Pete Kelly

Situ8's Founder & CEO

What’s your favorite quote?
“When you go through life make this your goal, watch the donut not the hole”
- Burl Ives
 
Any Words of Wisdom?
There is a great dialog from the movie "Charlie Wilson's War" that I always remembered.

A Zen master observes the people of his village celebrating a young boy's new horse as a wonderful gift. "We'll see," the Zen master says. When the boy falls off the horse and breaks a leg, everyone says the horse is a curse. "We'll see," says the master. Then war breaks out, the boy cannot be conscripted because of his injury, and everyone now says the horse was a fortunate gift. "We'll see," the master says again.
 
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Baseball player or a fireman…can’t remember which came first.  I always admired the bravery of those guys running into a burning building to save someone they don’t even know.

Having grown up in St. Louis, I have always loved baseball so that’s and easy one.  Funny thing is my four year old daughter thinks that when I go to a baseball game at Wrigley Field or Busch Stadium, that I actually play on the team.  I haven’t had the heart to tell her that I just sit in the stands and drink beer.  We’ll just let that dream live on a little while longer.

The youngest of four boys, I grew up in St. Louis, MO.  There is something to be said about being the youngest.  I developed thick skin at a young age from the “reign of terror” that included grundies off the second floor banister.  I was called by several names one of which was “Windmill Williams” for my temper induced fighting style.  There are benefits to being the youngest as I got to see the other three guys break the rules and I learned how to slide under the radar…either that or my parents were just too tired. 

I met my wife Erin in our junior year at the University of Dayton.  After a 7 year courtship and 12 years of marriage, we live in Chicago with our two children.  Life is busy and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My philosophy on business mirrors my philosophy on life:
Keep it simple and don’t worry too much about those things we cannot control. Don’t get too high or too low because tomorrow is a brand new day with challenges and opportunities.
 
Most importantly, have fun.  We only get one shot at this!

Leaving a comfortable, well paying gig to take a risk on building something from scratch isn't the easiest decision to make.  However, when Pete gave me the opportunity to have that choice, it took me all of ten seconds to say "Yes".

There are a lot of reasons myself, and everyone who has joined us since, has bought into Pete's vision.  He's honest, passionate, and committed to success.  He's willing to do what is necessary to put us in a position to create the best work possible for our clients. 

Most importantly, he's just a good guy.  Everyone that has ever had the pleasure of working with Pete has nothing but warm, kind things to say.  He leads by example, motivates & supports us to create great work, and prioritizes his people above all else. 

With Pete leading the way, I knew the only risk I faced was missing out on an opportunity of a lifetime if I didn't decide to follow along.

Erik McKinney

Situ8, VP of Planning & Ideation