Jeff Berg
Senior Vice President, Director of Client Services
AbelsonTaylor
Creating a Culture of Caring
“When I think of Jeff Berg, the first thing I do is smile,” says Sophie De Geest, Associate Account Director at AbelsonTaylor. “Jeff will bend over backwards for you. He’ll do anything he can to make sure you feel supported, listened to, respected, and at the same time, challenged.”
De Geest experienced that firsthand when, after 11 years working at AbelsonTaylor, she decided to leave and try something different. She spoke with Jeff about what she was interested in pursuing—ranging from psychology to architecture—and he offered to help in any way. After three months, Jeff called to check in and to see if she would be interested in helping out on an account. De Geest agreed to come back as a freelancer, but Jeff made it obvious he wanted her back full time.
“It was then that I realized that Jeff was offering me something unique: A position that matched my strengths and needs,” De Geest says. “He was encouraging me to stay true to my goals, and for that to happen, he said AT would create a new position for me that aligned with those goals.”
That is simply one example of what makes Jeff such a great mentor. “While some executives are really smart—even brilliant at their jobs—relatively few are real mentors: People who create an atmosphere where employees can thrive and grow,” explains Jay Carter, SVP, Director of Business Development at AbelsonTaylor.
Laura Guarnieri, Marketing Manager, AbbVie, adds, “Jeff is a different kind of manager. His support extends beyond our professional lives, to our personal lives.”
Guarnieri, who worked at AbelsonTaylor before going to AbbVie, says Jeff helped her when she thought her son was on the autism spectrum. “He opened up about challenges with his own son: How he fought to see the best therapists and how I should do the same,” Guarnieri says. “Although it was the appropriate decision for me to pursue a career outside of AT, I cried saying goodbye. I loved AbelsonTaylor, and a lot of that had to do with the atmosphere Jeff created on his team.”
