SM&P Starts an Annual Tradition Gala
In lieu of a holiday party, SM&P started an annual tradition of having a firm gala to celebrate its employees and their accomplishments. This year, the gala was held in late February at the Roswell Historic Hall in Roswell. Approximately 72 employees, spouses, friends, and family members attended.
The purpose of this gala was for the firm to get together all at once in person to mingle and really get the opportunity to first, meet if they have not, and second, to interact in a setting where they could enjoy great food, music, and some laughs in an elegant, environment and get to know each other in a more personal manner. It also offered the opportunity to bring a friend or loved one to introduce and join the fun!
According to firm founding and managing partner, Mary Montgomery, “We wanted to challenge all employees to continue to communicate, collaborate, and focus on our clients’ needs. Also important was the chance to celebrate our employees and our success as a firm. The highlight of the evening was the recognition of one of our most dedicated team members, Lynn Congdon. We presented her with the ‘Employee of the Year’ award. No one was surprised about this but Lynn!”
The chance to bond and have fun was not wasted on the group. “The DJ pointed out that if he didn’t know any better,” said Kaelyn Pruett, HR assistant, “he would have thought that, based on the way everyone was interacting with one another, we had certainly met in person before and knew each other very well. This made me feel like the mood for the evening was exactly what it should have been to ensure everyone was comfortable and relaxed with one another.”
Paralegal Brigitte Tryonoviech felt that the venue contributed to the fabulous evening. “The Roswell Historic Hall is beautiful in every way. The special ambiance it radiated made a wonderful night even better.”
“It turned out even more wonderful than I envisioned,” said Kaelyn. “Everyone was dressed to the nines, which set the mood for the evening right off the bat. Typically, we are seeing most folks across from our Zoom screens in a more laid-back but professional setting. This night we were able to get all gussied up and share some laughs together outside of the normal day-to-day stresses from work.
“The ICE Breaker game was a hit as well as the 360 Photo Booth,” said Rebecca Severe, paralegal. “Everybody seemed to get a huge kick out of it. It seemed that everyone was really enjoying themselves.”
“One of my favorite moments of the evening was having everyone get together for the mass group picture,” Kaelyn said. “To see all of us together created a nostalgic feeling of unity that I haven’t felt in a very long time.”
Randy Sabatini, a senior partner at the gala, explained that “with the eight offices, this is a great opportunity to meet your coworkers.”
Kaelyn also noted that getting to meet all of the SM&P teammates in person and not just see the profile picture was a highlight for her. “But we were all dressed to impress, so I wouldn’t have recognized them anyway,” she said, laughing.
