Carpenter is a natural builder

An only child, Polly Carpenter was born in the small town of Rehoboth, MA—a settlement that members of her family helped found six generations back. Unlike her forebears, she never crossed the unpredictable waters of the Atlantic in a small ship, yet she clearly shares their pioneering spirit. Bright and positive, Carpenter started her first business in high school, marketing her calligraphic skills to turn a profit. While at RISD, she taught classes at the Newport Art Museum. Later, she successfully founded a strategic branding and marketing communications firm based in New York City and got involved in a little side project—the RISD/NY alumni club. In fact, Carpenter has always liked creating both artwork and opportunities.

photo by Peter Gregoire

“I realized early on that I enjoy the creative process and selling, networking and motivating others,” Carpenter says. Her independent, critical thinking skills were honed at RISD in part by staring down a white canvas. So afterwards, she simply transferred her “skills from the canvas to a larger format—a creative business.” Thirty years ago she founded the Carpenter Group, a branding business focused on the burgeoning financial services industry. “At the time, no one really worried about their financial future,” she says. “People invested, if at all, in a few stocks and bonds and relied on social security for their retirement. Today, financial services is one of the major industries in the US, if not the world. Our team helps these businesses tell a story without over-complicating it.” As a one-stop shop, the Carpenter Group develops and designs communications programs, product launches, marketing campaigns, advertising and business strategies. Her role is to guide the firm and develop the team, because she believes that “great people make a great company.” An avowed “people person,” Carpenter has been a pivotal player in the RISD/NY club since the earl 1990s. “I enjoy meeting new people, networking and helping alumni to succeed,” she says in explaining her ongoing commitment. Although club membership has waxed and waned over the years and space issues in New York make it challenging to hold events, Carpenter and club co-leader Michael Neff 04 PH are optimistic about the future. “This is probably the strongest team we’ve ever had,” she says of the core planning group. “Now if someone has an idea, they’ll take it and run with it. They plan and implement the entire thing, which is good experience.” Plans for 2011 include a museum event, an educational series on intellectual property and product marketing, a volunteer opportunity, a gallery tour in Chelsea and a couple of bar socials. Neff provides much-needed communications support for these events by doing Facebook, Twitter and blog posts. And as for Carpenter, she sums up what’s most gratifying about RISD/NY with this: “Staying involved with RISD and alums in the city keeps me up-to-date on what’s happening in all aspects of the arts. In a way it’s an ongoing focus group for me!” –Paula Martiesian 76 PT

This article was reprinted from the RISD alumni magazine RISDXYZ

For more than three decades, Carpenter Group has helped financial services organizations grow their businesses and improve profitability through objective business advice, branding and marketing solutions, and creative services. Carpenter Group brings together seasoned professionals from the financial services, branding and creative industries to develop and implement solutions that drive business goals forward.

Our clients include many of the most prominent firms in the asset management, investment banking, insurance, brokerage and commercial banking sectors.

Carpenter Group
72 Spring Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10012
212.431.6666 tel
212.334.9723 fax