A New Look and a Host of Possibilities - Lisa McGough

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By: Pamela Jean Horter-Moore

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As we get ready to make a big splash at our annual Orchid Show with a dynamite show poster designed by Abby Warhola and a fresh new logo designed by Lisa McGough, I thought the timing was right to feature Lisa in this month’s “Orchid Gems.”

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Lisa remarks, “I was thrilled that my logo design was selected. In creating the logo, I was guided by the requirements that it be simple and eye-catching. And colorful too because orchids are colorful.”

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Lisa can see many uses for the design as a branding device for OSWP. The American Marketing Association defines a brand as “a distinctive feature like a name, term, design, or symbol that identifies an organization.”

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Raised in North Huntingdon and an alumna of Greensburg Catholic High School, Lisa graduated with a BA in Communications/Marketing from Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania. Her husband John is a native of Bellevue, and they have a son, John Arthur, who is a sophomore at Fox Chapel High School. They live in Indiana Township.

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Having graduated college with a degree in communications myself, I know that a career in this field can take many directions. So, I asked Lisa why she pursued a career in marketing, sales, and promotions.

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“I had always been interested in working for television,” Lisa explains. Early in her career, she worked for WTAE, WPGH, and Comcast, running promotions for local networks and for cable networks like Lifetime.

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“I began to realize that the salespeople were making commission on my promotions, so I transitioned to sales.”

Lisa’s marketing experience encompasses a variety of industries and organizations, including The Boston Beer Company, Upjohn Pharmaceuticals, and Homestore.com.

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For three years, she handled design, marketing, and promotions for Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel. This gave her an opportunity to explore her passion for what she calls the marriage of text and the visual arts.

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“The use of graphics is important in reaching today’s audience. Some people won’t scroll to read long content. And yet, it’s curious that people still flock to see long movies. Opera endures, despite changes in contemporary music tastes today. I suppose it comes down to what sticks and what doesn’t.”

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She handled direct-mail marketing and digital advertising sales for Welcome Wagon and managed the field marketing team for Circulatory Centers - a group of outpatient medical clinics with 12 locations along the eastern seaboard.

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“I’m a people person. I love to share what I know, so I enjoy training.”

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She managed email marketing for Doors Open Pittsburgh, an organization that offers behind-the-scenes tours of Pittsburgh architecture, and she currently works as a content specialist for The Church Online – a creative marketing agency for churches and organizations across the US.

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Lisa is aware of how technology has changed the advertising industry. People with experience in design and layout, who have worked in promotions for decades, must keep up with the digital age. “It’s only been within the past 15 years or so that electronic design has matured,” Lisa comments. Now, marketers need to think about hashtags and captions, optimizing content for search engines, and many other issues that technology has forced communicators to consider.

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Despite the marvel of tools available to the creator, Lisa feels that electronic design doesn’t compare with the gift that enables a person working with oils to capture a person’s likeness on canvas.

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Lisa counts herself fortunate that her husband John has a job that gives her career flexibility. He is a Power BI analyst for the Commonwealth of PA. After her son was born, Lisa stepped down from a 45-hour week. Now, she works three days a week at the advertising agency. She isn’t bogged down, which gives her the opportunity to pursue interests such as orchid cultivation.

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“A lot of life is what you choose and how you do it,” says Lisa. “Choose something you love and not the money. If you are open to new things, you will be more successful.”

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Lisa has a wide range of interests, including bonsai and music. “I sang second soprano in the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh. I also sang in college and with the Westmoreland Choral Society.”

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Although Lisa is comfortable in the digital age, she has no personal accounts on social media. She has her own method of personal branding. Among her friends, she is quickly recognized by her handwritten letters on monogrammed stationery with matching envelopes and color-coordinated postage stamps.

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The website for American Stationery states: “They see your personality and individuality conveyed in your handwriting…Your recipient will know a letter from you has arrived the moment they open the mailbox.” (https://www.americanstationery.com/blog/the-art-of-letter-writing-2/)

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Lisa had little interest in plants in her youth, even though her mother tenderly cared for her houseplants and her father grew tomatoes. That changed in 2018 when her mother-in-law gave her a “Just Add Ice” orchid. She placed the orchid near the bathroom window and was amazed when it grew little leaves on the stem but no flowers. What was happening? She took her plant to the OSWP Orchid Show for an answer and learned that her orchid had grown a keiki.

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This success inspired Lisa because she hadn’t even been trying. Maybe orchid cultivation was something she was good at. The excitement of learning more and exposing herself to more of these beautiful flowers drew her to the OSWP, and to every OSWP Orchid Show since then. She now owns 54 orchids, and 10-12 of them are in some stage of bloom at any given time. She grows in the east bay window of her dining room.

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A lover of second-hand shops, church rummage sales, and thrift stores, Lisa has been known to rescue orchids and give them a second chance. “My husband John and I went to Lowe’s to buy a Christmas tree, and we came home with a tree and 12 phalaenopsis orchids in full bloom discounted to $5 each. I thought it was a great bargain, but he just rolled his eyes.”

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Her collection includes mini Cattleyas that she purchased at the Christmas Party, slipper orchids, and Beallara Marfitch 'Howard's Dream', a magnificent Oncidium. Her favorites are fragrant Zygopetalums; she plans to collect more of these.

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“I greet my orchids cheerfully every morning”, says Lisa, “If it likes you, it blooms, and you’re in love!” Her recommendation for orchid enthusiasts is a universal message: “My best advice is to ask for advice.”