Better late than never right? Yes, Startup Drinks Columbus was last Wednesday night, but I’ve been meaning to post about it and damnit, I’m going to.

The event took place at Surly Girl Saloon in the Short North. Bobby and I both went and had a great time. Didn’t really know what to expect heading in, other than things to do with startups, right? The night brought some good beer(I had a Harpoon UFO – reminded me of being out in Providence with my sister – and a couple of Eliot Nesses), some great conversation, some faces to put with names and twitter handles and some new acquaintances. Many of the people there will also be attending Startup Weekend Columbus July 18-20 (which dynamIt is sponsoring), but Startup Drinks aren’t only for SU Weekend goers. The idea is that people interested in startups, entrepreneurship and business conversation get together and interact. In attendance were individuals with ideas for startups, developers, designers, local journalists and media people, marketing types, business types, lawyers, consultants and people I didn’t get to talk to that do something really cool that I might not even know about. Chris Anderson of TechColumbus was there as well, which I think is important. While a big part of what TC does is facilitating funding for companies who have at least solidified an idea, the seeds for those ideas, I believe, are more prevalent here in Columbus that many people are aware.

I’m hoping that SU drinks continue to grow here in Columbus. While I’m not planning on a splinter company anytime soon (dynamIt was our startup!), the interaction with other designers, developers, creatives, marketers and entrepreneurial-minded people is stimulating. Needless to say, I don’t get enough of it in my life. While in school I knew and worked with many people heavily involved with the Miami University Page Center for Entrepreneurship. (I took a few classes, but could never engage as deeply as I would have liked because of this little thing called dynamIt). Little known fact – Ohio is home to 3 of the top 25 Entrepreneurship programs in the country.

*Note I’ve received word from Dr. Jay Kayne with the Page Center for Entrepreneurship at Miami University that the MU program will again be ranked in the top 25 undergraduate programs in the US out of over 700 schools. The official rankings come out in October in Entrepreneur Magazine

The energy, passion, creativity and cerebral environment surrounding startups in general has the ability to fuel everyday activities, work-tasks and life in general. It’s refreshing, especially the courage, and I think professionals bogged down in their day-to-day would benefit greatly from a night with some people who think differently.

Big thanks to Brian Jones of Jones Insight and Ashley Routson of Young Isaac/The Beer Wench for organizing the night.

A few other posts re: Startup Drinks Columbus -

• the270
  
• Greatest City of All
• wyliemac’s pics

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nick

Dynamit was honored as one of the “Best Places to Work” in 2010 & 2011 by Columbus Business First newspaper and Interactive Agency of the Year. Times are even better in 2012 and we’re hiring a Web/Graphic Designer for our aggressively growing team.

This is an exciting opportunity to work on cutting edge projects for well-known brands in a dynamic, entrepreneurial and highly creative environment. Please email resumes/cover letters and portfolio information (documents or links to online examples) to Gary Moneysmith via gmoney@dynamit.us.

A web/graphic designer on the Dynamit team will:

• Be well versed with Adobe Creative Suite: Strong knowledge of Photoshop, experience with Illustrator and InDesign.
• Have a strong understanding of Usability & Web Trends: Experience with user interface design, knowledge of best practices & examples of this in a portfolio or live site/application design. They will also be up-to-date on web trends and design tactics with examples.
• Have experience in user experience design (UXD) designing application and system interfaces. This experience is crucial for this position.
• Have Basic Programming Knowledge: We’re not looking for a developer here, but the designer should have the ability to design for web with a knowledge of the boundaries and how to design for execution by a programmer.
• Have a Strong Portfolio: We’d like to see much more web work than print.
• Be eager to learn, with a passion for design & the web. The designer should have a strong internal drive for industry knowledge and be committed to furthering the craft.

Experience is important, but personality is key. Our culture is what drives us, and we’re looking to build our team with someone who both fits and contributes to it.

The position is full time at our office in the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package as well as a fun, high-energy, intellectually-stimulating work environment.

Benefits Include

• Competitive salary (compensation will be based on skills and experience)
• Fully paid medical/dental insurance for employees
• Paid parking
• Unlimited vacation time (within reason)
• Office bar + climbing wall — not recommended together

Don’t sit back. If you want to work in a fast paced work environment with great people who love what they do, apply today.

About Dynamit
Dynamit is a digital agency based in the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio. We work with clients and brands on digital initiatives that include strategy, design, user experience and development. We influence communication and commerce. Client work includes Hilton Worldwide, Charley's Grilled Subs, McGraw-Hill, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), E-Z-GO, American Electric Power (AEP), Columbus College of Art & Design and the Ohio State Medical Center (OSUMC) to name but a few.