece of property; how to position it; price it; and market it; then these guys could tell you. Their endurance through the market turmoil is a testament to their expertise and professionalism. With markets still trying to find their way forward and property changing hands, their insights today are more valuable than ever.

As many from Jacksonville (we, who lived “inside” of one of the nation’s largest real estate bubbles), will tell you, the battle back has been long and arduous. And while Steve and his family have overcome incredible challenges that saw so many other real-estate related companies fail over these past 2.5 years, the merciless serial killer that is cancer came along and buggered up the victory celebration for all of us.

Or perhaps I should say, “almost all of us”. Not for Stephen, himself.

You see, what those closest to Stephen reassured us was that he passed away with absolutely no regrets. He never waited for life to “happen” to him, but always “attacked” it with gusto. If there was a place he wanted to visit, but he didn’t have the funds, he’d find a way to get them. When there didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for the business at hand, he’d still find a way to get the job done and do so without sacrificing time for his family, friends or even just acquaintances, who he always made feel important. To me, achieving this kind of balance is what defines a “successful” life.

Today more than ever, it is easy to lose sight of the immeasurable value that each day holds and the pricelessness of the people we spend those days with. Our family. Our friends. Our co-workers. Yes, we face a challenging economy and uncertain times. Yes, technological evolution has enabled, and as a result, required us to fit more tasks into fewer hours, often for less money, raising the bars for efficiency and production to ever higher levels.

But at the end of each day, or more appropriately, at the beginning– we owe it to ourselves to pause and reflect on the things that truly matter in this life. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We are not even guaranteed our next breath. So, if you wish to live a life with no regrets, the kind of life that Stephen George William Parker lived, then don’t wait on it to come to you. Go out and grab it. At home. At work. On the beach. And remember to always do it without losing sight of the important people around you. You never know when they’ll be gone. Steve, we will miss you.

The answer lies in the current advertising environment, the future of marketing and quite honestly, our own values.

The current advertising environment is both a bold, new world and a vexing journey into the unknown. While some may long for the three-martini lunches, fab clothes and fat media commissions of the “Mad Men” era, those days are long gone, as agency compensation is increasingly tied to performance and outcomes. That’s actually a good thing, because delivering on performance is always a great opportunity to prove the value of good work.

The frustrating part is that right now, a lot of advertisers, private developers in particular, are sitting tight, playing wait-and-see with the economy. As an agency, we can’t afford to do that. We need to keep moving ahead. Even if that means becoming clients ourselves. So we’re making things that people want. And making sure they know how to find them.

We see this as the future of marketing.

With all the media platforms out there today including social networks, marketing over the next years will increasingly become more direct (one-to-one), and more permission-based. People want to know about the things they care about. And agencies are uniquely suited not only to promote those things, but to imagine and create them.

And Sanctitees is something we care about.

In essence, we’re wearing our faith on our sleeves. Now, some people might say faith and business are two separate things, and perhaps they are. But my faith informs my values, and I believe that clients appreciate knowing who you are — especially when they’re thinking of doing business with you.

Sanctitees is just one of our firm’s entrepreneurial ventures. We’ve also partnered with StalwartBuilt, a green-building science company and have started our own line of modern, green homes called, “Habitectur” (website under development). And, our partnership with America’s Education Guide has helped the expansion of this comprehensive guide to accredited public and private schools, colleges and universities into six new markets in Florida, Virginia and soon, California.

Faith. The environment. Education. And of course, real estate (more precisely, its exciting future). We’ve invested ourselves in these areas. And we’re moving ahead with even more to come.

They say do what you love and success will follow.

Over the past 12 years, this has always held true for Renaissance — though these last two have certainly been more challenging than the first ten. But, we believe that by branching out and creating things, by being true to who we are, we will succeed.

Be it revolution or evolution, we are continuing to “Think Forward”.

I’m not talking about promotional items (though we occasionally give those away, too), but practical tools and information you can use, in language you can understand. Whether you are a design, marketing, advertising or public relations professional; business owner; student; client; employee or digital junkie, we want the RC blog to be a place you bookmark, learn from and when you feel like it- contribute to.

You’ll likely see some recurring themes here.

We’re partial to the changing trends in web design and technology that aim to enhance creativity, communications and business. We’re big on branding, but recognize that it is evolving and understand those who challenge its relevance and effectiveness in today’s digitally-savvy, data-driven, bottom-line world of connected consumers. We love great design and recognize its enduring power in all its forms and various channels of delivery.

And finally, honesty is a theme that is inescapable to me, both personally and professionally.

I believe honesty is the genesis of good design; a requirement of a successful brand; and in my opinion– a fundamental quality for living a truly satisfying life. And on this straightforward note, I’ll leave you with both an admission and a request:

We created our blog not only as a free resource and entertainment venue for our clients and the global-community-at-large, but also as a business tool for Renaissance Creative. So, if you happen to find yourself regularly informed, inspired, enlightened or amused by the information we provide, we ask that you please consider sharing us with a friend, co-worker or others who might also find it valuable.

Better still, if you’re a business-owner, marketing professional or company that desires an energetic, forward-thinking marketing partner– one well-equipped to work in our creatively, strategically and technologically evolving world, then by all means, please contact us. You’ll never get any less than our most sincere best effort. You’ve got my word on that.

Tim Hamby