MICHALINE TOMICH

CEO & EXECUTIVE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

In January of 2002, Michaline experienced the joy of landing her first client, well-known Church’s Chicken, who hired her to rollout their domestic and international packaging designs. Since then, with a degree from University of Illinois, Michaline has landed and directed thousands of brand projects. As CEO she salutes everyone who has helped mixdesign achieve over 14 years of success including the recent move into their new freestanding building. She is a member of AIGA and serves on the board of the Lake Area United Way. When not designing, her list of favorites include husband Jared, playing with her 2 boys, up-cycling, old school animation and reminiscing about the 80's.

NICKI GLADSTONE

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Nicki may be tiny, but she can pack a mighty roar! Nicki is a seasoned vet in the public relations and marketing industry, with a Bachelor's in PR and a Master's in crisis communication and emergency management to boot. Her out-of-the-box thinking helps mixdesign clients reach new creative heights. Her innovative approach to strategic management and her generally sunny disposition provide the perfect conduit for clients and the mix creative team. Outside of the mix you can find her with her family, volunteering all over Northwest Indiana or watching one of her many favorite sports teams in action.

KATIE FENTRESS

ACCOUNT COORDINATOR

Katie join the team after moving back from Florida with her family. Katie brings her past work experience as a director of finance, distributor and franchise owner to her present position as account coordinator. Her awesome organizational skills help keep everyone at mix on track. In her free time, Katie loves to spend time outdoors with her two children and husband Brian.

BRANDON DZUNDA

CREATIVE MANAGER

Armed with a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in aeronautical engineering technology, Brandon joined the mix team in 2003. Brandon's passion and expertise lie in print design and creating new identities for our clients. He is the brainstorming master, and is sure to wow clients with his sharp wit.  Outside of work he is a self-proclaimed beer geek, avid outdoorsman and Pearl Jam fanatic. He mostly enjoys spending time with his family, close friends, and his boxers Boscoe and Riley.

MIKE PLYS

DESIGN CARPENTER

Mike has 30 years of experience in construction, estimating and project management. Needless to say, he brings a wealth of creative construction, estimating and installation knowledge to the team at Mixdesign. He has been instrumental in implementing the physical design of the company's new building, managing interior installations, and creating marketing, event and interior components. When not constructing our magnificent mix-visions,  you can catch Mike enjoying grandparenting and a good Scotch on the rocks :)

SONIA LOPEZ

SENIOR DESIGNER

Sonia’s persona comes to life in everything that she designs. Her versatility extends her across mixdesign's print and event divisions. She is a Columbia College Graduate with a passion for color and a gift for design. Her artsy personality adds whimsy and flair to the design room. She can often be touted for her awesome hair color, her out of control nail polish collection and unique nail designs and can easily bribe anyone with her family's fantastic tamales.

FRANKIE ANGOTTI

DESIGNER

Frankie brought her spunk and talent to mixdesign after graduating from the American Academy of Art with a BFA in Graphic Design.  Web Design is her specialty, although she is a helping hand in brand production as well as heading up all of our social media. Frankie is a resident of Highland and is very close with her family.  Her love of soccer and dogs is shown through her dog sitting jobs and coaching of youth soccer teams in her spare time.  Besides design, her other passion is to travel the world with 13 countries under her belt, she is always planning her next big adventure.

JOELLEN PAVINCA

INTERIOR AND EVENT DESIGNER

Joellen has been with the team in multiple creative roles for over 4 years. In her current position as interior design and events coordinator joellen hones her creative skill to bring special projects to life. When brands need interior themed rollout, event engagement and impactful final touches, Joellen brings the “sprinkles”. Jo has a working knowledge of all aspects of event planning, interior design, up cycling, creative theming and installation applications for over the top impact. Her role is the perfect pivot between wood shop creativity and branding team implementation needs. When not at mixdesign or helping our sister company happy day, she spends her time enjoying her son, Daniel, making jewelry and hanging out with friends.

KELLY MASSEI

PRODUCTION DESIGNER & ILLUSTRATOR

As a senior studying Fine Arts at Indiana University Northwest, Kelly brings her talents of illustration and design to the mixdesign table. Kelly can whip up the illustrations and designs to make any event that much more awesome. While she is not balancing a busy schedule of school and working at mixdesign, she can often be found at Grindhouse sketching up some new illustrations or planning her next project.

TERRY DEKKER

SHOP COORDINATOR

Terry came to mix from day one with a “glad to help" attitude that impressed and quickly led him to the position of Shop Coordinator and Production Logistics. With a background in screen printing, illustration and hard work for multiple workshops and production companies, Terry fit in perfectly to our fast paced team. He coordinates production supplies, ordering, deliveries, installation schedules and implements ideas with the construction and design team always with a welcoming smile. Outside of work, Terry is typically enjoying a pizza and a beer with his girlfriend, Sylvia and has an identical twin brother that so far as we know hasn’t shown up in his place.

PETE CORTESE

CUSTOM MURALIST

Pete Cortese specializes in painting custom murals and collages on canvasses, walls, and ceilings of all sizes. Cortese's art can be seen in schools, homes, medical centers, restaurants, and bars in 14 states.