- Dwight McMillan
Dwight founded Basics Group after working as a principal at both a corporate identity firm in New York and before that at a multimedia design studio in Philadelphia. Prior to that, he was art director at a commercial real estate brokerage and a marketing manager at a global investment bank. Dwight leads our work and enjoys treating projects like puzzles – finding elegant solutions and having fun in the process. Prior to Basics Group, he worked with clients such as Accenture, The Nature Conservancy, MTV Networks, Sony Music, TBWA\Chiat\Day, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
- Hallie Steele
Hallie is a principal of the firm and joined Basics Group after working at a branding and design studio in Minneapolis and being the senior designer at a large retail company. She is the lead designer on our team, and her background supports the strategic goals of corporate work as well as the organic, hands-on needs of smaller businesses and nonprofits. Hallie enjoys the craft of design – using the creative process to turn ideas into real things. She is very active in the community and is currently loving the new print shop at AS220.
- Dave Piehler
Dave is a principal of the firm and joined Basics Group after running his own RI-based web development business. He manages our web work and is the point person for any complex database applications or technology integration projects. Dave has created and maintained websites, content management systems, and custom database applications for a range of corporate, municipal, and nonprofit clients. He's also very involved in the community, participating in local groups like AIGA RI, the Providence Geeks and RI Nexus.
- Amy Bernhardt
Amy is a talented senior designer and an experienced account and project manager. Amy will try anything once, and she spent nine years in New York doing everything from art handling and corporate PowerPoint to exhibition and book production. She is a RISD alum and has worked with artists such as Ronnie Horn, Adam Bartos and Philip Lorca di Corcia as director of exhibitions at Box Studio, LTD.
- Kristen Kreuzkamp
Kristen is a hands-on project manager with extensive experience in direct mail and database marketing. She has additional background as a copywriter and production coordinator and supports our larger accounts by being able to respond to a range of 'in-between-the-lines' needs. Prior to her role with Basics Group, Kristen worked closely with companies like Smith Barney, Nationwide Insurance, Citigroup, J.Crew, Lands End and JCPenney.
- James Blanding
James is a skilled and experienced database developer and network server administrator. He works closely with Dave to develop elegant technology solutions and to manage our hosting needs by making sure that the websites and applications we build are using up-to-date software and running on secure, scalable, and easy-to-manage environments.
- Karyn Dillon
Karyn is the point person on our team for providing customer service on client helpline projects. She works closely with Kristen to manage the workflow and flexible staffing needs in order to ensure quality call coverage, issue tracking, and management reporting. Her communications background and ability to calmly juggle a wide range of issues make her an integral part of our team.
- Kim Hoffnagle
Kim is an accomplished graphic designer and illustrator who lives in Athens, Greece and works with us on a project basis. He is a RISD Printmaking alum, and has held a number of creative positions in NYC, London, and Athens.
