Schafer Condon Carter’s entire staff of 75, along with some clients, friends and busy “Christmas elves,” will share their holiday spirit in song Thursday, Dec. 15, when they pile into two open air Chicago Trolley buses and sing their “Carols for Kids” from their West Loop office to Pioneer Court on Michigan Ave.
“We might make a few stops in the Loop along way and sing a couple of carols. It’s good-natured fun and allows us to help others,” says agency co-founder Tim Condon, who notes their raising their voices in song will raise money to again benefit WGN’s Neediest Kids Fund of the overall McCormick Foundation.
“In this time of need for so many families, we believe this is truly in the holiday spirit,” he says.
This is the second year for the agency carolers, who raised $10,000 last December from pedestrians, clients and listeners for the children’s fund. “The McCormick Foundation matches donations 50 cents on the dollar, so our $10,000 donation is worth $15,000,” Condon says.
At Pioneer Court, the SCC ensemble will perform on stage from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in front of the WGN Radio Showcase Studio, as part of a live WGN radio show.
The show will also feature entertainment from Chicago Blackhawks national anthem singer Jim Cornelison and forward Daniel Carcillo, the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, WGN Radio’s Orion Samuelson and more.
Donations to the Neediest Kids Fund will be accepted on-site during the event and online at www.SCCCarolsForKids.org.
Agency moves into its own building
Between Christmas and New Year, the fast-growing 22-year old company, founded by Condon and Mark Schafer in Condon’s apartment in 1989, will move into its own four-story, 35,000-sq. ft. building at 1029 W. Madison St.
The first floor will be retail space and the agency will occupy 24,000-sq. ft. on the three other floors “with plenty of room for expansion,” Condon says.
When the agency’s seven-year lease at 168 N. Clinton ran out earlier this year, along with room to accommodate the increasing staff, the principals decided they would be in a better position to buy their own building than continue to rent.
Their new building was built by a prominent businessman in 1871, after the Chicago fire, and recently received landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
Interiors were designed by Chicago-based Brent Widler of Widler Architectural, with emphasis on environmental engineering to conserve energy. “We have a green roof, with insulation in the roof to make sure we’re keeping energy use very low, state-of-the-art heat pumps and a rooftop deck with wireless,” Condon notes. “We’re really going to be like a creative beehive.”
SCC’s client roster of mainly food companies includes the National Pork Board, ConAgra Foods, John Morrell Food Group, Land O’Lakes butter, Brach’s and Morton’s Salt.
