How Do You Say Thank You to Someone Like Alice Anderson?

A note from the desk of Jim McKusick, Co-Owner/CEO/Co-Managing partner — The Geary Company

Thirty-three years.

I’ve been turning that number over in my head, trying to make it feel as big as it actually is. Thirty-three years of media schedules, rate negotiations, client wins, industry upheaval, technological revolution, and somewhere in the middle of all of it — a friendship I treasure.

Alice Anderson is retiring.

And I find myself asking the same question anyone asks when they’re trying to say goodbye to someone hard to replace: How do you even begin?

The Part Everyone Sees

If you’ve worked in advertising in this market over the past three decades, you know Alice’s name. You know it because she is exceptionally good at what she does.

She manages millions of dollars in annual media placements. She develops strategy for casino gaming clients in Las Vegas and across the country — one of the most competitive advertising categories on earth. She negotiates rates with a quiet, steady confidence that has earned Geary clients millions of dollars in added value over the years. She doesn’t just buy media; she builds campaigns. She builds partnerships. She builds results.

Her career spans an era when media schedules were typed on actual typewriters and reach-and-frequency calculations were done by hand — all the way to today’s software platforms with more features than any of us fully use. Through every shift in the industry — the digital revolution, the fragmentation of audiences, the transformation of every traditional medium — Alice adapted, stayed sharp, and kept delivering.

The Part That’s Harder to Value

Here’s what Alice would probably be too modest to say herself: the reason she’s so good at her job is because of the kind of person she is.

She believes in treating people — every person — with respect. Sales reps. Clients. Colleagues. The person who just walked in the door for the first time and doesn’t quite know what they’re doing yet. Ask anyone who has worked alongside Alice and you’ll hear the same things: patient, kind, honest, loyal. She gave people a chance to be heard. She remembered that a decision she made could affect someone else’s livelihood, and she never forgot that weight.

She told us once that the best lesson a vendor ever taught her was simply: be kind. That it matters. That people remember how they’re treated. What’s remarkable is that she didn’t need to be taught that. She already lived it.

What the People Around Her Say

I asked some of the people who know Alice best to share what she’s meant to them. I wasn’t surprised by what came back — but I was moved by it.

“Alice has been an instrumental part of my media career for the past 26 years… She has seen me at my best and my worst, and through it all, she has always been willing to listen, offer support, and provide perspective. The media industry is full of big personalities, and over the course of my career, I’ve worked with all kinds of people. Alice is one of the truly good ones.” — Kristin Baker, AMP Media

“From the beginning, Alice was so patient with me as I didn’t know much about this business. She gave me great advice over the years… She always had the clients’ needs in mind first and fought for their best interest. After her hard negotiating, she would still find time to laugh with me over life events.” — Marie Wright, Scripps Media

“What I appreciated most was her honest, direct approach, paired with a kindness that was never unkind and never unreasonable. Over time, it wasn’t just business — it was a relationship built on mutual respect, and that ultimately grew into a friendship I truly value.” — Marla Waldman, Cox Media

“In an industry filled with many talented professionals, Alice is truly legendary… But the bigger privilege has been becoming Alice’s friend. Beyond the negotiations, media plans, and countless emails, I’ve had the opportunity to know Alice as someone who is thoughtful, loyal, funny — in fact, hilarious — and someone who genuinely cares about every single person around her.” — Heidi Gable, iHeart Media

“I will miss her very much. I will miss her voice.” — Venus Hammel, Audacy Media

That’s Alice. She is someone whose voice you miss.

A Few Things Only Alice Would Do

I can’t write this without mentioning the desk story.

There was apparently a sales rep — persistent fellow — who used to peek in Alice’s window to see if she was in. One day, spotting him coming down the hall, calling her name with tremendous confidence, Alice did the only sensible thing: she hid under her desk and tried not to laugh while he stood there bewildered.

If you know Alice, you can picture this perfectly. The composure. The quiet delight. The ability to find the crazy in even the most mundane professional encounter.

She also told us that if her career were a movie, it would be Mission: Impossible — “because in media buying, the assignment is often to do the impossible, on a tight budget, with a deadline that was apparently set by someone who does not work in media.”

That’s the Alice I know. Brilliant, funny, unstoppable.

What 33 Years Means

I asked Alice what 30-plus years at one place says about the people here.

She said: “It says a lot about the people and the culture here. There’s real loyalty and commitment to the Geary Company. People are treated well, communication is open, and there’s a real effort to make it a positive place to work.”

I want to say something back to that: Alice, you are a big part of why that’s true. The culture of a place is made by the people in it. The loyalty, the care, the way people treat each other — you modeled all of it, every single day. You didn’t just benefit from the culture at Geary. You helped build it.

What Comes Next

Alice is heading into retirement with a plan that sounds, frankly, perfect. Leisurely walks with Harvey the dog. Pilates — for real this time, not tomorrow. Pickleball whenever she feels like it. And in October, a first grandson arriving to make the whole next chapter even sweeter.

She has earned every bit of it.

So — How Do You Say Thank You?

I’ve been writing this for a while now, and I’m not sure I’ve answered the question I started with. How do you thank someone who gave 33 years of her career, her talent, her care, and her friendship to this place and to this industry?

I’m not sure you can do it in a blog post. I’m not sure you can do it at all.

What I can say is this: Alice, you made us better. You made our clients better. You made everyone around you better — not by demanding it, but by simply being who you are. 

Thank you for your brilliance. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for the negotiations, the strategy, the wins big and small. Thank you for hiding under your desk and making us all laugh. Thank you for asking how people’s families were doing. Thank you for being someone whose voice people will miss.

The Geary Company is what it is, in no small part, because of you.

Go enjoy Harvey. Go play pickleball. Go hold that grandson.

You’ve more than earned it.

With enormous gratitude and deep friendship —
Jim McKusick
Co-Owner, The Geary Company